Abstract of Transforming the Next Generation Leaders (2019)

A digital revolution is currently underway. Technology has disrupted every aspect of our life and society: info-communication, education, health care, transportation and logistics, farming, and manufacturing. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are disrupting banking systems. Metaverse, Web 3.0 (focused on the use of technologies like machine learning and AI to provide relevant content for each user instead of just the content other end users have provided), hyperconnectivity, through communication systems, sensors, wearables, and smart devices, have blurred the boundary between the physical and digital worlds.

Leaders need to understand the implications of megatrends of disruption, innovative disruptive technologies, big data, and, more importantly, how to leverage them to help their companies connect to customers and stakeholders with efficiency and precision, creating new opportunities and staying ahead of the competition. Digital platforms offer fundamental improvements to traditional business models, can transform entire industries, and are critical drivers of growth. Web-based enterprises that leverage digital infrastructure can enter markets quickly and move with agility in the current era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Bawany 2019).

Digitization has an impact on companies in various sectors. In each case, the impact is a different one, which makes it essential for companies to have a good understanding and view of what they face and how digitization will affect their businesses: which opportunities can be seized, and which threats must be faced.

Digitization has an impact on all organizations across various sectors or industries. In each case, the impact is a different one, which makes it essential for companies to have a good understanding and view of what they face and how digitization will affect their company: which opportunities can be seized, and which threats must be faced.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (or Industry 4.0 as it is more commonly known) represents the combination of AI, robotics, cyber-physical systems, the IoT, and the Internet of Systems (IoS). In short, it is the idea of smart factories in which machines are augmented with web connectivity and connected to a system that can visualize the entire production chain and make decisions on its own. In this fourth revolution, a range of new technologies will evolve that combine the physical, digital, and biological worlds (see Figure 1). These new technologies will impact all disciplines, economies, and industries, and even challenge our ideas about what it means to be human.

The VUCA framework (See Figure 2) captures the challenging realities of today’s business environment, where rapid changes and interconnected dynamics significantly impact organizations and their leaders.

To lead and manage the managerial challenges successfully in the VUCA-driven disruptive business environment, leaders need to “LEAP” through the fog and demonstrate the relevant leadership competencies and skills to navigate through the “fog” (see Figure 3).

There is currently extensive published research on the direct link between leadership effectiveness and sustained organizational performance. Hence, the development of the disruptive leader’s capability should be of primary concern for all organizations operating in Industry 4.0, since the contribution and motivation of the employees are key to achieving the organizational goals and objectives. While all organization needs financial resource, technical and professional knowledge and expertise, relevant systems, and processes, success cannot be assured and sustained unless the leaders can utilize these resources creatively and effectively. Arguably, the organizations that are best placed to survive and thrive in the disruptive business environment of Industry 4.0 are those which have a strong focus on leadership development practices and a good understanding of what effective leadership means to them (Bawany 2020).

Disruptive leaders must focus on effectively engaging all stakeholders, in particular, the employees, in delivering sustainable results for their organization. In the era of the Industry 4.0 workplace and at a time of continued significant transition and challenge, leaders at all levels will have a responsibility to ensure that the organization’s mission and purpose are at the heart of what they do.

The concept of “engagement” can be defined in many ways. Essentially, engagement is a measure of how an organization values its employees and how employees value their organization and recognize that every individual is at liberty to decide whether to do the minimum required of them or to do more. Engagement can also be taken to represent the degree of empowerment to which staff are involved in decision making and/or the openness and perceived effectiveness of communication. Hence, leaders at all levels have a key role in cultivating a strong culture of engagement. This, in essence, is the foundation of the “results-based leadership” (RBL) framework for a digital-driven organization.

The fundamentals remain that all organizations, including those digitally driven, need to continuously deliver service value and build good customer relationships to generate sustainable results through their satisfied and loyal customers. Employees being at the forefront of the service delivery chain hold the key to building this satisfied and loyal customer base.

Despite society’s emphasis on individuality, the critical work of business today is undertaken by teams, whether real or virtual. The success of organizations can be closely linked to how well these teams of diverse individuals perform, and it is clear that some teams truly do excel. Based on studies from extensive consulting engagements by the Centre for Executive Education (CEE) over a decade, several key elements have been identified as critical in high-performance organizations. These elements constitute the SCORE™ framework for high-performing teams.

A high-performing team demonstrates a high level of synergism—the simultaneous actions of separate entities that together have a greater effect than the sum of their individual efforts. It is possible, for example, for a team’s efforts to exemplify an equation such as 2 + 2 = 5! High-performing teams require a complementary set of characteristics known collectively as “SCORE™”—cohesive strategy, clear roles and responsibilities, open communication, rapid response, and effective leadership.

In high-performing teams, leadership shifts during the stages of team development based on team needs. Unlike organizational leadership, which remains somewhat constant, team leadership can shift from very directing, when the team is being formed, to more delegating, when the team is functioning effectively. When you have assessed your team’s current performance level and needs, you will be ready to move on to building your dream team in whatever SCORE™ category you choose to begin (Bawany 2019).

Transition coaching has three overall goals: to accelerate the transition process by providing just-in-time advice and counsel, to prevent mistakes that may harm the business and the leader’s career, and to assist the leader in developing and implementing a targeted, actionable transition plan that delivers business results.

While many of the issues covered by transition coaching are similar to those included in executive coaching, such as sorting through short- and long-term goals and managing relationships upwards as well as with team members, transition coaching is focused specifically on the transition and designed to educate and challenge new leaders. The new leader and coach will have to work together to develop a transition plan and a roadmap that will define critical actions that must take place during the first 90 days to establish credibility, secure early wins, and position the leader and team for long-term success.

The transition coaching relationship also includes regular meetings with the new leader as well as ongoing feedback. Frequently, the coach conducts a “pulse check” of the key players, including the boss, direct reports, peers, and other stakeholders, after four to six weeks to gather early impressions so that the new leader can make a course correction if needed.

The transition coaching framework (refer to Figure 6) developed by the CEE with the complete transition coaching process provides new leaders with the guidance to take charge of their new situation, achieve alignment with the team, and ultimately move the business forward (Bawany 2023).

The “transition readiness assessment” is designed for the evaluation of the desired disruptive leaders’ competencies as stated earlier, which includes the ability to envision the future, agility, ESI skills such as empathy and relationship management (social skills), cognitive readiness, critical thinking, engagement, agility and adaptability, innovativeness and courage to experiment, and resilience, among others.