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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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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. 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.
    3. Zahid, R.M. Ammar & Maqsood, Umer Sahil & Hussain, Murtaza & Younas, Muhammad Waleed, 2025. "Incentivizing digitalization: CEO compensation and digitalization in China's A-share corporate landscape," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Muhamad Ali Imran Bin Kamarudin & Muhammad Murad, 2025. "The Impact of Family-orientation Training Design, Trainer Attributes and Trainee Absorption on Family Business SMEs’ Performance: The Mediating Role of Succession Planning," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 34(4), pages 938-963, November.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. repec:bcp:journl:v:6:y:2022:i:12:p:285-291 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Simone Bevilacqua & Jana Masárová & Francesco Antonio Perotti & Alberto Ferraris, 2025. "Enhancing top managers' leadership with artificial intelligence: insights from a systematic literature review," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 19(9), pages 2899-2935, September.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.

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