Purpose

This paper's purpose centres on advancing the current financialisation strategies within digital transformation (DT) through a rebalanced synthesis of both financialisation and people/centric, non-financialisation strategies of the DT field. Based on empirical data from Bahrain's energy sector, a new framework on People-centric, Sustaining Network Leadership is developed, capturing DT's human values deficit and proposing a new model on financialisation and non-financialisation strategies showing ‘how’ and ‘why’ DT is implemented in contemporary organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted a mixed methodology of narrative interviews, case studies and reviewed significant contributions from the DT, leadership and change management debates. A total of 26 operational and high-level leaders from Bahrain, 8 top energy companies and Braun and Clarke's 6-phase analysis were combined to form four empirical thematic bundles on ‘how’ and ‘why’ leaders adopted financialisation and non-financialisation strategies to resolve organisational sustainability issues in an Arabic context.

Findings

Four sets of findings (bundles 1–4) highlight participants' financial and structural understanding when implementing DT initiatives, the different leadership styles ranging from authoritarian to network leadership, the socio-economic, political and cultural ramifications of their practices and the urgency of staff reskilling for organisational resilience and strategic sustainability. Based on the eight energy cases and interviews, a new values-driven, People-centric Sustaining Network Leadership Model is developed to show a more effective and efficient use of financial and non-financial resources when organisations implement DT initiatives in efforts to resolve global energy sustainability problems.

Research limitations/implications

Leadership, change management, DT, energy and environmental sustainability is a huge area of scholarship. While new studies emerge and contribute to this growing body of knowledge, this investigation has focused on those that significantly highlight how to make effective use of financialisation and non-financialisation resources. Therefore, all the literature on the topic has not been included. Although this study has filled the non-financialisation gap in current DT studies, a further rebalancing of the financialisation versus non-financialisation debates will be needed for theoreticians, practitioners and policy makers to continue addressing emerging and more complex socio-economic, political and cultural issues within and beyond organisations. Limitations are the study's focus on the Bahrain energy sector and the limited sample of 26 leaders.

Practical implications

The study provides practitioners and policy makers with an approach for the successful implementation of DT initiatives in the oil and gas sector. For academics, this study provides empirically unique and interesting thematic bundles, insightful analyses into leadership, organisational change, digital transformation and network leadership theories to develop an innovative and creative People-centric, Sustaining Network Leadership Approach/Model on the practical barriers, implications/impacts of various leadership styles and potential solutions via a socio-cultural values-based alternative to the current financialisation discourse of DT.

Originality/value

While there is a growing body of literature on DT, Leadership and Organisational Transformation and Change, there is a dearth of scholarship on the human-orientated strategies of DT implementation outside of western contexts. A contemporary and comprehensive, empirically evidenced analysis of the field has led to the development of this study's People-centric, Sustaining Network Leadership model which frames, captures, synthesises and extends the dominant cost-minimisation rhetoric of DT discourse to include a shared set of leadership practices, behaviours, intentions, perceptions and values. This helped to reveal the previously missing ‘how’ and ‘why’ of DT’s operational and strategic implementation.

中文翻译：

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数字化转型的金融化战略：在阿拉伯能源背景下建立以人为本、可持续的网络领导框架

目的

本文的目的是通过重新平衡综合 DT 领域的金融化和以人/为中心的非金融化策略，推进数字化转型 (DT) 中当前的金融化策略。基于巴林能源部门的经验数据，开发了一个以人为本、维持网络领导力的新框架，捕捉了数字化转型的人类价值观缺陷，并提出了一个关于金融化和非金融化战略的新模型，显示了数字化转型“如何”和“为何”在当代组织中实施。

设计/方法论/途径

这项研究采用了叙述性访谈、案例研究的混合方法，并回顾了 DT、领导力和变革管理辩论的重要贡献。来自巴林的 26 名运营和高层领导者、8 家顶级能源公司以及 Braun 和 Clarke 的 6 阶段分析相结合，形成了四个实证主题包，内容涉及领导者“如何”和“为何”采用金融化和非金融化战略在阿拉伯语背景下解决组织可持续性问题。

发现

四组调查结果（捆绑 1-4）强调了参与者在实施 DT 举措时的财务和结构理解、从独裁领导到网络领导的不同领导风格、其实践的社会经济、政治和文化影响以及员工的紧迫性组织弹性和战略可持续性的再培训。基于八个能源案例和访谈，开发了一种新的价值驱动、以人为中心的可持续网络领导力模型，以展示当组织实施数字技术举措以努力解决全球能源问题时，如何更有效和高效地利用财务和非财务资源可持续性问题。

研究局限性/影响

领导力、变革管理、DT、能源和环境可持续性是一个巨大的学术领域。虽然新的研究不断出现并为不断增长的知识体系做出了贡献，但本次调查的重点是那些显着强调如何有效利用金融化和非金融化资源的研究。因此，有关该主题的所有文献均未包含在内。尽管这项研究填补了当前DT研究中非金融化的空白，但理论家、实践者和政策制定者需要进一步重新平衡金融化与非金融化的争论，以继续解决新兴的、更复杂的社会经济、政治和文化问题。组织内部和外部的问题。该研究的局限性在于其重点关注巴林能源行业，且样本仅限于 26 位领导人。

实际影响

该研究为从业者和政策制定者提供了在石油和天然气行业成功实施数字技术举措的方法。对于学术界来说，本研究提供了经验上独特且有趣的主题包，对领导力、组织变革、数字化转型和网络领导力理论进行了深入分析，以开发一种创新和创造性的以人为本、可持续网络领导力方法/模型，以解决实际障碍、影响/通过基于社会文化价值观的替代当前 DT 金融化话语的各种领导风格和潜在解决方案的影响。

原创性/价值

尽管关于 DT、领导力以及组织转型和变革的文献越来越多，但在西方背景之外，缺乏关于 DT 实施以人为本策略的学术研究。该领域的当代、全面、实证分析导致了本研究以人为中心、可持续网络领导力模型的发展，该模型构建、捕获、综合并扩展了 DT 话语中占主导地位的成本最小化言论，以包括一组共享的领导实践、行为、意图、观念和价值观。这有助于揭示之前缺失的 DT 运营和战略实施的“方式”和“原因”。