Technological transformation accelerates.
Covid-19 brought a new health order, changes in social interaction, the economy and geopolitics, but also a new digital reality for which we were not prepared.
A study by the Congressional Research Service maintains that the impact of the virus could reduce world economic growth by between 4.5% and 6% annually in 2020. A partial recovery is estimated for next year.
However, we will reach unemployment levels never seen since the Great Depression.
Experts indicate that more than 100 million people will suffer extreme poverty.
This, together with a 9.2% drop in world trade, poses a tragic scenario that demands innovative actions.
Murat Sönmez, director of the World Economic Forum, assures that the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution can play an important role in helping us emerge from the crisis caused by the pandemic.
What we call the
new-never-normal
has accelerated changes in the way we lead, innovate, communicate and acquire knowledge.
This speed in the transformation of the way of living and working together in a
fisgital
modality
(physical and digital) generates a space for innovations, but also represents risks in terms of equity, diversity, inclusion, social mobility and economic justice.
In pre-pandemic times, those who led human teams faced natural challenges.
Those challenges have become more complex in this era full of uncertainty and ambiguity, with a high impact on the mental and physical health of leaders
and co-developers
.
We cannot pretend to solve the macroeconomic, social and industrial problems caused by covid-19, but we can focus on addressing them and solving them in our environment.
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New realities demand new techniques, abilities and skills.
There are four factors for transformational leadership.
We have grouped them into what we call
4D Leadership
: Diversity, Divergence, Digitization and Disruption.
Leading requires a transformational effect that allows to modify and improve personal, family, organizational and social realities in an effective and ecological way.
Each of these four factors supports the exercise of influence and alignment in a human team towards results that exceed the expectations of
co-producers
, clients and shareholders.
Let's look at these four factors:
1.
Diversity
: Several scientific investigations show that teams with cultural, cognitive and identity diversity are more innovative than homogeneous groups.
The more skilled the person who leads these highly diverse teams, the greater their innovation and ability to achieve better results.
Leading with equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion is a critical skill to be competitive in a highly changing marketplace.
2.
Divergence
: It is just as important that leaders and
co-developers
converge in their thoughts and actions, as that they have the ability to diverge and be creative.
Being divergent leaders requires inquiry and stimulation with creative ideas, creating a space for originality and authenticity.
You have to stop saying what needs to be done and start working to achieve it.
3.
Digitization:
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, identified as 4.0, is determined by technological and digital transformations.
As we said, the covid-19 accelerated changes that were in progress.
People who lead and
co-elaborate
in organizational environments see the border between the physical and the digital blurred, being forced to work remotely, using digital platforms that were used eventually and are now in constant use.
We must dare to use new tools.
4.
Disruption
:
Disruptive
ideas have changed the order of certain industries and have transformed the way we live and work.
Uber, Airbnb, and Netflix have changed the taxi, hotel, and movie industries.
But how do you disrupt without affecting profitability?
The experts invite the use of a dual position in which the classic organizational units coexist, which must be cared for and exploited, and the autonomous and interdependent units that serve to explore new ideas and disruptive initiatives.
When looking for a sustained and effective transformation, it is important to realize that developing these four leadership factors requires losing fear.
You can only become a divergent, digital, and disruptive person if you have the knowledge and courage to dare to err without fear.
It is suggested to exercise authenticity, originality, humility to learn and curiosity.
Only in this way can we strengthen the muscle of easy failure for innovation and transformation.
Pilar Jericó
chairs the Be-Up consultancy and
Fernando Sánchez-Arias
is a member of the Click Institute.