E-Leadership: Unveiling the Role of Digital Era Leadership in Enhancing Employee Performance in Higher Education Institution

: This study examines the role of E-Leadership, a leadership concept in the digital era on employee performance in higher education institutions. It investigates the impact of management information systems, digital culture, and work discipline. The research methodology is Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based on Partial Least Squares (PLS). The sample consists of 120 participants who work as Educational Staff at Pancasakti University, Tegal, Indonesia. Data analysis uses the SmartPLS v.4 software with the Second Order method. The findings of the study indicate that: 1) management information system has a positive impact on employee performance, 2) digital culture has a positive impact on employee performance, 3) work discipline has a positive impact on employee performance, 4) E-Leadership moderates the influence of management information systems on employee performance, 5) E-Leadership does not moderate the influence of digital culture on employee performance, and 6) E-Leadership does not moderate the influence of work discipline on employee performance.


INTRODUCTION
The information technology has undergone significant growth, leading to a revolution in various aspects of life, encompassing both societal and organizational domains [1]. The rapid growth necessitates agile adaptation and demands leadership capable of effectively steering change and leveraging technology across diverse sectors [2]. The immense transformations will undoubtedly reshape the business patterns across organizations, including a comprehensive shift in human resource management practices and the accompanying changes in organizational practices [3]. Digitalization is an undeniable imperative that demands the focused attention of every organizational leader to devise strategies for implementing a digital culture, thereby fostering improved employee performance, and securing a competitive advantage. Digitalization cannot be achieved without undergoing organizational and cultural transformation within it [4] According to the International Data Group (IDG, Inc) in 2021, it is estimated that global expenditures on digital transformation in business, production, and organizations will reach $2.8 trillion by 2025, which is twice the amount allocated in 2020. Each organization should allocate investments towards digital transformation in accordance with strategic priorities that align with the desired vision and mission. These priorities include operational objectives, encompassing core business functions such as accounting and finance, human resources, legal, security and risk management, as well as corporate information technology [5].  Table 1.2 provides an overview of the Measurement of Indonesia's Digital Literacy Index in 2021. The measurement was conducted through face-to-face surveys involving 10,000 respondents from 514 districts/cities across Indonesia. The respondents were internet users aged between 13 and 70 years old. The findings indicate that digital culture received the highest score of 3.90, followed by digital ethics at 3.53, and digital skills at 3.44. Digital safety obtained the lowest score of 3.10, just slightly above the moderate level. The status of Indonesia's Digital Literacy in 2022 showed an improvement, with the index increasing from 3.49 to 3.54. The pillars of digital skills, digital ethics, and digital safety experienced an increase, while digital culture witnessed a slight decline [6]. Higher education institutions, especially universities, inevitably face the effects of the digitalization era. Coordination and teamwork are essential in addressing various changes and challenges. Educational staff are a crucial element in determining the quality of university performance and providing services to students, faculty, and the community, encompassing the activities of the Tridharma of Higher Education. Three pillars form the core responsibilities of higher education institutions consists of three fundamental duties: education, research, and community service [7]. Everyone within the educational staff is encouraged to have the competence and capability to adapt to the digital transformations happening both externally and internally within the organizational setting, as it serves as a catalyst for their performance and contributes to the overall development of the organization. The development and improvement of human resources, along with the capacity building of faculty members and students in higher education institutions, play a vital role in effectively navigating the advancements in digital technology [8]. Recognizing and comprehending the significance of information technology is a crucial element in the transformation of universities into advanced institutions. Information technology also plays a significant role in enhancing capabilities to foster excellence and increase the competitiveness of higher education institutions [8]. Pancasakti University is a higher education institution located in the city of Tegal, Central Java, Indonesia. Prioritized key programs that include enhancing systematic literacy in implementing the Tridharma of Higher Education, internationalization, and digitalization [10]. A modern and internationally scaled educational institution necessitates the utilization of information technology as an obligation. Considering that education as a public service requires the principles of good governance, it involves transparency, accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness in its implementation. Efforts to improve performance, productivity, and innovation to maintain a competitive advantage can be accomplished by reinforcing digital culture [11]. Figure 1. indicated that Digital Culture is strongly influenced by Digital Leadership Capability, implying that the establishment of digital capabilities within an organization is greatly influenced by the quality of leadership. Therefore, it can be concluded that digital capabilities are heavily influenced by the leadership abilities of leaders at all levels of the organization in driving digital transformation to achieve desired business performance.

Employee Performance
Performance is a dependent variable that is influenced by multiple factors that hold significance in achieving organizational objectives. This means that mismanagement of independent variables, which are the factors influencing performance, whether in the form of negative or positive effects, will have consequences on performance, which is the result of the combined influence of multiple factors in achieving organizational objectives [17]. Employee performance can be assessed through work time, which includes the number of absences or attendance, lateness, duration of work, as well as the quantity and time spent on work-related activities [18]. Employee performance can be summarized based on quality, quantity, work timeliness, and collaboration to achieve the goals set by the company [19]. Individual employee performance is influenced by factors including ability, effort invested, and organizational support.

Management Information System
Management Information System (MIS) is a formal computer-based system designed to provide management with a continuous and relevant flow of information regarding structured and planned organizational operations, supported by technology. The system should be designed to collect and analyze data from various sources, and present it for decision-making [20]. MIS is the combination of human resources and computer resources used to generate a collection of data storage, communication, and data utilization to achieve efficient management operations and effective business planning [21]. Some indicators that can measure the effectiveness of a management information system in assisting a manager in making better decisions and achieving organizational goals effectively include information availability, information accuracy, information relevance, ease of use, system integration, and resource availability [22].

Work Discipline
Work discipline is one of the operational functions in human resource management that plays a crucial role, as better employee discipline leads to higher achievements and performance that can be attained [26]. Discipline is the result of an individual's awareness and willingness to comply with established rules and norms. This means that discipline is not a result of coercion but should originate from individual consciousness. Therefore, in its implementation, discipline is not only driven by the threat of punishment for violations but also by the sense of responsibility held by the individual. With the presence of discipline formed within each individual, it can enhance work motivation and assist in achieving organizational and individual goals more effectively [27]. Work discipline can be measured through several indicators, including adherence to time rules, adherence to company rules, and adherence to behavioral rules [19].

METHODOLOGY
The type of research in this study is quantitative research using a survey method to assess the behavior of individuals or groups through data collection using a questionnaire. The study using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique based on Partial Least Squares (PLS) with a sample size of 120 respondents who are educational staff members at Pancasakti University, Tegal, Indonesia. The data analysis is performed using the SmartPLS v.4 software utilizing the second-order method. Using a Likert's scale ranging from 1 to 5 for measurement. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of management information systems, digital culture, and work discipline (independent variables) on the performance (dependent variable) of educational staff at Pancasakti University, with E-Leadership as the moderating variable.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The method of descriptive statistical analysis is used to analyze data by providing an overview or description of the collected data according to the circumstances. The scale used in this research is the Likert's scale with a score range of 1-5. The calculation of the index is done using the index formula [28]. The interpretation of index scores is determined using the three-box method with the following intervals: 10.00-40.00 is considered low, 40.01-70.00 is considered moderate, and 70.01-100 is considered high.      An item in the questionnaire is considered valid and meets convergent validity if the Loading Factor (LF) > 0.70. A construct is deemed to have good validity and reliability if the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) > 0.50, and the Cronbach Alpha, rho_A, and Composite Reliability are all above 0.60. A construct is considered to meet the criteria if the square root of AVE > the correlation between constructs of variables [30]. Based on Table 10. the R-Square score for the dependent variable Employee Performance is 0.613. Indicates that the structural model is moderate. The R-Square value can be used to explain the influence of specific independent variables on the dependent variable, whether it has a substantive effect. R-Square scores of 0.75, 0.50, and 0.25 can be interpreted as strong, moderate, and weak models, respectively. In Table 10, the R-Square score is 0.613, suggesting that the dependent variable Employee Performance has a moderate-level structural model [31]. The R-Square score serves as an indicator of the proportion of the dependent variable, Employee Performance, that can be explained by the independent variables. In path coefficient of -0.050, with a t-statistic of 0.555, which falls below the critical value of 1.96. Furthermore, the p-value of 0.579 is greater than the significance level of 0.05. These findings indicate that E-Leadership does not significantly moderate the relationship between Digital Culture and Employee Performance. 6) Based on the test results, the influence of Work Discipline on Employee Performance, moderated by E-Leadership, is indicated by a path coefficient of 0.038, with a t-statistic of 0.327, which is below the critical value of 1.96. Additionally, the p-value of 0.744 is greater than the significance level of 0.05. These findings suggest that E-Leadership does not significantly moderate the relationship between Work Discipline and Employee Performance.

CONCLUSION
Based on the explained analysis results, we conclude the following: 1) Management Information System has a positive influence on Employee Performance. This result indicates that with an effective management information system, universities can optimize information management processes, communication, decision-making, and coordination between work units. 2) Digital Culture has a positive influence on Employee Performance. This result indicates that with a strong digital culture, universities can create a work environment that supports the use of digital technology, online collaboration, digital innovation, and adaptation to technological changes. 3) Work Discipline has a positive influence on Employee Performance. This result indicates that with good work discipline, employees tend to have high work quality, strong commitment to tasks and responsibilities, and the ability to meet deadlines and performance standards. 4) E-Leadership moderates the influence of Management Information System on Employee Performance. This result indicates that the effectiveness of implementing Management Information Systems to improve employee performance can be influenced by the presence of good E-Leadership.