In the context of technological change, there is a question difficult to answer which is to determine what direction drives a fast and constant evolution of innovation in technology. From digitization to transhumanism, there is a vast space of adaptation through the fourth industrial revolution
But what do we understand about the fourth industrial revolution? According to the World Economic Forum (2021), «The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technological advances commensurate with those of the first, second, and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital, and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril.»
To complement the concept and focus, algorithms emerged as essential elements in data analytics through the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Thus because of data analytics, meets contextual scenarios or predictive scenarios.
Data analytics linked to contextual scenarios implies reviewing present information, nevertheless to establish predictive scenarios implies generating potential and probable scenarios that allow human beings to build without designing them previously.
When trying to approach the real meaning of technological change the question is if a transformational leader should understand the context and impact of these technological innovations.
The problem is to take a systemic approach to this question because designing a professional profile of transformational leadership is relatively easy and has been studied extensirvely.
Even understanding the role of transformational leadership I think that adjusting this profile to the impact of technological evolution is what could be considered the real challenge to analyze at this present moment.
When transforming a vision into a reality we need to change the previous situation to a new one that probably adapts better to our needs.
Flexibility, adaptability applies when the context is changing. Who drives these changes? In which direction?
It is difficult to believe that changes are some arbitrary things that just happen.
The need to revisit a situation means that the concept of transformational leadership needs to be adapted to the risk approach because of its moral nature when technology adoption represents high risks. Therefore the context to develop is risk management.
The evolution of the market cannot be the only context to build transformational leadership. Other key aspects need urgent adjustments.
Predictive scenarios generated by data analytics implies the skill of human being to build. Nevertheless, contextual scenarios linked to data analytics, imply taking decisions driven by data.
These processes are generated through the help of Artificial Intelligence. Does Artificial Intelligence help me to build scenarios, or on the contrary, does it facilitate or replace the creative process of selecting the roads to build?
Operational leadership, when transforming processes, is necessary to provide those technological advances. But what about transforming a vision?.
Vision and strategy require ethics and responsibility when designing and creating initiatives according to a vision.
Learning and development initiatives provide just-in-time answers to the right needs so which could be the impact of the right learning initiatives according to the evolution of technology?.
Predictive scenarios created by data analytics allow to gain agility and clarity in the context analysis with the help of Artificial Intelligence (A.I), a fourth industrial characteristic; Those scenarios can replace without a doubt and exceed human beings´ creative capacities.
Does it make any difference if the vision is the result of predictive analysis or if it is created from a human being´s vision?.
According to the answer, the strategy would be different and also the skills required?
As we can see there are so much more questions than answers but at this point, maybe the right questions can provide the right guide to design future transformational leadership.
Maybe the right question to ask is, where does the transformational leader go? Does he know? In conclusion, how to design a strategy if there is no clear vision that guides where to go?
Predictive scenarios could be the answer. To build those probably scenarios to create reality.
Strategists and transformational leaders would be able to create realities instead of design paths. Is this what we are evaluating?
The strategy that does not include risk management in constructing predictive scenarios derived from data analysis and also not include a highly humanist vision based on the constructive projection of human abilities runs a great risk of substituting the genuine source of knowledge. Creativity.
Cristina Villavicencio
Learning and Development.
Train Us 