The Impact of Digital Leadership on Sustainable Competitive Advantage in tourism businesses

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Professor in Business management, Faculty of management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran

2 Ph.D. Student in Strategic Management, Business Management Department, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

3 Ph.D. Student in Strategic Management, Business Management Department, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22080/jtpd.2026.32248.4118

Abstract

Context and Purpose: Digital transformation has significantly changed the competitive environment of tourism service businesses, making digital leadership an essential organizational capability. This study investigates the effect of digital leadership on sustainable competitive advantage, emphasizing the mediating roles of knowledge workers and strategic agility.

Design/methodology/approach: This applied study adopted a descriptive-correlational design. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires from employees and managers of tourism service businesses and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the Sobel test.

Findings: The findings indicate that digital leadership has a positive and significant effect on sustainable competitive advantage, knowledge workers, and strategic agility. Moreover, knowledge workers and strategic agility significantly influence sustainable competitive advantage and play significant mediating roles in the relationship between digital leadership and sustainable competitive advantage.

Conclusion: The results suggest that digital leadership enhances sustainable competitive advantage both directly and indirectly by strengthening organizational knowledge capabilities and strategic agility.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Tourism Planning and Development

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 29 August 2026

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics