Digital Transformation & the Future of Work: New Ways, Competencies, and Roles?

The theme “Digital Transformation and the Future of Work: New Ways, Competencies, and Roles?”
brings together ten recent contributions to the Journal of Management Development that speak to
an unsettled frontier. Digital transformation is transforming organizational processes and redefining
what it means to lead, learn, and work. The selected articles highlight how managers are now
entrenched in AI, big data, and emerging digital platforms while grappling with dispersed
workplaces, shifting HR strategies, and the erosion of established professional identities alongside
the rise of new ones. This collection frames the future of work as a set of evolving questions about
capabilities, competencies, contexts, processes, and organizational forms.

Together, these contributions suggest that the tension between technological acceleration and
human adaptability will characterize the next decade of management development. Competencies
in digital literacy, data-informed leadership, and innovation ambidexterity are increasingly called
upon to be integrated with relational capacities and resilience. This collection underscores that
there is no single trajectory for the future of work, but multiple pathways impacted by context,
technology, and institutional development. Therefore, the question mark in the theme is deliberate;
it signals that management development is entering a phase where the contours of organizational
life are still being formed.

These articles are free to access until 30th September. The Journal of Management Development encourages submissions that address this topic, for more information, see the JMD homepage. 

Mita Mehta, Garima Pancholi, Dr Abhineet Saxena; Metaverse changing realm of the business
world: a bibliometric snapshot. Journal of Management Development 4 August 2023; 42 (5): 373–
387. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-01-2023-0006

David Holger Schmidt, Dirk van Dierendonck, Ulrike Weber; The data-driven leader: developing a
big data analytics leadership competency framework. Journal of Management Development 19 July
2023; 42 (4): 297–326. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-12-2022-0306

Jenny M. Hoobler, Kim Dowdeswell; The future is relational: management development for today
and tomorrow. Journal of Management Development 2 June 2023; 42 (3): 253–274.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-11-2022-0265

Anju Verma, M. Venkatesan, Mallika Kumar, Jyoti Verma; The future of work post Covid-19: key
perceived HR implications of hybrid workplaces in India. Journal of Management Development 26
January 2023; 42 (1): 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-11-2021-0304

Zeshan Ahmad; Unlocking AI capabilities: exploring strategic fit, innovation ambidexterity and
digital entrepreneurial intent in driving digital transformation. Journal of Management Development
20 March 2025; 44 (2): 194–218. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-05-2024-0171

Tze Yin Khaw, Ai Ping Teoh, Siti Nabiha Abdul Khalid, Sukumar Letchmunan; The impact of digital
leadership on sustainable performance: a systematic literature review. Journal of Management
Development 28 November 2022; 41 (9-10): 514–534. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2022-0070

Viktoria Joy Behrens, Elenica Pjero, Simon Krause, Johannes Hangl; What are the essential
elements of a digital transformation process to develop an efficient digitization strategy for
management?. Journal of Management Development 4 August 2023; 42 (5): 399–419.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2023-0087

Adedayo Ayodeji Odebode, Oyeronke Toyin Ogunbayo; The potential of digital-based technology in
improving organizational performance. Journal of Management Development 10 February 2025; 44
(1): 96–106. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-04-2024-0145

Shamsul Huq Bin Shahriar; Future of work and talent development realities: a qualitative analysis
from a developing country perspective. Journal of Management Development 20 March 2025; 44
(2): 178–193. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-04-2024-0119

Rickard Enstroem, Parminder Singh Kang, Bhawna Bhawna; Decoding the modern supply chain
management professional: the industry’s voice. Journal of Management Development 2025;
https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-04-2024-0134