Disruption is happening everywhere and in every aspect of our lives. It is happening at a scale and speed that is unprecedented in modern history impacting diverse industries. Not every disruption is driven by advances in technology as it can be seen in the case of COVID-19 pandemic which has caused massive disruption to the economy, businesses and individual lives.

“Leadership in Disruptive Times” focuses on navigating the organizational challenges following the aftermath of the unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis and the disruption caused by digitization at the workplace in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (better known as Industry 4.0). It provides organizations and leaders with the relevant tools, frameworks and best practice approaches to develop and map their digital transformation journey in today’s highly disruptive, increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) and digital-driven workplace.

What does it mean to be a “disruptive digital leader” or also known at times as a “disruptive leader” or “digital leader”? Is it a title reserved for only technology giants or businesses with seemingly bottomless budgets? The truth is that any business can excel in digital leadership and management, regardless of its size or budget. But doing so requires more than just savvy IT leaders. It requires leaders across the business who understand why digital technology is essential and how to use it.

Digitalization is rapidly changing the way companies operate and create value in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The emergence of technology-centered business models is also challenging established organizations to reimagine and reinvent themselves to remain relevant to the marketplace. Digital readiness is of great importance today as it seems that while many organizations are either experiencing or expect to experience some form of significant digital disruption, few appear genuinely prepared.

The growing awareness and recognition of the impact of transformation on people and culture underscore the urgency to place cultural change at the center of any digital transformation agenda. Cultural transformation in a highly digitalized world includes best practices approaches that will help organizations understand how they can embed successful digital cultural transformation initiatives within their organization. Organizations must adopt the philosophy of putting People ahead of Process and Technology (PPT). Many digital transformation efforts do not achieve their desired results because they concentrate on the process improvement, strategies with the technology as an enabler but they ignore the people aspect of the change initiative.