This study tests whether digital readiness depends on the strategic fit between transformational leadership and digital infrastructure in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Rather than treating infrastructure as a mediator of leadership, this study examines whether leadership and infrastructure must be aligned and jointly strong for readiness to emerge.
Data were collected between August and October 2024. The retained analytical file contained 500 de-identified questionnaire records and nine study indicators. Three equal-weighted component indices were constructed. Leadership and infrastructure were centered on the common value of 4.0 to preserve their substantive equality line, after which polynomial regression and response surface analysis (RSA) were estimated using HC3 heteroscedasticity-consistent inference.
The data do not support the expected strategic fit explanation. The polynomial model explained 1.0% of the variance in digital readiness (R2 = 0.010; adjusted R2 = −0.0001; robust F(5, 494) = 0.959, p = 0.442). The leadership × infrastructure term was not significant (b = −0.107, p = 0.311), and neither the line-of-congruence slope (a1 = −0.062, p = 0.283) nor the line-of-incongruence curvature (a4 = 0.086, p = 0.639) was significant. Thus, high leadership-infrastructure alignment was not associated with higher readiness in the retained analytical file.
The study shifts the debate from mediation to strategic fit. Its null result places an empirical boundary on the common assumption that visionary leadership and digital infrastructure automatically reinforce one another. For resource-constrained MSMEs, alignment between managerial intent and technology possession may be insufficient unless additional integrating mechanisms—such as digital routines, employee capability, governance, and actual technology use—are in place.
