Journals / Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 13 Sayı: 2

The Mediating Role of Psychological Well-Being in The Relationship Between Digital Leadership And Job Performance

Dijital Liderlik ile İş Performansı İlişkisinde Psikolojik İyi Oluşun Aracılık Rolü

Arif Damar(BİLECİK ŞEYH EDEBALİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, UYGULAMALI BİLİMLER FAKÜLTESİ, MUHASEBE VE FİNANS YÖNETİMİ BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0002-4366-3985
Aysel Güney(BİLECİK ŞEYH EDEBALİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, UYGULAMALI BİLİMLER FAKÜLTESİ, MUHASEBE VE FİNANS YÖNETİMİ BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0001-7017-8435
Ersin Eskiler(SAKARYA UYGULAMALI BİLİMLER ÜNİVERSİTESİ, SPOR BİLİMLERİ FAKÜLTESİ, SPOR YÖNETİCİLİĞİ BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0001-7617-2958
Pages
768–791
Publication Date
2025-08-30
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

According to the results, it was found that digital leadership had a positive effect on psychological well-being and job performance.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:With technological developments, business processes and decision-making processes are changing.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Therefore, it can be stated that digital leaders positively affect the psychological well-being of employees and increase their job performance.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:According to the results, it was found that digital leadership had a positive effect on psychological well-being and job performance.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Dijital Liderlik · Psikolojik İyi oluş · İş performansı

Abstract

With technological developments, business processes and decision-making processes are changing. This change, called digitalization, has revealed digital leaders, who are forward-thinking individuals who guide and influence employees through information technologies. Digitalization brings new challenges and innovations, and this can affect employees. Therefore, it can be stated that digital leaders positively affect the psychological well-being of employees and increase their job performance. In this context, this study was conducted to determine how academics’ digital leadership levels affect psychological well-being and job performance. For this purpose, the data was collected from selected academics using the survey technique and convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics, explanatory factor analysis, correlation and regression analyses were performed. According to the results, it was found that digital leadership had a positive effect on psychological well-being and job performance. In conclusion, it was also concluded that psychological well-being plays a mediating role in the relationship between digital leadership and job performance.

Özet

Teknolojik gelişmelerle birlikte, iş süreçleri ve karar alma süreçlerinde değişim yaşanmaktadır. Dijitalleşme olarak adlandırılan bu değişim, bilgi teknolojileri yardımıyla çalışanlara yön veren, onları etkileyen ve ileri görüşlü kişiler olan dijital liderleri ortaya çıkarmıştır. Dijitalleşme yeni zorluklar ve yenilikler getirmekte ve bu durum çalışanları etkileyebilmektedir. Dolayısıyla dijital liderler, çalışanların psikolojik iyi oluşlarını pozitif etkilediği ve iş performanslarını arttırdığı ifade edilebilir. Bu bağlamda akademisyenlerin dijital liderlik düzeylerinin psikolojik iyi oluş ve iş performansı üzerindeki etkilerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla bu çalışma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, anket tekniği kullanılarak ve kolayda örnekleme yolu ile belirlenen akademisyenlerden veriler toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, açıklayıcı faktör analizi, korelasyon ve regresyon analizleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre dijital liderliğin psikolojik iyi oluş ve iş performansı üzerinde pozitif etkisi tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, psikolojik iyi oluşun dijital liderlik ile iş performansı ilişkisinde aracılık rolünün olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Damar, A., Güney, A., Eskiler, E. (2025). The Mediating Role of Psychological Well-Being in The Relationship Between Digital Leadership And Job Performance. Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, Cilt: 13 Sayı: 2, 768–791. https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.1687254

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (68)

  1. Abbasov, A., & Tolay, E. (2021). The impact of digital leadership on individual performance: Research in a firm implementing industry 4.0 technologies in Azerbaijan. İzmir Journal of Management, 2(1), 59-74.
  2. Abbatiello, A., Knight, M., Philpot, S., & Roy, I. (2017). Leadership disrupted: Pushing the boundaries (B. Walsh & E. Volini, Eds.). Deloitte University Press
  3. Ahuja, J., Puppala, H., Sergio, R. P., & Hoffman, E. P. (2023). E-Leadership Is Un(usual): Multi-Criteria Analysis of Critical Success Factors for the Transition from Leadership to E-Leadership. Sustainability, 15(8), 6506. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086506
  4. Aktaş, H., & Gürkan, G. Ç. (2015). Mediating role of occupational commitment in the interactions of work-family & family-work conflict with individual performance: A research on nurses. Dogus University Journal, 16(2), 139-154.
  5. Alcan, G. (2021). The relationship between job demands-business resources model and the psychological well-being of the employees. Management and Political Sciences Review, 2(2), 86-103.
  6. Alkhayyal, S., & Bajaba, S. (2024). Countering technostress in virtual work environments: The role of work-based learning and digital leadership in enhancing employee well-being. Acta psychologica, 248, 104377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104377
  7. Altınöz, M. (2008). Ofis otomasyon sistemlerinin bireysel performans üzerine etkisi (The effect of office automation systems on individual performance). The Journal of Selcuk University Social Sciences Institute(20), 51-63.
  8. Amelda, B., Alamsjah, F., & Elidjen, E. (2021). Does The Digital Marketing Capability of Indonesian Banks Align with Digital Leadership and Technology Capabilities on Company Performance? CommIT (Communication and Information Technology) Journal, 15(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.21512/commit.v15i1.6663
  9. Antonopoulou, H., Halkiopoulos, C., Barlou, O., & Beligiannis, G. N. (2020). Leadership types and digital leadership in higher education: Behavioural data analysis from University of Patras in Greece. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(4), 110-129. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.4.8
  10. Anwar, S., & Saraih, U. N. (2024). Exploring the abilities of emotional intelligence in psychological empowerment: digital leadership as mediator. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 16(4), 1246-1257. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-06-2023-0245
  11. Artüz, S. D., & Bayraktar, O. (2021). The effect of relation between digital leadership practice and learning organization on the perception of individual performance. İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 20(40), 97-120. https://doi.org/10.46928/iticusbe.761479
  12. Asri, A. A. S. M. A. N., & Darma, G. S. (2020). Revealing the digital leadership spurs in 4.0 industrial revolution. International Journal of Business, Economics & Management, 4, 93-100. https://doi.org/10.31295/ijbem.v3n1.135
  13. Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Walumbwa, F. O., Luthans, F., & May, D. R. (2004). Unlocking the mask: A look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(6), 801-823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.09.003
  14. Avolio, B. J., Kahai, S., & Dodge, G. E. (2000). E-leadership: Implications for theory, research, and practice. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 615-668. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(00)00062-X
  15. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands‐resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
  16. Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., Taris, T. W., Schaufeli, W. B., & Schreurs, P. J. (2003). A multigroup analysis of the job demands-resources model in four home care organizations. International Journal of Stress Management, 10(1), 16-38. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.10.1.16
  17. Benitez, J., Arenas, A., Castillo, A., & Esteves, J. (2022). Impact of digital leadership capability on innovation performance: The role of platform digitization capability. Information & Management, 59(2), 103590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2022.103590
  18. Chaudhary, P., Rohtagi, M., Singh, R. K., & Arora, S. (2022). Impact of leader's e-competencies on employees' wellbeing in global virtual teams during COVID-19: the moderating role of emotional intelligence. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 44(5), 1048-1063. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2021-0236
  19. Çöl, G. (2008). The effects of perceived empowerment on employee performance. Dogus University Journal, 9(1), 35-46.
  20. Damar, A., Güney, A., & Eskiler, E. (2024). The mediating role of psychological empowerment in the relationship between humble leadership and work engagement. Journal of the Human and Social Science Researches, 13(2), 505-523. https://doi.org/10.15869/itobiad.1384781
  21. Damar, A., Kaçay, Z., Eskiler, E., & Soyer, F. (2020). Adaptation of the global academic performance scale: Reliability and validity study. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 10(3), 560-576. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.707838
  22. de Araujo, L. M., Priadana, S., Paramarta, V., & Sunarsi, D. (2021). Digital leadership in business organizations: An overview International Journal of Educational Administration, Management, and Leadership, 2(1), 45-56.
  23. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction. Journal of happiness studies, 9, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9018-1
  24. Dewi, R. K., & Sjabadhymi, B. (2021). Digital Leadership as a Resource to Enhance Managers’ Psychological Well-Being in COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in Indonesia. The South East Asian Journal of Management, 15(2), 153-168. https://doi.org/10.21002/seam.v15i2.12915
  25. Dooris, M., Powell, S., Parkin, D., & Farrier, A. (2021). Health promoting universities: effective leadership for health, well-being and sustainability. Health Education, 121(3), 295-310. https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-12-2020-0121
  26. El Sawy, O. A., Amsinck, H., Kræmmergaard, P., & Vinther, A. L. (2016). How LEGO Built the Foundations and Enterprise Capabilities for Digital Leadership. MIS Quarterly Executive, 15(2), 141-166.
  27. Ertürk, A., Kara, S. B. K., & Güneş, D. Z. (2016). Emotional labor and psychological well-being: perception of administrative support as a predictor. Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Journal of Faculty of Education, 16(4), 1723-1744.
  28. Eser, E., Çevik, C., Baydur, H., Güneş, S., Esgin, T. A., Öztekin, Ç. S., Eker, E., Gümüşsoy, U., Eser, G. B., & Özyurt, B. (2019). Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the WHO-5, in adults and older adults for its use in primary care settings. Primary health care research & development, 20, e100. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423619000343
  29. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 382-388. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313
  30. George, D., & Mallery, P. (2016). IBM SPSS statistics 23 step by step: A simple guide and reference (14th ed.). Routledge.
  31. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2009). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th Edition ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
  32. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. (2006). Multivariate data analysis. Pearson Prentice Hall.
  33. Huzooree, G., & Tiandem-Adamou, Y. M. (2025). From Vision to Action: How Digital Leadership in Higher Education Supports SDG 2030. In Digital Leadership for Sustainable Higher Education (pp. 1-32). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9989-7.ch001
  34. İrge, N. T., & Şen, E. (2020). The effect of employees’attitudes towards digital technology and intrapreneurship features on individual business performance. Journal of Business Research, 12(3), 2556-2579. https://doi.org/10.20491/isarder.2020.993
  35. Keleş, H. N. (2017). The relationship between meaningful work and psychological well-being The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being, 5(1), 154-167.
  36. Kline, R. (2005). Principles and practice of structural modelling. Guilford.
  37. Koçel, T. (2015). İşletme Yöneticiliği (Business Administration) (16. Baskı ed.). Beta Yayınları.
  38. Larjovuori, R.-L., Bordi, L., Mäkiniemi, J.-P., & Heikkilä-Tammi, K. (2016). The role of leadership and employee well-being in organizational digitalization. 26th Annual RESER Conference 2016, Naples, Italy.
  39. Lee, A., Martin, R., Thomas, G., Guillaume, Y., & Maio, G. R. (2015). Conceptualizing leadership perceptions as attitudes: Using attitude theory to further understand the leadership process. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(6), 910-934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.10.003
  40. Maheshwari, G., Clarke, S., Nguyen, Q.-A. N., McClelland, R., & Kunte, M. (2024). Effect of E-leadership on employees’ outcomes in the higher education sector during COVID-19 and beyond: A case study from Vietnam. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432231222715
  41. Mallinckrodt, B., Abraham, W. T., Wei, M., & Russell, D. W. (2006). Advances in testing the statistical significance of mediation effects. Journal of counseling psychology, 53(3), 372. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.372
  42. Mohamed, S. M. (2022). Employee Performance as affected by the digital Training, the digital Leadership, and subjective wellbeing during COVID-19. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 540–553-540–553.
  43. Montano, D., Reeske, A., Franke, F., & Hüffmeier, J. (2017). Leadership, followers' mental health and job performance in organizations: A comprehensive meta‐analysis from an occupational health perspective. Journal of organizational behavior, 38(3), 327-350. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2124
  44. Mortazavi, F., Mousavi, S.-A., Chaman, R., & Khosravi, A. (2015). Validation of the world health organization-5 well-being index; Assessment of maternal well-being and its associated factors. Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, 26, 48-55.
  45. Oktaysoy, O., Topcuoglu, E., & Kaygin, E. (2023). A Study on Digital Leadership Scale Adaptation. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 11, 407-425. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2022.60342
  46. Okur, S., & Totan, T. (2019). The investigation of Bradburn affect balance scale evaluating psychological well-being on Turkish. Adnan Menderes University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 6(2), 1-12.
  47. Öz, Ö. (2020). Digital Leadership: Being School Leader in Digital World. International Journal of Leadership Studies: Theory and Practice, 3(1), 45-57.
  48. Özmen, Ö. N., Eriş, E. D., & Özer, P. S. (2020). A review on digital leadership studies. Süleyman Demirel University Journal of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 25(1), 57-69.
  49. Paais, M., & Pattiruhu, J. R. (2020). Effect of motivation, leadership, and organizational culture on satisfaction and employee performance. The journal of asian finance, economics and business, 7(8), 577-588. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no8.577
  50. Raharjo, F. Y. S. (2023). E-leadership: Unveiling the role of digital era leadership in enhancing employee performance in higher education institution. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 6(07), 3918-3930. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/V6-i7-09
  51. Rego, A., & Cunha, M. P. (2008). Authentizotic climates and employee happiness: Pathways to individual performance? Journal of Business Research, 61(7), 739-752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.08.003
  52. Roothman, B., Kirsten, D. K., & Wissing, M. P. (2003). Gender differences in aspects of psychological well-being. South African journal of psychology, 33(4), 212-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/008124630303300403
  53. Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of personality and social psychology, 57(6), 1069-1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069
  54. Sağlam, M. (2021). Achieving digital transformation as the vision of the future in businesses and turkish adaptation of digital transformation scale. İstanbul Ticaret University Journal of Social Sciences, 20(40), 395-420. https://doi.org/10.46928/iticusbe.764373
  55. Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods of psychological research online, 8(2), 23-74. https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.12784
  56. Schütte, S., Chastang, J.-F., Malard, L., Parent-Thirion, A., Vermeylen, G., & Niedhammer, I. (2014). Psychosocial working conditions and psychological well-being among employees in 34 European countries. International archives of occupational and environmental health, 87, 897-907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0930-0
  57. Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. 55(1), 5-14.
  58. Sigler, T. H., & Pearson, C. M. (2000). Creating an empowering culture: examining the relationship between organizational culture and perceptions of empowerment. Journal of Quality Management, 5(1), 27-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1084-8568(00)00011-0
  59. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson Education Company.
  60. Telef, B. B. (2013). The adaptation of psychological well-being into turkish: a validity and reliability study. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 28(28-3), 374-384.
  61. Turunç, Ö. (2015). The role of person-organization fit in the relationship between strategic management-organizational performance. International Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 1(1), 16-30.
  62. Tutar, H., & Altınöz, M. (2010). The effect of organizational climate on employee performance: A study on the employees of ostim manufacturing enterprises. Ankara University SBF Journal, 65(02), 196-218. https://doi.org/10.1501/SBFder_0000002162
  63. Uysal, Ş. (2015). Description of performance management system, history, an overview on purpose and basic elements. Electronic Journal of Vocational Colleges, 5(2), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.17339/ejovoc.51537
  64. Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2004). The role of psychological well-being in job performance: A fresh look at an age-old quest. Organizational dynamics, 33(4), 338-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2004.09.002
  65. Yuan, F., & Khan, M. S. (2024). Investigating the impact of digital leadership on innovation performance of public universities in Yunnan. China. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 8(9), 7663. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i9.7663
  66. Zeike, S., Bradbury, K., Lindert, L., & Pfaff, H. (2019). Digital leadership skills and associations with psychological well-being. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(14), 2628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142628
  67. Zheng, J., Hong, H., Wang, N., Sun, J., & Xu, X. (2025, 2025/05/28). Impact of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Employee Well-being on Mental Healthcare of Workers’ Affectiveness: The Mediating Role of Employee Satisfaction and the Moderating Effect of Digital Leadership. Health Care Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-025-00523-4
  68. Öz, Ö. (2020). Digital Leadership: Being School Leader in Digital World. International Journal of Leadership Studies: Theory and Practice, 3(1), 45-57.