What is your digital leadership style?

A digital leader fulfills several roles within and outside the organization: strategist, innovator, change agent, connector, inspirer, and ambassador. By effectively utilizing these roles, you contribute significantly to the digital innovation of your organization and the broader cultural sector.

Leadership in digital transformation

Digital transformation in a cultural organization requires digital leadership competencies. As a leader, you can mobilize people to collaboratively develop the organization. This enables the organization to seize opportunities from new technological developments, translate them into new values and business models, and enhance the organization's impact on today's and tomorrow's audiences and society as a whole.

The challenge as a digital leader is how to stimulate this process and inspire and guide the organization. Gaining insight into the extent to which the various leadership roles are developed in you can help. Central to this are the following questions:

• What can you add to your personal development as a leader to remain relevant in this changing society with your organization and seize the opportunities of digital transformation?

• How can you develop digital leadership within your organization so that the process of digital transformation is carried not just by you but by the entire organization?
  

The six leadership roles 

Based on research, we have defined six roles that a digital leader can fulfill. They are described below. Learn which role is strong in you and which you can further develop. The digital leadership test can help you with this. 

It is natural that you as a person are not equally strong in all roles. That’s okay; you can always continue to develop your own competencies. By also investing in the development of the people in the organization at various levels (strategic, tactical, and operational), all colleagues contribute to the organization's digital leadership.

The strategist 

The strategist has a vision of the necessity of digital transformation and can develop a strategy for it to keep the organization relevant in the digital society. The strategist knows how to create new value, such as attracting, finding, and engaging future audiences, increasing accessibility, enriching cultural experiences, and contributing to societal impact. The strategist makes decisions and provides direction based on data obtained from data analysis.

The innovator 

As an innovator, the digital leader is open to new technological possibilities and trends relevant to the sector and their own organization. This digital leader stimulates innovation by developing new ideas, conducting experiments, and collaborating with partners to find new solutions. An innovator is curious, continues to develop themselves, and promotes continuous learning throughout the organization.

The change agent 

The change agent can quickly respond to changing circumstances and ensures that the organization remains agile in an increasingly digital environment. This digital leader can handle resistance and involve everyone in the organization in the transformation process. The change agent demonstrates cultural entrepreneurship to manage risks and seize opportunities.

The connector 

The connector acts as a bridge builder by promoting collaboration between different teams within the organization, encouraging network collaboration, and investing in constructive cooperation with various stakeholders. This integrates digital initiatives into all aspects of the organization and contributes to the digital transformation of the sector as a whole. This digital leader can connect with the audience, for example, by involving them in the creation of new products and services (co-creation).

The inspirer 

The inspirer motivates people and inspires everyone to actively contribute to the mission and vision of the organization. The inspirer communicates clearly and transparently about digital initiatives and their connection to the organization's mission & vision. This digital leader also acts as an inspirer externally to explore collaboration opportunities and share knowledge and experiences in the field of digital strategies.

The ambassador 

The ambassador tells the story of the organization's digital transformation and innovation in an engaging way. This allows the audience and stakeholders to form a picture and feel involved. The ambassador has a network of relationships around digital transformation and innovation. This digital leader is well-informed about external developments and can effectively use this knowledge for the organization's objectives. 

These roles were developed by the DEN Academy and InJoin based on literature and research in the field of (digital) leadership. From the DEN Academy, we have years of experience guiding directors and senior managers in the program ‘Digital Leadership’. This has allowed us to test the theory against the real practices of leaders in the cultural sector.