The Impact of Digital Culture on the Success of Digital Transformation in the Affiliated Organizations of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

Aim: This study aims to examine the impact of digital culture on the success of digital transformation in organizations affiliated with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). It seeks to identify the key dimensions of digital culture and to explain how these cultural components contribute to achieving successful digital transformation outcomes within public sector organizations.
Method / Approach: The research employed a mixed-method descriptive–survey approach. In the qualitative phase, a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with digital transformation experts were conducted to identify indicators of digital culture and transformation success. The extracted indicators were validated through the fuzzy Delphi method by academic and organizational experts. In the quantitative phase, a structured questionnaire was distributed among managers and employees from five MCIT-affiliated organizations. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling based on the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. Reliability and validity were confirmed through KMO and Bartlett tests, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE).
Findings: The findings indicate that digital culture is a multidimensional construct composed of three major dimensions: individual culture, organizational culture, and social culture. All three dimensions have positive and significant effects on the success of digital transformation, particularly in areas such as digital resource development, organizational structure redesign, strategic innovation, and performance improvement. Among these dimensions, organizational culture demonstrated the highest influence on transformation success, followed by social and individual culture. Model-fit indices (R², Q², and GOF) confirmed the predictive power and overall quality of the model. The results emphasize that organizations with stronger digital cultural characteristics—such as openness to change, innovation orientation, collaboration, and digital literacy—are more capable of achieving sustainable digital transformation outcomes.
Conclusion: The study concludes that digital culture is a critical enabler of digital transformation success. Building and institutionalizing a strong digital culture—especially within organizational systems—is essential for public organizations seeking effective transformation. Policymakers should therefore integrate cultural development into their digital transformation strategies through initiatives such as digital skill training, leadership development, performance incentives for innovation, and policies that promote trust and agility. Future research may focus on examining mediating factors such as digital leadership or organizational agility to deepen understanding of how cultural elements shape transformation performance in different institutional contexts.