Leadership and Digital Transformation in Hospitality Industry: Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates the role of transformational leadership in fostering digital entrepreneurship adoption within Pakistan’s hospitality sector, a domain experiencing rapid digital transition but facing limited scholarly attention. Drawing on leadership and resource-based perspectives, the research proposes a model where organizational digital readiness mediates and IT infrastructure moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and digital entrepreneurship adoption. Primary data were collected from 370 hospitality managers and entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire based on established scales measured on a five-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed through SPSS and Hayes’ PROCESS macro to test direct, mediating, and moderating effects. Results reveal that transformational leadership significantly enhances digital entrepreneurship adoption both directly and indirectly via organizational digital readiness, while IT infrastructure strengthens these relationships. The findings contribute to theory by extending leadership research into the digital entrepreneurship context of a developing country and offer practical implications for managers and policymakers to strengthen digital readiness and infrastructure. This study provides a timely contribution to understanding how leadership and organizational capabilities jointly drive digital transformation in Pakistan’s hospitality industry.