Agile Leadership in Managing Human Capital in Industry 4.0
Mahesh Luthia
Abstract
Smart Human Resources 4.0 (SHR 4.0) as part of the industry 4.0 requires leaders to revisit the approach to support adopting of Digital Technologies, manage diverse workforce, and empower employees. There is a need for agility in the leaders to be more open to learning, promote innovation, adapt to changes. Leaders must focus on developing their credibility not based on their status or professional knowledge but their ability to transfer managerial skills. Such agile leaders can succeed only when they are able to create a learning culture, facilitate team collaboration, and adopt emerging technologies. This chapter outlines the characteristics of agile leaders in the current context. It outlines the importance of leadership in an agile environment and presents some contemporary perspectives on leadership frameworks by analyzing leadership theories and behaviors to achieve success in an agile environment. Competencies required in the SHR 4.0 context are examined to help identify different leadership styles. It presents the important of innovative leadership to drive innovation across the organization. A two-dimensional matrix on Servant Leadership Attributes and behaviors in an agile environment was developed based on the analysis. The chapter also presents a brief case let of Tech Mahindra, on Digital leadership can facilitate digital transformation to enhance employee experience.