Designing a Structural Model of the Role of Digital Ethical Leadership in Organizational Culture Transformation with the Mediating Role of Media Literacy (Case Study: Knowledge-Based Companies in Tehran)

The rapid advancement of digital technologies and artificial intelligence has fundamentally challenged traditional models of leadership and organizational culture. This study aims to design a structural model of the role of digital ethical leadership in organizational culture transformation with the mediating role of media literacy in knowledge-based companies. Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of method, using a survey approach. The statistical population included managers and employees of knowledge-based companies in Tehran. Using Cochran’s formula, 320 participants were selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection tools included standard questionnaires of digital ethical leadership, organizational culture transformation, and media literacy. Content and construct validity were confirmed, and reliability was calculated with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.70. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with Smart PLS software. Findings: The results showed that digital ethical leadership has a positive and significant effect on organizational culture transformation and media literacy. Furthermore, media literacy partially mediates the relationship between digital ethical leadership and organizational culture transformation. Among the dimensions of digital ethical leadership, algorithmic transparency, data-driven justice, and social accountability had the highest impact on the research variables, respectively. Digital ethical leadership, through enhancing employees’ media literacy, facilitates the transformation of organizational culture toward an ethical and innovative culture.