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Leadership succession planning for today’s digital transformation economy: Key factors to build for competency and innovation

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  • Jackson, Nicole C.
  • Dunn-Jensen, Linda M.

Abstract

Digital transformation is rapidly changing the competitive landscape and the war on talent for today’s organizations. As part of this economy, organizations and their HR units must continuously reevaluate leadership structures and practices that exploit core competencies while allowing for innovation (i.e., leadership ambidexterity) and incorporate big data with predictive analytics. In this vein, understanding how HR executives can create better solutions around this problem remains sparse. Specifically, what frameworks can HR executives apply to identify potential alignment failures in leadership succession planning in light of newer emerging markets? What internal decision-making traps need to be recognized? Finally, what specific forms of data and evidence must test these plans for relevance and recharge and renew the talent-to-strategy pipeline? In this article, we examine these questions by reviewing the gaps in the literature and identifying through our four-step model how organizations can incorporate ambidexterity-building as a leadership succession planning practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Jackson, Nicole C. & Dunn-Jensen, Linda M., 2021. "Leadership succession planning for today’s digital transformation economy: Key factors to build for competency and innovation," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 273-284.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:64:y:2021:i:2:p:273-284
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2020.11.008
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    1. Alessio Cozzolino & Gianmario Verona & Frank T. Rothaermel, 2018. "Unpacking the Disruption Process: New Technology, Business Models, and Incumbent Adaptation," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(7), pages 1166-1202, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. McCarthy, Pat & Sammon, David & Alhassan, Ibrahim, 2024. "The characteristics of digital transformation leadership: Theorizing the practitioner voice," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 67(4), pages 411-423.
    2. Qingmei Chen & Wei Zhang & Nanshun Jin & Xiaocheng Wang & Peiru Dai, 2022. "Digital Transformation Evaluation for Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises Using the Fuzzy Synthetic Method DEMATEL-ANP," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-23, October.
    3. Chen, Zhongfei & Xiao, Yu & Jiang, Kangqi, 2023. "The impact of tax reform on firms' digitalization in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    4. Fernanda Bethlem Tigre & Paulo Lopes Henriques & Carla Curado, 2025. "The digital leadership emerging construct: a multi-method approach," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 75(1), pages 789-836, February.
    5. Mo’men Hani Mahmoud & Rosly Othman, 2024. "Effects of New Public Management Reforms on Human Resource Practices: A Case Study in Jordan," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 49(1), pages 149-176, February.
    6. Rafee I. Tunde OLAGUNJU & Issa ABDULRAHEEM Ph.D & Zekeri ABU Ph.D & Abdulazeez Alhaji SALAU Ph.D, 2022. "Succession Planning and Sustainability of Family Owned Businesses in Lagos State," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(12), pages 285-291, December.
    7. Muhamad Tasyrif Ghazali & Mazuri Abd. Ghani & Syamsul Azri Abdul Rahman, 2022. "Measuring the Success Metric for Effective Succession Planning: The Conceptual Perspective," International Journal of Human Resource Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 12(1), pages 4255-4255, December.
    8. Sergi, Bruno S. & Ključnikov, Aleksandr & Popkova, Elena G. & Bogoviz, Aleksei V. & Lobova, Svetlana V., 2022. "Creative abilities and digital competencies to transitioning to Business 4.0," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 401-411.
    9. Chen, Hansong & Tian, Zhen, 2022. "Environmental uncertainty, resource orchestration and digital transformation: A fuzzy-set QCA approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 184-193.

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