Exploring the Interplay of Digital Leadership, Digital Workplace and Employees’ Dynamic Digital Capabilities in Malaysian Public Universities

Abstract

Digital transformation has become an essential expectation in Malaysian public universities, but its implementation is often shaped by the everyday realities of administrative officers who must interpret and navigate shifting technological demands. This study explores how digital leadership, the digital workplace, and dynamic digital capabilities interact to influence officers’ experiences as they manage systems that promise efficiency but often exhibit instability. Using a qualitative narrative approach, the study draws on reflective accounts that reveal how leadership clarity, system usability and peer support shape officers’ confidence and capacity to adapt. The findings show that digitalisation is not experienced as a straightforward transition but as a relational and emotional process influenced by workload pressures, uneven system alignment and the degree of guidance provided by leaders. Officers build capability gradually, drawing on trial-and-error and informal learning networks as they respond to ongoing changes in their work environment. The study suggests that meaningful digital transformation requires coherent alignment between technological tools, leadership practices and opportunities for experiential learning. It highlights the need for institutions to closely attend to the human conditions that sustain digital work and to support the development of environments where capability can grow in practical, sustainable ways.