The effect of digital leadership competence of female managers on the glass ceiling: a study in Turkish universities"

This research aims to explore the digital leadership competencies (digital leadership skills and digital literacy) of female managers in Turkish universities, their impact on breaking the glass ceiling, and whether these competencies alone are sufficient for women to reach higher positions. The study includes academic female managers in middle-level positions in Turkish universities. The sample size of the study has been determined as 400 individuals. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis, t-test, and ANOVA were applied in the data analysis. Results show that the glass ceiling level for female managers in academia is low. The glass ceiling barrier arises from organizational culture and policies related to professional discrimination rather than multiple role-taking, personal preferences, or stereotypical dimensions. Additionally, the perception of the glass ceiling among female managers shows no significant difference based on marital status, age, and management experience. Furthermore, female managers resist stereotypical judgments related to themselves in the digital age and show willingness to adapt to technology. Consistent with this result, when examining the digital leadership competencies of participants, it is found that female managers have a high level of digital leadership skills and excel in all dimensions (visionary leadership, digital learning culture, excellence in professional and systematic development, digital citizenship). Moreover, female managers possess a high level of digital literacy, except for the programming dimension, as all dimensions of digital literacy (communication and collaboration, problem-solving, digital content development, information and data literacy, security) are high. The digital leadership skills and digital literacy of female managers are significant according to age, while there is no significant difference based on experience duration. Most participants believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has played an effective role in developing their digital skills and utilizing technology efficiently. While digital leadership skills have a significant impact on the glass ceiling, digital literacy does not. Overall, the impact of digital leadership competencies on the glass ceiling is very low.