The role of leadership in adopting the Fourth industrial era technologies in developing economies

Abstract

The study explored the role of leadership in adopting the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in emerging technologies. This was prompted by the fact that in emerging economies, the adoption of 4IR is at infancy stage and not visible across the  globe. The fourth industrial revolution has the capacity of providing opportunities to emerging economies. However, there are challenges embedded in new technologies which might limit the possibilities to operate in an 4IR era. This implies that benefiting from new technologies will not be automatic, but with competent leadership, emerging economies can take advantage of digitalisation to fast track their growth and development. The study utilised a semi-systematic literature review approach. A qualitative/ narrative approach was utilised to establish themes. A thematic inductive method was used to analyse the data. The clusters of data pertaining to the subjects of inquiry served as the basis for the creation of themes. The findings of the study revealed that the role of leadership in the adoption of 4IR technologies is crucial and multifaceted. The key aspects of their roles are as follows: vision and strategy; change management; resource allocation; collaboration and partnerships; risk management and governance; stakeholder engagement as well as continuous learning and innovation. In addition, it is recommended that key stakeholders need to support leadership to become better 4IR-aligned leaders in emerging economies. That is, leadership upskilling and re-skilling in emerging economies requires an effective governmental, and institutional framework.