Leadership 4.0 : leadership changes required in the South African petroleum industry to support the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is upon us, emerging at a rapid pace and providing digitalisation and technology systems that can improve the agility and efficiency of the South African petroleum industry. Owing to the dynamism of and unfamiliarity with 4IR ways of working, leaders are grappling with how changes brought upon by 4IR affect their role in the organisation. In this study, the current leadership styles employed in the South African petroleum industry were investigated, and the type of leadership style required to lead a 4IR organisation effectively was determined, in order to provide recommendations of changes that leadership needs to undergo to best support the 4IR. A conceptual model was developed in which the study was sub-divided into a pre-4IR phase, transitioning to the 4IR phase, and then to fully functioning 4IR organisations. A structured questionnaire was sent to leaders in the South African petroleum industry, in which they were asked their views on leadership theories, factors influencing leadership, and leadership models pertinent to each of the three phases of 4IR. The findings of the study show that, for leaders to thrive in 4IR, they must move away from authoritarian, bureaucratic, and task-orientated leadership styles and embrace transformational, people-orientated, and charismatic leadership styles.

Die Vierde Nywerheidsrewolusie (4NR) is met ons en ontluik teen ’n spoedige pas. Dit maak digitalisering en tegnologie-stelsels beskikbaar wat die ratsheid en doeltreffendheid van die Suid-Afrikaanse petroleumnywerheid verseker. As gevolg van die dinamika en onbekendheid van die 4NR werkswyse, is leiers aan die stoei met hoe die verandering wat deur die 4NR meegebring is hulle rol in die organisasie beïnvloed. Die huidige leierskapstyle wat aangewend word in die Suid-Afrikaanse petroleumnywerheid is in die studie ondersoek om voorstelle te maak vir leierskapsverandering wat die 4NR die beste sal ondersteun. ’n Konsepmodel is ontwikkel waarin die studie onderverdeel is in die voor-4NR fase, oorgangsfase na die 4NR, en dan in organisasies wat ten volle in die 4NR optree. ’n Gestruktureerde vraelys is na na leiers gestuur binne die Suid-Afrikaanse petroleumnywerheid, waarin hulle siening oor leierskapsteorie, faktore wat leierskap beïnvloed, en leierskapsmodelle wat eie aan die drie fases is, verkry is. Die bevindings van die studie toon dat leiers wat uitnemend wil wees in die 4NR moet wegbeweeg van outoritêre, burokratiese, en taakgefokusde leierskapstyle na oorgangsstyle wat mensgerig en charismaties is.