OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal
https://doi.org/10.64211/oidaijsd190617
Digitalization, Women’s Leadership, and Sustainable Governance in Higher Education
Ayda Sabuncuoğlu İnanç 1*, Gufran Dündar 2
1 Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Faculty of Communication, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Türkiye.
2 Independent Researcher, Malatya, Türkiye.
* Corresponding author: aydainanc@sakarya.edu.tr
Volume 19, Issue 06, Pg. 221-232, 2026.
Abstract: Digitalization has become a defining condition of organizational communication and governance in higher education institutions, reshaping how leadership is practiced and experienced. This study explores how digitalization influences organizational communication, leadership practices, and perceptions of the glass ceiling among female academic leaders within the framework of sustainable governance. While digital transformation is commonly associated with increased efficiency, speed, and flexibility, participants’ experiences indicate that its implications extend beyond technical improvement and are deeply intertwined with organizational culture and gender relations. Drawing on a qualitative research design, the study is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 30 female academics holding leadership positions at different universities, with the data analyzed through thematic analysis using MaxQDA Analytics PRO 2024. The findings suggest that digitalization strengthens organizational communication by enhancing speed, accessibility, and coordination, supporting time and resource efficiency, and in certain contexts facilitating women’s participation in managerial processes by reducing exposure to overt gender-based bias. At the same time, digitally mediated communication and work practices generate new sustainability/related tensions, including expectations of constant availability, intensified workloads, reduced concentration in online environments, and the erosion of boundaries between work and private life. These dynamics appear particularly salient for female leaders, whose professional responsibilities intersect with persistent gendered expectations in domestic life. Overall, the study demonstrates that digitalization alone does not guarantee sustainable governance in higher education institutions; rather, its potential to support inclusive and equitable leadership depends on how digital technologies are embedded within organizational cultures that recognize human limits, protect work/life boundaries, and promote gender-sensitive leadership practices.
Keywords: Digitalization, Glass Ceiling, Organizational Communication, Women’s Leadership, Sustainable Governance.
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