The Missing Link in Digital Transformation Leadership: Unpacking the Role of Knowledge

Leading digital transformation (DT) is challenging due to the unforeseen hurdles that arise through the novelty of digital technologies and the broad scope of organisational change. Even those with a wealth of experience and skills may struggle to respond adequately to inherently novel situations. While skills and experience are necessary for leading DT, continuously acquiring technology and business knowledge is equally important for navigating unfamiliar situations that DT often presents. As such, knowledge represents the missing link that warrants equal attention in driving successful DT. We examined the different knowledge types that digital leaders require to effectively navigate DT. Drawing on the IT innovation and DT literatures, we developed the DT knowledge framework with six knowledge types. We analysed these knowledge types in 138 interview excerpts of chief technology officers (CTOs), chief information officers (CIOs) and chief digital officers (CDOs) leading DT taken from 128 industry articles. We find that technology know‐what —that is, knowing what technologies are available and their capabilities —and business know‐how —that is, knowing how to execute organisational change needed for DT, are the two most important knowledge types. We further unpacked the dimensions of each of these knowledge types and offered recommendations for practitioners through our novel knowledge perspective on DT leadership. We also discuss the implications of our knowledge perspective for advancing DT scholarship.