Examining the Relationship Between Digital Leadership and Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between digital leadership and job performance, with the mediating role of knowledge sharing, among elementary school teachers in Bandar Mahshahr. This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population consisted of 784 elementary school teachers in Bandar Mahshahr during the 2025–2026 academic year, from whom 260 participants were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using Barati’s 25-item Job Performance Scale, Dixon’s 15-item Knowledge Sharing Questionnaire, and the 18-item Digital Leadership Scale developed by Ulutas and Arslan. The reliability of the instruments was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed through Pearson correlation coefficients, stepwise multiple regression, and partial least squares structural equation modeling using SPSS version 29 and SmartPLS version 4. Structural equation modeling showed that the indirect effect of digital leadership on job performance through knowledge sharing was positive and significant (β=0.575, t=5.318, p<0.001). The informational, communicational, and orientation dimensions of digital leadership were significantly correlated with job performance at 0.421, 0.438, and 0.397, respectively, all at p<0.001. Sequential, explicit, tacit, and strategic knowledge were also significantly correlated with job performance at 0.364, 0.417, 0.385, and 0.446, respectively. The regression model based on digital leadership dimensions explained 27.8% of the variance in job performance, the knowledge-sharing model explained 32.6%, and the combined model explained 42.6%. Digital leadership is positively associated with teachers’ job performance both directly and through enhanced knowledge sharing; therefore, strengthening school leaders’ digital capabilities and creating organizational mechanisms for purposeful knowledge exchange may contribute to improved professional performance among teachers.