- Teacher: William Lee Howell
In this course, we start with the premise that leadership is about defining what the future should look like and getting stakeholders not only to share but develop that future together. But what happens when the future reveals itself only by blurring the boundaries between physical, digital, and biological systems? And are we already in the midst of a Fourth Industrial Revolution?
At the personal level, the global pandemic showed that many of us are adapting well when it comes to adopting novel technologies such as videoconferencing to interact digitally but less so when it comes to accepting mRNA vaccines that allow us to meet physically. Moreover, we are now accustomed to using our mobile phones to do everything from purchasing grocery items, ensuring that we follow the latest public health regulations and even to translate foreign languages. But the 'ubiquitous' systems that enable these activities have ushered in a future where billions of connected devices are not only transforming business models and customer experiences but are also changing how governments govern their citizens and support their communities. Although not to extent of Climate Change, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will nonetheless reshape interrelationships among consumers, communities, companies, and countries.
Whatever your recent experience may be, now is the moment to challenge deeply ingrained assumptions that influence how society at large envisions the future. For example, have we fully accepted the notion that companies promoting your economic mobility are also pursuing massive scale through digital platforms that rely mostly upon your data? Reflecting on the COVID-19 experience thus far, do we trust governments to have the competency to address other adaptive challenges such as climate change that require novel solutions? These are the system leadership dilemmas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.