Challenge and Change: Exploring Leadership in the New World of Work

The HR World hosted a round table discussion sponsored by Henley Business School and held over dinner at Bentleys Oyster Bar & Grill in London. Under discussion was the current and future state of leadership within organisations and how in a world of rapid change, not least through technology and AI, traditional leadership and business models were losing traction for companies.

The discussion was led by Henley’s own Associate Faculty lead Professor Nick Kemsley and Angus Morrison, the Programme Director of Leading in the AI Era at the Business School and Founder of leadership organisation EvolveCubed. Together with a dozen HR professionals, each at the helm of leading businesses in a variety of sectors, including technology, healthcare, consulting, financial and professional services, they examined and explored the evolving organisation and sought to understand the skills required by leaders faced with steering a way ahead through uncertain waters. The discussion was facilitated by The HR World’s own CEO, Mike Beesley.

It was clear from the start of the conversation that all those at the discussion were finding that the act of leading a business was growing more complex. While technology development, global events, generational differences and sector specific challenges were all at play organisations also increasingly require an agile approach, a factor that in itself requires a different kind of leadership style from the traditional norm. On the one hand the discussion looked at what was required from leaders in the here and now, but there was also attention paid to how leaders could be properly developed for the future.

The level of uncertainty experienced by many businesses is certainly impacting on leadership. There’s a sense that while leaders should ideally be making ‘data-led’ decisions, by the time accurate and useful data becomes available the business scenario has already moved on. It is therefore extremely hard for leaders to act in the ‘here and now’ let alone prepare for the future. In such a context leaders need to act with speed, using their own judgment rather than waiting to respond to certainties.

It was felt that current competency models, organisational structures, and some leadership programmes – particularly those that are overly theoretical or disconnected from organisational context – do not reflect today’s volatility. Leaders may lack the appreciation of the interconnectedness of business – the way one occurrence can have far reaching implications in other parts of the business. One contributor suggested leaders need to become more comfortable with the ambiguity that exists today, that they need to still be sure and steady, despite the maelstrom around them.

To combat this, the discussion explored new ideas for leadership development. Many of those round the table had experienced first hand how varied career experiences had contributed more to their development than traditional training programmes. Lateral moves, cross-functional exposure, and working in unfamiliar environments were all described as critical in building agility and leadership effectiveness. Others highlighted the value of mentoring and informal coaching.

There is no doubt that organisations are facing challenging times and that there needs to be a step change in what leaders can do and the impact they have. This points to the need for leadership development that focuses on sustained behaviour change, as well as creating the organisational conditions where these new behaviours can be practised and embedded. Individuals need to be exposed to different ways of thinking as well as being given the confidence to take important decisions and see those decisions through despite the distractions and challenges elsewhere.

We are, without doubt, facing interesting times, but by rethinking and evolving the way leaders are developed and supported, organisations can continue to go from strength to strength.