The Industrial Age required management of people. Control equated to power and work was done by means of the systematic management of tasks, with measurements in place to ensure the workers delivered on set objectives. The leaders were all knowing, and the worker was required to comply. Workers were kept ignorant and their performance was measured based on the level of their compliance.
The Information Age demanded a new type of leader. Knowledge now equalled power and the need for visionary people-focused leaders was borne. These leaders were knowledgeable and confident in their roles. Knowledge is openly shared and feedback loops were encouraged.
As the landscape rapidly changed, we were swiftly transcended into the Imagination Age, suggesting that those with the ideas have the power. Workers are the creators and are seen as equals. Teams in this age know that they may not have all the answers, yet they are comfortable with this. Input is valued and is considered a critical trigger for continuous improvement.
Sadly, it is easier to describe the Information and Imagination Ages in theory than it is to see practical examples. Whilst technology and ideas of how work must be done has progressed, people are still grappling with their role in the evolutionary process. We just haven’t moved fast enough.
Leaders are struggling to unbundle themselves from their indoctrinated command and control management style and their organisational environments that are still structured in this way. However, leaders have a responsibility to adopt, adapt, and improve, to ensure economic growth in their own business. Leaders need to make the following changes:
The leaders of the future need to be willing to meet the challenges of today. There is no magic wand that will take an organisation from one state to another, it requires courage and fortitude.