THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL LEADERSHIP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE BUSINESS MODELS IN SMES: THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MATURITY
Abstract
The article examines the impact of digital leadership on the formation of innovative business models in small and medium-sized enterprises, taking into account the mediation role of digital maturity. The relevance of the topic is due to the need for SMEs to adapt to the conditions of digital transformation of the economy, which is accompanied by increased competition, the dynamism of the market environment and changes in approaches to creating and monetizing value. The purpose of the study is to theoretically substantiate the mechanism of the influence of digital leadership on innovative business models through the development of the enterprise's digital maturity. The work uses methods of theoretical generalization, comparative analysis, content analysis and conceptual modeling, which allowed to systematize existing scientific approaches and form the author's research model. The essence of the concepts of "digital leadership", "digital maturity" and "innovative business models" is clarified, and their relationship in the context of the digital transformation of enterprises is substantiated. A conceptual model is proposed, according to which digital leadership does not have a direct determining influence on the formation of innovative business models, but is implemented indirectly through the development of the digital maturity of the enterprise. It is established that digital maturity acts as an integrating element that is transformed into digital culture, technological readiness and organizational flexibility, which, in turn, creates the prerequisites for the formation of innovative business models. It is substantiated that it is these components that ensure the ability of the enterprise to rethink the methods of creating, delivering and monetizing value, as well as integrating into digital ecosystems. It is proven that the indirect influence of digital leadership through digital maturity is more significant compared to the direct influence on innovation results, which confirms the expediency of considering digital maturity as a key mediator in the model under study. The practical significance of the results obtained lies in the possibility of using the proposed model to form strategies for the digital development of SMEs, increase the efficiency of managing digital changes and stimulate innovation activity.
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