Leadership for the Smart Machine Age

The transformative impact of digital technology has only just begun. Beyond ‘Big Data’ and global connectivity, we will see ‘The Internet of Things’, 3D manufacturing, smart robotics, artificial intelligence, and more.

As these disruptors evolve they will profoundly affect how we do business and will demand a new model for leadership. The command and control model, designed for the Industrial Revolution to drive efficiency, standardization and reliability, is still largely prevalent today. Though, in recent times, organizations have evolved that leverage human excellence and technology to continuously innovate and adapt — which is the antithesis of reliability and standardization.

In a recent article Professor Ed Hess, of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, anticipates a leadership model for the future, a model that will require leaders who excel at the types of thinking, emotional engagement and collaboration that will be needed.

He describes these leadership capabilities in this extract from an article on Darden’s Ideas to Action: