‘Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.’ The famous saying has indeed incited even the tech-savvy crowd to step back and to think before racing into the realm of automation, mechanization, robotics, and computers. A modern term to specifically refer to these evolutions would be ‘digitalization.’ Starting right from the daily chores to currency, every aspect is radically fitting in the robe of digitalization. Interestingly, the revolution in technology is at its most prominent state in the current century more than ever before. The twenty-first century is thus, no wonder known as the era of innovation.
The influence of technology is brushing all industrial sectors, significantly improving not only how things used to function but even how humans used to think, act, and execute plans twenty to thirty years back from now. Considering this aspect, one of the aspects that technology has considerably influenced is’ leadership’ in the business world. However, this drastic influence of technology on today’s leaders, their mindset, and even on their leadership styles is giving rise to countless questions, and one of those million doubts is ‘whether technology is making the craftsmanship of leadership more efficient or dependent?’ Indeed it is a critical aspect to invest your views, beliefs, opinions, and judgments when you are a part of the contemporary business realm. Let us discuss more on this topic in this article below.
Technology-based leadership – A Boon or a Bane?
The question is a critical one and slightly difficult to answer as we are still in the middle of the evolution and haven’t really reached a conclusion. Things are on the verge of being mechanized and digitalized, and the outcomes are both positive and negative. There are new software, tools, and procedures constantly being introduced in the corporate platform which is significantly changing the workplace environment. Leaders are considering technology as their right hand in order to stay ahead of time and beat the competition. The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, USC’s Leadership Style Self-Assessment, IHHP Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Assessment, IHHP Performing under Pressure Assessment are some of the most state-of-the-art tools used in today’s century by top leaders of organizations across the globe. If you use them effectively, these tools hand you over with a highly progressive approach on how to identify your leadership blind spots, how to deal with changes, how to be the vessel for true mentorship, and the list goes on. There is hardly any organization today that is without a technological infrastructure equipped with these or other relevant tools. Several leaders, entrepreneurs, and business heads from all across the world have been able to see success with the bliss of technology, but then again, everything depends on how they have made technology work for them. There is a massive difference between surrounding your business, your ability to judge, and your skills with technology and using it instead.
Why it all depends on how technology is used and executed?
Irrespective of how advanced the technology has become and how closely it has intertwined with our professional lives, the fact if the matter is that some skills can never be replaced with automation. Skills like the ability to inspire others, establish trust, and promote teamwork have been the golden qualities of successful leaders since ages. They are admired and looked up to as the classic rules today because they have actually worked for years. No automation or robotics can act as a substitute to the dexterity, ideas, and insights that come naturally to a person. Though, how technology can help is by helping one to polish and improve their skills. This is exactly where the art of aptly utilizing the technology comes into the picture. A wise leader shall always be able to bend the technology to serve him/her rather than letting the technology to take over his/her real skills. Today’s business world treasures several successful leaders, and if you pay some heed to their success stories, all of them have one skill in common, and that is choosing the right approach to technical execution.
If you have come across the term ‘blended approach’ it is exactly the method adopted and used by most leaders to keep the roots of tradition intact and incorporate innovation at the same time to attain a more productive outcome. For instance, nowadays there are several tools that are being widely utilized for carrying a digital conversation within a team in a workplace. In fact, via these portals, team members or leaders are provided with a better platform to interact with each other. However, true leaders purposely choose to turn up to his/her team members at times and talk to them in person with an aim to avoid dependency on hardcode technological supports around the clock. Maintaining a balance between innovative and conventional approaches is what today’s aspirants planning a future in the business industry needs to know about. Tapping into these little but influential details require in-depth knowledge and insights. If you are prepared to become a part of this complex yet an upbeat world of corporatization, IILM is the place for you. As one of the best PGDM colleges in Delhi, we, at IILM, offer interested business management aspirants an excellent opportunity to add a significant edge to their careers. Take advantage of our world-class PGDM management program to stand out among your competitors.