Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions

Ahmed Gashaw Yimam; Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions

Ahmed Gashaw Yimam^*

, Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula

Published in International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems (Volume 12, Issue 1)

Received: 22 June 2026 Accepted: 24 July 2026 Published: 17 August 2026

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Abstract

The "skills-maturity gap" a situation in which institutional outputs fall short of industrial demands, leading to structural unemployment and the "vocational paradox" persists despite initiatives like Digital Ethiopia 2030. This study examines how digital leadership improves labor market alignment using the "Vocational Intelligence" Sextuple-A framework. Based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research explores how leaders’ sense, seize, and transform institutional culture. The central question is on how digital leadership may help close the skills-maturity divide. This study evaluated the effects of leadership on institutional agility by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 42 high-impact publications using the PRISMA 2020 technique and theme synthesis. The results show that while institutional agility serves as a crucial bridge between digital leadership and market responsiveness, traditional transactional management impedes advancement. The study comes to the conclusion that rather than a lack of resources, the vocational conundrum is a mismatch between leadership and maturity. Adopting the Sextuple-A Framework for institutional audits, making Digital Leadership Certification essential for TVET deans, and giving "Training Factories" top priority to guarantee real-time synchronization with industry requirements are some of the recommendations. TVET institutions may become engines of national economic production by shifting from reactive to proactive, data-driven leadership, which will boost graduate employability and promote good social change.

Published in	International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems (Volume 12, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12
Page(s)	8-19
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Digital Leadership, Sextuple-A Framework, Institutional Agility, Labor Market Alignment

References

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APA Style

Yimam, A. G., Mekapotula, S. C. (2026). Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions. International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems, 12(1), 8-19. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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ACS Style

Yimam, A. G.; Mekapotula, S. C. Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions. Int. J. Manag. Fuzzy Syst. 2026, 12(1), 8-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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AMA Style

Yimam AG, Mekapotula SC. Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions. Int J Manag Fuzzy Syst. 2026;12(1):8-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12,
  author = {Ahmed Gashaw Yimam and Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula},
  title = {Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions},
  journal = {International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems},
  volume = {12},
  number = {1},
  pages = {8-19},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmfs.20261201.12},
  abstract = {The "skills-maturity gap" a situation in which institutional outputs fall short of industrial demands, leading to structural unemployment and the "vocational paradox" persists despite initiatives like Digital Ethiopia 2030. This study examines how digital leadership improves labor market alignment using the "Vocational Intelligence" Sextuple-A framework. Based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research explores how leaders’ sense, seize, and transform institutional culture. The central question is on how digital leadership may help close the skills-maturity divide. This study evaluated the effects of leadership on institutional agility by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 42 high-impact publications using the PRISMA 2020 technique and theme synthesis. The results show that while institutional agility serves as a crucial bridge between digital leadership and market responsiveness, traditional transactional management impedes advancement. The study comes to the conclusion that rather than a lack of resources, the vocational conundrum is a mismatch between leadership and maturity. Adopting the Sextuple-A Framework for institutional audits, making Digital Leadership Certification essential for TVET deans, and giving "Training Factories" top priority to guarantee real-time synchronization with industry requirements are some of the recommendations. TVET institutions may become engines of national economic production by shifting from reactive to proactive, data-driven leadership, which will boost graduate employability and promote good social change.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions
AU  - Ahmed Gashaw Yimam
AU  - Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula
Y1  - 2026/08/17
PY  - 2026
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DO  - 10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12
T2  - International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems
JF  - International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems
JO  - International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems
SP  - 8
EP  - 19
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-4947
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12
AB  - The "skills-maturity gap" a situation in which institutional outputs fall short of industrial demands, leading to structural unemployment and the "vocational paradox" persists despite initiatives like Digital Ethiopia 2030. This study examines how digital leadership improves labor market alignment using the "Vocational Intelligence" Sextuple-A framework. Based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research explores how leaders’ sense, seize, and transform institutional culture. The central question is on how digital leadership may help close the skills-maturity divide. This study evaluated the effects of leadership on institutional agility by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 42 high-impact publications using the PRISMA 2020 technique and theme synthesis. The results show that while institutional agility serves as a crucial bridge between digital leadership and market responsiveness, traditional transactional management impedes advancement. The study comes to the conclusion that rather than a lack of resources, the vocational conundrum is a mismatch between leadership and maturity. Adopting the Sextuple-A Framework for institutional audits, making Digital Leadership Certification essential for TVET deans, and giving "Training Factories" top priority to guarantee real-time synchronization with industry requirements are some of the recommendations. TVET institutions may become engines of national economic production by shifting from reactive to proactive, data-driven leadership, which will boost graduate employability and promote good social change.
VL  - 12
IS  - 1
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Author Information

Ahmed Gashaw Yimam

TVET Leadership and Management, FDRE Technical and Vocational Training Institute (FTVTI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0004-2813-0146
Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula

TVET Leadership and Management, FDRE Technical and Vocational Training Institute (FTVTI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0008-1426-1339

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Yimam, A. G., Mekapotula, S. C. (2026). Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions. International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems, 12(1), 8-19. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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ACS Style

Yimam, A. G.; Mekapotula, S. C. Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions. Int. J. Manag. Fuzzy Syst. 2026, 12(1), 8-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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AMA Style

Yimam AG, Mekapotula SC. Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions. Int J Manag Fuzzy Syst. 2026;12(1):8-19. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12,
  author = {Ahmed Gashaw Yimam and Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula},
  title = {Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions},
  journal = {International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems},
  volume = {12},
  number = {1},
  pages = {8-19},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmfs.20261201.12},
  abstract = {The "skills-maturity gap" a situation in which institutional outputs fall short of industrial demands, leading to structural unemployment and the "vocational paradox" persists despite initiatives like Digital Ethiopia 2030. This study examines how digital leadership improves labor market alignment using the "Vocational Intelligence" Sextuple-A framework. Based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research explores how leaders’ sense, seize, and transform institutional culture. The central question is on how digital leadership may help close the skills-maturity divide. This study evaluated the effects of leadership on institutional agility by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 42 high-impact publications using the PRISMA 2020 technique and theme synthesis. The results show that while institutional agility serves as a crucial bridge between digital leadership and market responsiveness, traditional transactional management impedes advancement. The study comes to the conclusion that rather than a lack of resources, the vocational conundrum is a mismatch between leadership and maturity. Adopting the Sextuple-A Framework for institutional audits, making Digital Leadership Certification essential for TVET deans, and giving "Training Factories" top priority to guarantee real-time synchronization with industry requirements are some of the recommendations. TVET institutions may become engines of national economic production by shifting from reactive to proactive, data-driven leadership, which will boost graduate employability and promote good social change.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Bridging the Industry 4.0 Skills-Maturity Gap Through Digital Leadership: Evidence from a Systematic Review of TVET Institutions
AU  - Ahmed Gashaw Yimam
AU  - Srinivasa Chakravarthy Mekapotula
Y1  - 2026/08/17
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12
T2  - International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems
JF  - International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems
JO  - International Journal of Management and Fuzzy Systems
SP  - 8
EP  - 19
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-4947
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmfs.20261201.12
AB  - The "skills-maturity gap" a situation in which institutional outputs fall short of industrial demands, leading to structural unemployment and the "vocational paradox" persists despite initiatives like Digital Ethiopia 2030. This study examines how digital leadership improves labor market alignment using the "Vocational Intelligence" Sextuple-A framework. Based on Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the research explores how leaders’ sense, seize, and transform institutional culture. The central question is on how digital leadership may help close the skills-maturity divide. This study evaluated the effects of leadership on institutional agility by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 42 high-impact publications using the PRISMA 2020 technique and theme synthesis. The results show that while institutional agility serves as a crucial bridge between digital leadership and market responsiveness, traditional transactional management impedes advancement. The study comes to the conclusion that rather than a lack of resources, the vocational conundrum is a mismatch between leadership and maturity. Adopting the Sextuple-A Framework for institutional audits, making Digital Leadership Certification essential for TVET deans, and giving "Training Factories" top priority to guarantee real-time synchronization with industry requirements are some of the recommendations. TVET institutions may become engines of national economic production by shifting from reactive to proactive, data-driven leadership, which will boost graduate employability and promote good social change.
VL  - 12
IS  - 1
ER  -

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