Leading Enterprise Architecture in the Digital Age: Challenges, Success Factors, and Evolving Roles in Digital Transformation

This paper examines the evolving role of Enterprise Architecture (EA) leadership in enabling successful digital transformation. As organizations increasingly adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and cloud computing, EA leaders play a critical role in aligning business and IT strategies, enhancing agility, and driving innovation. The study focuses on how transformational leadership, effective communication, and stakeholder engagement contribute to overcoming resistance to change and breaking down organizational silos. By applying frameworks like Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model and agile methodologies, the paper focuses on strategies for improving EA’s impact on change initiatives. Through analysis of real-world case studies, including The Hartford, the Norwegian hospital sector, and Husqvarna, it illustrates how EA leadership manages tensions and complexities in organizational change. The paper integrates theoretical insights with empirical evidence to offer actionable guidance for EA leaders and proposes future research directions to address the challenges of an evolving digital landscape.