What does leadership look like in the future of work?

My introductory blog on Leadership Fit for the Future of Work and am starting at the start. What does leadership look like in the Future of Work context?

As always, I like to ask ChatGPT and then compare and enhance it with my own research and practice experience. Here is the ChatGPT response.

Leadership in the future of work is characterized by adaptability, inclusivity, and a keen understanding of technological advancements. It goes beyond traditional hierarchical structures and embraces a more collaborative, agile, and employee-centric approach.

The future of work leadership differs from traditional leadership models primarily due to the rapid pace of change, technological advancements, and the evolving expectations of the workforce. It's a shift from a top-down, command-and-control style to a more collaborative, flexible, and human-centric approach. The focus is on empowering individuals, fostering innovation, and creating a work culture that adapts to change seamlessly. In essence, future leaders need to be more agile, digitally savvy, and people-oriented than ever before.

And here are my thoughts and research (excerpt from my book "Leadership Fit for the Future of Work”)

Leadership is probably the most written about social phenomenon of all time. The sheer number of definitions for the term leadership (about 60 taxonomies and theories) is evidence of this problem. There is no meta curriculum or agreed evidence-based frame for leadership in the new world of work. In fact, there seems to be conceptual redundancy – the same thing is being renamed and presented as new and different.

People also like easy and quick fixes. Pick up any of the popular books on leadership today, and you will still find a list of traits and competencies thought to be central to effective leadership. These viewpoints do not acknowledge the inherent complexity of human behaviour and the context within which this behaviour occurs.

My research reveals that most leadership and leadership development models and practices are detached from context, and nuances of context are the most important factor to consider when developing leaders. Most programs do not leverage an understanding of human behaviour. Leadership development consultants often over-pack their programs with so many concepts, models, frameworks, and “insights “that they create overwhelm, and under-application. Fundamental behavioural change is rare, and participants usually regress to old patterns within weeks.

ln my research, emerging vantage points are that leadership is a complex phenomenon and needs complex, shared and human leadership. In the context of the future of work and ongoing disruption, leaders need to work across boundaries to bring together disparate and diverse sets of people, processes, and technologies and reconfigure them in real time to increase the likelihood of organization survival – being responsive, resilient, and agile. Attached is a depiction of how leadership has evolved.

Where are you and your organisation on this continuum?