Leadership competencies to address the Fourth Industrial Revolution: case studies of the preparedness of owners and senior executives of South African SMEs.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is transforming industries by integrating digital, biological, and physical technologies. Leaders must continuously enhance their skills to effectively manage these emerging technologies and address upcoming challenges. This study examines the leadership competencies and readiness for the 4IR among South African SME owners and senior managers. Using a targeted literature review, the study assesses the validity of the six key leadership capabilities from the Molecular Leadership Competency Model: Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Digital Quotient (DQ), Agility and Adaptability Quotient (AAQ), Socio-Cultural Quotient (SCQ), and Creativity and Innovation Quotient (CIQ) by empirically examining the links between leadership style, traits, intelligence, and effective 4IR leadership against South African SME owners and senior executives. The study qualitatively explores leadership capabilities, focusing on how awareness and cognition impact leaders' intentions to develop these skills and tackle 4IR challenges, using an exploratory methodology. This research used a qualitative approach. Purposive data was collected through open-ended, semi-structured interviews (face-to-face, telephone, and video) with eight South African SME owners and senior managers. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results indicate that owners

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of the Western Cape

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Totten, Terence Martin

• Fourth Industrial revolution
• Leadership Competencies
• Socio-Cultural Quotient
• Adaptability
• Innovation Quotient

Licence

• https://uwcscholar.uwc.ac.za/bitstreams/b7eb940f-7b47-45be-8bbc-aae9efd82403/download