Investigating the leaders' state of readiness in the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services in South Africa to develop policy for the fourth industrial revolution

Abstract

The study investigated the state of leadership readiness in the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) to develop policy for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The DTPS is the lead Department in terms of 4IR within the Public Service and there are specific skills that are required within the DTPS to effectively lead in this regard. This study investigated the perceived gap between current skills and required skills in DTPS. The study adopted a qualitative method to obtain leaders' views and opinions by conducting structured and semi‐structured interviews. The nature of the study is exploratory. A total of 10 DTPS employees, both female and male on a 50/50 basis were interviewed on the skills of the leaders' state of readiness in developing policy for 4IR. The study findings identified an absence of problem‐solving, analytical, creative, technical, conflict management, collaboration and artificial intelligence, innovation and change management skills. It recommends that these competencies be included in the current Public Service Competency Assessment Framework that ensures that leaders are ready for policy development for 4IR.

The Key 4ir Soft Skills for the Rail Sector

“…Complex problem solving [23], [24], [25], [26] Critical thinking [27], [28], [29], [30], [31] Creativity [32], [33], [34] Time management [35], [36] People management [37], [38] Negotiating skills [39], [40], [38] Communication [37], [39], [41] Emotional intelligence [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47] Change management [48], [40], [49], [50] Adaptability [23], [51], [52] Collaboration/teamwork [39], [53], [54], [55], [56] Table 1 presents the 11 soft skills required for the rail sector in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Each soft skill is listed in the left column, and the corresponding citations for the supporting research and references are provided in the right column.…”

“…Effective change management requires creating a sense of urgency, addressing resistance, and embedding new behaviours and processes in the organisational culture [48]. Adapting to change becomes crucial to survival and growth in the 4IR [40], [49], [50].…”

The impact of innovative work behavior, perceived Leadership 4.0, and corporate social responsibility on sustaining banking industry performance in Nigeria within the 4IR Era

“…This refers to adapting leadership approaches to meet the difficulties and opportunities it presents. Banking leaders must be inventive, flexible, and tech-savvy to generate organizational growth and satisfy customer demands in a continually changing market (Maponya & Naidoo, 2023). Finding the ideal ratio between human skills and technical capabilities is at the heart of Leadership Corporate social responsibility within the banking industry is the practice of banks and other financial organizations, considering their effects on society and the environment while conducting business operations.…”