Guest Blog: Thoughts on Leadership in the Digitised Future
By Maj Wendorff.
Yesterday I went to a short conference on the role of leaders in the digitalized* future. First of all, the present is already very digitalized but nonetheless some very interesting points were made.
One of the points that I found myself thinking most about after the conference - was this general notion that digitalization is the disrupting agent. I think most of us who share an interest in new digital technologies and are already applying them in our organizations will agree that the real disruption will not necessarily be the digitalization itself - but rather the transformation of our organizational setups necessary to really benefit from these creative new ways of doing things. Naturally, this requires a change in the way all of us go about our everyday jobs - even, and maybe particularly, as leaders.
In my experience most of the leaders who are wary about the speedy advances of technology are the ones who don’t understand where the opportunity vs threat lies to themselves and their organisations, and so they resist. Unless off course the neighbor/competitor has one of those, in which case they need one too. A result of this is often that one pay a lot of money for a digitalization strategy that the Organisation is not at all geared to implement - especially not in the traditional hierarchical setup.
Much of this disruption is also driven by the ways that the younger generations prefer to work - smaller groups, focused on a project and with short deadlines - constantly testing and feeding back until they find something that works. The leader facilitates and acts as a coach.
So, back to five main points describing the role of leaders in the new Digitised World:
You have to know about the digital technologies if you want to make a decision on which ones to implement or not.
You have to create the organizational framework, for instance an ecosystem type organization**, to successfully implement these “disruptive technologies”
Start everyday with challenging yourself to get familiar with new technologies - i.e. set up a skype meeting, edit a website, try new apps - little things that get you on the digitalization curve so you understand what is out there
Initiate lots of little business experiments with feedback loops rather than long 2-3 year strategies
Manage the balance between agility/adaptability/quick decisions with time to gain deep technical and human insight - paradox/dilemma leadership***
In conclusion, it is not enough to have a digitalization strategy - you need to create the right Organisational Structure to really reap the benefits.
I believe that ExploCrowd has created exactly that - an organisational ecosystem** of contributors who can integrate new technologies whenever it makes sense and not when strategy or budget dictates it.
- Maj Wendorff - June 2019
*Gartner’s glossary defines digitalization as “the use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the process of moving to a digital business.” Similar to Wikipedia, Gartner also says, “Digitization is the process of changing from analog to digital form.”
**Advances in technology and increasing globalization have changed ideas about the best ways to do business, and the idea of a business ecosystem is thought to help companies understand how to thrive in this rapidly changing environment. Moore defined the business ecosystem as follows:
An economic community supported by a foundation of interacting organizations and individuals—the organisms of the business world. The economic community produces goods and services of value to customers, who are themselves members of the ecosystem. The member organisms also include suppliers, lead producers, competitors, and other stakeholders. Over time, they co-evolve their capabilities and roles and tend to align themselves with the directions set by one or more central companies. Those companies holding leadership roles may change over time, but the function of ecosystem leader is valued by the community because it enables members to move toward shared visions to align their investments and to find mutually supportive roles.
***Paradoxes — also described as dilemmas, conundrums, polarity, competing values or contradiction — seem to defy common sense and business acumen. They can be overwhelming, difficult to understand, and seemingly impossible to address.Conflicting demands and either/or tensions are the norm for many managers. They don’t get solved or resolved by tackling one demand at a time, or making a “final” decision.These tensions show up in all facets of organizational life including leadership (control vs. empowerment), teamwork (tasks vs. relationships), strategy (competition vs. collaboration), structure (centralized vs. decentralized), and within ourselves (work vs. home).
However - Without the ability to hold competing interests in mind, organizations risk losing sight of the wisdom and opportunities that emerge when leadership pursues paradoxical thinking.
Center for Creative Leadership