A Different Leadership Approach is Needed for the Digital Age

Mercator Capacity Building Center for Leadership & Advocacy (LEAD) has published a thoughtful analysis on the impact that digitalization and the rapid pace of change are having on current leadership practices: Beyond easy answers. New Leadership practice for the digital age.  The report, which is part of the LEAD Research Series, was prepared in cooperation with the School of Public Policy at Central European University, Company Companions, and the Center for Leadership and Values in Society at the University of St. Gallen.

A German-based not-for-profit organization, LEAD provides training and consulting services to organizations in the non-profit, business, academic, and political sectors.  LEAD also partners with SPP to organize the Skills For Impact (SFI) program, which is a key component of the MPA degree. “It was their reputation and extensive experience organizing leadership courses that caused me to approach LEAD and ask them to work with us to develop SFI for SPP students enrolled in the two-year MPA program,” explained Founding Dean Wolfgang Reinicke. 

Another aspect of the SPP-LEAD partnership is their shared commitment to generate knowledge that will contribute to more informed and enlightened policy practice.  “The topic of leadership is at the heart of everything we do,” explained Tobias Leipprand, LEAD executive director. “We conducted this study to hear from leaders themselves about how they guide the organizations they lead, the things they feel that they do well and areas where they struggle, and to identify successful strategies that would be helpful to other leaders who are facing similar challenges.” The LEAD study is based on 90-minute interviews with 31 leaders of DAX-listed firms, family- and state-owned companies, and start-ups.

Leipprand says that two themes came up repeatedly during the course of the interviews – the unpredictability of the future and the dizzying pace of change. The study also found enormous differences in the ability of leaders to address the challenges of the digital age.  The study concludes that successful leaders today are those who recognize that new approaches are needed, and reject the “Leadership Method 4.0” paradigm that presumed that leaders could anticipate and prepare for the future. “Leaders have to make uncertainty their friend if they want to tackle change,” explains co-author Markus Baumanns, CEO of the company companions in Hamburg.

Commenting on the study, LEAD Executive Director and SFI Program Director Oliver Triebel noted, “This study is particularly relevant for the SFI program where “Leading Yourself” is one of the modules that we teach. This study provides compelling evidence that the mindsets of leaders and the introspective practices that go with it are crucial when it comes to dealing with the increasing complexity and volatility of today’s world.“