Digital Edginess is a requirement for tomorrow’s leaders

I would like to take this opportunity to share the ‘short’ version of my Major Research Paper (MRP) that I recently presented back to a peer group.  The focus of my research was on the need for leaders in North America (at all levels of the organization) to acquire a new set of skills to become a leader with ‘digital edginess’ — one that understands the capabilities of technology, the ecosystem that their business is apart of and the need to foster triple-loop learning to remain competitive on the global market.  The developing world is not sleeping.  Many leaders in the developing world see the advantage of technology to deliver basic needs without the infrastructure/maintenance costs that we have in North America.  They are delivering innovations to bring up the basic needs of their population, at a lower cost, without an expensive infrastructure and they have a large captive market (e.g. counter-top water filtration systems; pop-bottle solar lights).

Photographer: Unknown. I wish that I knew the photographer. It is a fabulous picture and I would love to learn more about the person on the edge

Technology is driving the shift from B2B to B2C — end-consumers, when banded together (via technology) have a large collective voice that changes your bottom line in a condensed timeline (e.g. go from the top of your game to being knocked out of the market in weeks … some argue it can happen in days).   It is important for leaders to understand how it is changing, the advantages of collaboration between unexpected businesses that can drive new opportunities and how to foster a culture that can help influence consumers.  Leaders no longer can control the collective voice — it is about building trust and being a part of the conversation that can help increase your competitiveness on the global stage. 

B2C is not new but your leadership-style may have to be enhanced — Trust is a key factor; Understanding the technology landscape is a requirement (not just by IT);  Being able to relinquish control and allow for triple-loop learning across the organization will help organizations to engage in this new competitive landscape.   

I encourage everyone to have ‘digital edginess’ with a focus on the end-consumer to help drive new innovations out of North America and feel the excitement of unexpected groups driving new paths for a sustainable future. 

(And learning is through collaboration of ideas so feedback is always appreciated!) 

Digital Edginess is a requirement