Digital Transformation at University. Fostering E-Leadership in Higher Education

Digital technologies have the potential to serve as a primary vehicle for delivering high-quality education in alignment with the mission and vision of educational institutions. Consequently, the adoption and integration of digital technologies are regarded as a form of educational innovation, necessitating changes across pedagogical, technological, and organizational dimensions. These changes entail a comprehensive review of teaching paradigms, organizational structures, management processes, assessment methodologies, communication systems, and the competencies framework for teaching and learning processes (Johnson et al., 2016; EE.UU., 2013).

How can digital technology actually be able to guarantee inclusion, equality and opportunities for all in the HE sectors? How does this promise materialize in the governance and e-leadership of our universities? The ECOLHE action research project aims to address this question through an exploratory and comparative analysis of six case studies (Yin, 2003; Zack, 2006) from different European countries: Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and Spain.

The project is inspired by the principle of "circularity" between theory and empirical research (Lewin, 1946; Merton, 1967; Merton, 200; Ardigò, 1988) and utilizes a mixed method approach to understand the similarities and differences between the cases, while exploring the study's subject through a replication strategy. The research looked at how each university developed its strategic approaches to digitalization.

Specifically, we analyzed the individual policies of each unit of analysis using the translation perspective (Callon, 1986/a; Latour 1987). We continuously reinterpreted and adapted prevailing perspectives at the macro and meso levels. The goal was to understand the organizational processes involved in university digital transformation, focusing on guidelines, best practices, standards, and constraints, and provide valuable suggestions for policymakers, decision makers, and academic bodies.