Digital is the new norm. IR4.0, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, virtual and augmented reality, social networking and big data are not future technologies - they are here today and are already transforming how we communicate, interact, work and live.

Although many global business leaders state they have a digital strategy, most don’t feel they have the organisational skills and capabilities required to deliver and execute that strategy. This poses a significant challenge for organisations expected to undertake digital transformation, often at rapid speed.

A framework for digital leadership in the digital age has four phases:

• Phase 1 - where does your organisation stand?
• Phase 2 - what is the threat of digitisation in your business?
• Phase 3 - is the organisation enabled to transform successfully?
• Phase 4 - how can you ensure constant change and innovation?

Each phase has its own set of challenges and issues and organisations need to work through them systematically.  It’s also clear that digital leaders need cognitive, business, interpersonal and strategic skills to successfully operate in the digital world.

Watch a full presentation of my talk on Digital Leadership at the 

international seminar “Digital technologies and Digital Leadership” organised by the STIE YKPN Business School, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 1st June 2020. 

 This article is contributed by Dr. Bruno Lot Tanko, Head of School of Built Environment, University of Reading Malaysia