The digital transformation of higher education institutions is a complex and multidimensional process that goes beyond the mere introduction of new technologies and requires systemic changes at the level of strategy, management, organization, processes, and culture. Despite the numerous existing models of digital transformation, most of them are not adapted to the specificities of public higher education institutions. The purpose of this master's thesis is to develop and empirically test a comprehensive model of digital transformation of higher education institutions that considers their organizational, managerial, and institutional characteristics.
The research is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. In the theoretical part, a systematic review of the literature and existing models of digital transformation was carried out, based on which a model was developed. The empirical part includes a comparative analysis of the digital strategies of four European universities and semi-structured interviews with representatives of their management. The data were analysed using a code book and correlation analysis.
The results of the study confirm that a clear digital strategy and an active role of management have a key impact on the level of digital transformation of higher education institutions, while organizational culture, human resources aspects, and management systems also play an important role. The research does not confirm a direct link between the level of digital transformation of a country and higher education institutions.
As a contribution to science, the master's thesis offers a theoretically grounded and empirically tested model of digital transformation of higher education institutions, which is both practically useful as an analytical and developmental framework for the strategic management of digital transformation in higher education institutions and, at the same time, a basis for further research and improvements in practice.
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