“Technology by itself doesn’t make leaders, it only amplifies true leadership” – Sean Gilmour
Technology has been a great resource for everyone; it has made life easier, especially now that hybrid working is so prevalent. It has long been a crucial component of the corporate sector, serving a range of objectives including internal and external communication, monitoring, transaction processing, and many others.
It undoubtedly increased productivity in several ways, as seen by the widespread usage of the internet and mobile devices. However, in order for it to be successful and useful, it requires true leadership that can nurture and evolve it. According to Sean Gilmour, it doesn’t make leaders rather a helping tool that make the best out of your leadership.
With technology rapidly changing and influencing everything we do, it is creating new opportunities for businesses, governments, and individuals, who are now transforming their operations while finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rapid technological, economic, and social developments.
By using the concept introduced by the US Army after the end of the Cold War, we can say that we are in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA) world right now. To thrive in this VUCA environment or workplace, leaders of technologically savvy workplaces must keep up with the newest technology advances and their influence on organizations. They might flourish by finding new ways to employ technology in innovative ways that boost efficiency, engage teams, and generate new prospects for growth.
There are significant benefits to just utilizing technologies; yet most leaders may find it difficult to adjust, particularly when it comes to developing technology-mediated interactions and virtual staff monitoring. To excel in challenging circumstances, you might want to try E-leadership. This kind of leadership refers to the process by which a person guides and motivates the behavior of a technology-mediated environment. Thus, an e-leader is the individual who is capable of influencing others through technological means and originating a change of goals, feelings, thoughts, behaviors and/or performance in individuals, groups, or organizations, to achieve a specific goal (Leadership and Technology: Concepts and Questions, 2019).
Before going into what sort of leadership suits you amidst emerging technology, it's important to understand how it will affect leadership once you've adopted it. Leaders can effectively and efficiently accomplish their tasks by utilizing the latest technological tools. Some of the benefits of incorporating technology into organizational management are as follows:
Allowing employees to be flexible. Today, remote working is quite prevalent, and every company uses technology as their major means of communication and task completion, whether they are working remotely or in the office. Facilitating two separate environments may appear difficult, but for most leaders, it is an opportunity to motivate and allow their staff to work hard in an environment they are comfortable with. Furthermore, the company's operating cost will be lessened too.
Real-time managing. Worried about not being able to attend meetings in person, get copies of reports, or relay information? Worry less because technology has created more communication tools than ever before. You can now see how many tasks your team members have completed in real time and with just your fingertips, you can now schedule meetings and communicate necessary data to your team no matter where you are. Technology not only allows us to work from anywhere, but it also allows organizations and employees to sense our presence.
Ability to overcome language barriers. Using technology tools to develop and translate business papers might help you to be more effective as a leader. Furthermore, you can hire personnel from various linguistic backgrounds without fear about language barriers.
Automating Management. Another advantage of advanced technology is the ability to complete a large number of tasks in less time. Leaders may now automate tasks and optimize organization processes and operations using data, analytics, and artificial intelligence to produce more improved and efficient results.
We can’t deny that technology has had a significant impact on leadership, with numerous advantages. However, utilizing the appropriate technology at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner is the biggest challenge for leaders across the world.
Here at Customized Training Solutions, we help leaders sustain and develop their own leadership skills through coaching, training and consulting. Book a free 30 minute call now to find out how we can help you!
REFERENCES
Machado, A. M., & Brandão, C. (2019). Leadership and Technology: Concepts and Questions. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 764–773. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16184-2_73
Patel, A. (2019, March 14). How Technology Can Be Used to Empower Leadership. About Leaders. https://aboutleaders.com/technology-empower-leadership/#:~:text=With%20the%20help%20of%20technology