eLeadership for the 21st Century

(informal paper)

eLeadership for the 21st Century: coping with the new challenges

Objective: survey relevant factors and considerations by Frank Owarish, Ph.D.

Leadership

•   Has always been a crucial factor in the advancement of society as a whole and of specific segments thereof

Importance

•   No entities can progress without leadership

Leadership

•   An evolving concept

•   It is not static

Leadership: relevance

•   Type appropriate at one time may not be appropriate at another time

eLeadership

•   2001, Melissa Raffoni (Harvard Business Review): hard to conceal a smirk when someone mentions eLeadership

•   Caveat: don’t let your skepticism get out of hand

eLeadership

•   Has emerged as the type of leadership needed to lead the high-technological society and high-technological entities (business and government)

eLeadership

•   Has been and is and will be transforming society and segments thereof

Computer-communication revolution

•   Has transformed:

•   a) society

•   b) business companies

•   c) government entities

Leadership of new electronic entities

•   Leading Amazon.com is different from leading a company in the 1960s

Previous entities

•   Undergoing transformation to become electronic entities and keep up or otherwise disappear

•   Case in point: Barnes and Noble with Lynch as new eLeader developing company’s eCommerce business and strengthening its platform to offer digital goods and services such as the Nook and publications dynamically

Traits of an eLeader

•   Best example is that of Steve Jobs at Apple

•   Has driven Apple up the spiral of eCompanies offering digital goods and eServices, ranging from the iPod to the iPhone onto the iPad

Steve Jobs

•   Tech’s version of Charles Foster Kane

Inside Steve’s brain

•   Molded conflicting personality traits into a business philosophy

•   Is elitist

•   Obsessive creative (genius?) with volcanic temper

•   Yet able to forge partnerships

Inside Steve’s brain

•   Narcissism

•   Perfectionism

•   Total faith in his intuition

•   Is a micromanager with attention to details

•   Exacting standards

The eLeader

•   Messianic zeal with appeal to millions of devotees; electronic wiz

eLeader: the Jack Welch Way

•   Developing a vision: the eLeader is someone who sees far above and beyond

•   Fostering change to accomplish the vision

eLeader: the Jack Welch Way

•   Leadership roles: energizing organizational growth in its interaction with society, applying employee empowerment (releasing the energy and fire of our employees)

eLeader: the Jack Welch Way

•   Prescription for wining the 3Ss:

•   a) Speed

•   b) Simplicity

•   c) Self-confidence

eLeader: the Jack Welch Way

•   Strategies for leading breakthroughs

Need for eLeadership

•   Major transformation of society calling for new leadership

Alvin Toffler

•   The Third Wave (society and its entities are undergoing major technological transformation)

Alvin Toffler

•   Power Shift

•   The three basic sources of power: violence, wealth and knowledge

•   Acquiring and exercising power

eLeadership: a tale of two cities

•   Miracle on the Han River

•   South Korea transforms itself into an economic and electronic giant

•   Power of education

•   Power of discipline

•   Power of perseverance

eLeadership: a tale of two cities

•   Singapore: the eLeadership of Lee Kuan Yew

•   From Third World to First

•   Again, the eLeader is one with a vision and the drive to make it happen, even using strong hand as needed

Pioneering role of Bell Labs

•   The engineers of electronic miracles that changed the world

•   The eLeaders as unsung heroes

MIT as a driving force

•   The leader of leadership

•   The 4 capabilities Leadership Framework (FCF)

The quiet eLeadership of RAND

•   What is a think tank

•   Nurturing eLeaders e.g. Nobel Prize Winners

•   Notable contributions

Supporting eLeaders

•   Streamlining information into usable usable knowledge

•   Helping eLeaders deal with the information overload

Supporting eLeaders

•   Proven methodologies

•   Lessons learned

•   Gathering inspiration

Conclusion

•   The eLeaders (persons, institutions) will keep on making a difference in the lives of millions; optimism

•   Overcoming the blinders

•   Using the Amitai Etzioni Mixed Scanning Model (using the wide angle and the zoom as needed)