Repositioning digital maturity for higher education and human resource management: evidence from a systematic review and bibliometric mapping
Digital maturity is increasingly recognized as an important condition for organizational transformation; however, it is still frequently assessed primarily through technological readiness, digital infrastructure, and process digitalization. This perspective provides limited guidance for higher education institutions, where digital transformation depends substantially on workforce capability, leadership readiness, organizational learning, and adaptive culture. This study examines the evolution and dimensional structure of digital maturity research and repositions digital maturity as a strategic human resource management capability for higher education. A hybrid systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis was conducted using 333 peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in Scopus and published between 2018 and November 2025. The analysis maps publication trends, thematic evolution, geographic and sectoral patterns, and the dimensional structure of 18 digital maturity models. The findings show that digital maturity research has expanded rapidly and evolved from a predominantly technology-centred orientation towards a broader capability-based perspective. Technology and Strategy are the most consistently represented dimensions, while People and Organization/Culture are essential for translating digital investments into institutional capability. Sustainability, Security, and Integration remain comparatively underrepresented. Based on the literature synthesis, the study proposes an HRM-oriented conceptual framework linking digital maturity dimensions with competency development, strategic workforce planning, digital leadership, organizational learning, and participatory change management. The framework is intended as an analytically grounded conceptual guide rather than an empirically validated causal model. The study contributes to HRM scholarship by clarifying how universities can integrate digital maturity assessment with people-centred capability development and institutional transformation.