5. The Challenge of Technology

Connected digital technologies have brought some amazing tools and information resources to leaders. We have data and analytic capability that would amaze Henry Ford, leading to incredible advances in efficiencies and inter-connectedness through supply chains. At the same time, over the past four decades, leaders have become soaked with information and opinion. The fears of missing out and of being wrong are contributing to significantly increased stress levels and lack of creativity in our companies. The ‘smart’ phone has become the digital overlord of digital overload. Being always on feels tiring and we have not recognized enough the impact on wellbeing that connecting digital technologies have had. Commercially-driven algorithms are dominating the choices about which information each of us receives, resulting in the reinforcement of dominant logic, arguably to the detriment of critical thinking.