Leadership Issues in the Digital Economy - Essay Example

?Running head: Leadership issues in Digital Economy Leadership issues in Digital Economy Introduction In the world, today, chances and challenges of accessible technology can be used as strategic and useful resources for an organization. On the same line, lack of information on the latest technologies and IT services can mean ineffectiveness at the management level of an organization. Leadership in the Information Technology sector in a Global Economy is an essential component of any economy in the world today. The Digital Economy strategy focus on providing the capability to timely adoption and development of information technologies by governments, societies and businesses, and aims at the transformational impact that such technology can cause. Digital Economy strategy will combines the underlying technologies, with all other aspects needed to bring transformation. Digital economy touches on a variety of issues, encompassing general concerns like who pays for the strategy, who directs the it, as well as the valued of estimating openness as a basic principle. Digital economy also touches on concerns such as infrastructure (digital television transition, broadband networks, foreign investment and net neutrality), ability to innovate (Privacy Act, spam, lawful access, security breach disclosure), and digital content (open data, copyright reform, domain names, digitization, open access). The discussion will identify some areas of concern such as digital technologies, digital skills establishing a digital infrastructure, digital content and developing the ICT industry. The paper will focus on the various general issues that are significantly vital to a successful and strong digital economy strategy. Leadership is the basic requirement for any digital economy. Any country needs digital leaders, such as a Chief Technology Officer as well as the cabinet-level attention on the issue. Manufacturing, automotive, foreign investment, telecoms, competition, Statistics, consumer affairs, scientific research intellectual property and many other related issues all fall under this category. With wide scope of such digital issues, nations require a point of leadership, which has the capacity; enhance the strategy at the national level. In many countries, the trading partners have established ministerial positions with responsibility for certain digital issues. For instance, Australia has a Minister for industry, innovation, research and science, and a Minister for the digital economy, communication and broadband. The digital economy refers to a global network of economic and social undertakings that are permitted by media like the internet, mobile and sensor networks. The idea of a digital economy arose in the last decade of the 20th century. In this new economy, digital networking and communication infrastructures give a worldwide platform on which people and groups come up with strategies, interact, communicate, collaborate and search for data. For instance, a large group of digitized products such as databases, magazines, news and data, books, among others are offered over the digital setup anytime, anywhere in the universe. With increasing population and resource deployment, digital economy is not restricted to business transactions and services alone but, it also every part of life starting from health to education as well as from business to banking. The e-Government is taking its role in the digital economy by offering e-services in the different ministries to its e-Citizens. The emergence of mobile technology has been intense. Mobile devices such as the smart phones, tablets, readers and other appliances have been more fruitful and transformed faster than many individuals anticipated. Cloud computing has continually expanded. This autonomous but related occurrence will possibly become a prominent and permanent ingredient of the digital landscape. Although there have been pressure and challenges in the recent days, they are a compulsory section of the development agenda that will result to proper risk management skills and processes. Like an umbrella term, digital technologies are much more precise in explaining the salient pillar behind the evolution we are experiencing. For human beings to function efficiently in this dynamic environment, a broader explanation of leadership is required where people in companies, as well as organizations, together identify the challenges they are facing and where they are involved in leadership at all stages. This needs a training atmosphere where personal skills of opinion taking, network and collective building, and narration are created along with group-based techniques of utilizing dialogue, supervising networks, and defending voices from the periphery. Leadership at the local level is made to be inclusive, but experiences difficulty in their being effectiveness. In the private section, leadership is founded on meritocracy. The Digital economy should be governed by the private investors, and the tasks of government should be to expedite and support it. Leadership of a digital economy advancement program should be aided by credible investors who with significant entrepreneurial background, availability of global networks and capital. From an economic standpoint, of a group of inside and outside experts selected by government bodies to accept policy guidelines through a technical, legitimate and management team comprising of expert consultants charge with the duties to manage the policies, legitimate, managerial and technical changes projects that will aid in the construction and operation of the digital economy. Leadership plays a crucial role in the development of the digital economy. For an individual to be an exemplary leader in the digital economy they need to be bold, visionary and spiritually-grounded leaders who are prepared to deal with the problems of the 21st century. The leader should be one who has the capacity to take a stand on the unpopular creative position for the quality of their subjects to empower others to be included in the vision, as well as show the faith and strength to accept a change simply because it is correct. They should be examples to the entire the organization as the first to adopt change. Leaders must deal with the complex technological change in their countries so to say. Scholars state that general leadership skills are not sufficient in the digital economy. They indicate, "specific technology-related knowledge is needed” and it must directly address the tools, methods, strategies, and complexities existing in their culture. Scholar’s further stress that a digital leader of today must have analytical and listening skills as true listening involves insight into what will work today, tomorrow, and in the future. The leader is the first to adopt new methods with no fear of failure, an enormous role facing the leaders in making decisions on answers to technology-related challenges within their area of influence. According to Nary et al (2001), the agility to succeed in a quickly changing world needs cooperation, organization, enrichment of ideals, Moreover, dedication and commitment to change all important ideas that the systems-level thinking leaders would does dynamic adjustment. To begin with, open government procedures, encompassing the utilization of the Internet to heighten transparency and the choice of open licenses to government content to make the digital economy more easily usable and available. For instance, the Canadian agencies like the Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton and Toronto have given leadership in the realm in the recent times and the federal government could utilize the digital option process to go by their example by dedicating to an open access approach to government data. (Kelly 1998) Secondly, open admittance to locally- funded research should be permitted throughout the main federal funding agencies. Several countries have instrumented legislative mandates that need researchers who accept public funds to publish their research findings, and avail them freely online within a short period. Despite the fact that Canada is one of the countries has committed to research funding by dedicating millions to draw the attention of the leading researchers in the world, they have still lagged behind on open accessibility of the digital economy that provides an ideal chance to be at the same level. Third, the leadership could facilitate support for the digital economy softwares. This could be done by government authority to cater for the battlefield that exists between patented and open source software of the digital economy. For instance at the beginning of the year, in a Quebec court, it was passed that the provincial authority went against the legal demands when it bought software from Microsoft without taking in mind the offers from other sellers. Therefore, the federal government can offer some dogma to buoy up take of open source software the convenience of taxpayers and technological advancement. Fourth, the leadership can also liaise with the service providers in the digital economy to use both contracts and technology to offer open spectrum rules, which would motivate innovation and increased competition by helping greater consumer freedom of movement and encourage the introduction of modern services that are not limited to a single service provider. Furthermore, an open investment dogma that breaks down some of the obstructions to foreign involvement in the digital economy. While cutting down on the blockages, individuals should not see this as threats to a country's digital culture, as methods to put in place rules that allow foreign policies but retain the longstanding culture of the digital economy should be upheld. The leadership should provide greater awareness, among all people of all occupations: especially the youth. This should be streamlined on the economic, personal and other dangers of the online atmosphere, improved capacity to cope up with the problems, and threats it poses. Thus, this would boost consumer confidence and faith in the online environment, which is prerequisite to the enhancement of ecommerce, digital media, government online and other sectors of the digital economy. ( Thierry 2008) The leadership should ensure that there is enhanced capacity to be updated on technological advancements and utilization of technology efficiently. This would enhance productivity and competitiveness in all parts of the economy, especially among small and medium based businesses; this would facilitate the quality and effectiveness of education, health providing and other local and government services thus the aiding nation's capability to start using digital technologies in all aspects of their life. The enhancement of capacity to create innovative networks, products and services for the quickly developing ICT environment, and internationally through the advanced development and maintenance of highly?qualified workers is crucial. This is because it funds the growth of nation’s information and communications technology sector, and thus giving homegrown answers to the problem of creating a universal digital infrastructure that is accessible and affordable to all. (Tapscott 1996) The enhanced capacity for a digital economy for citizens who may be disadvantaged politically, socially, economically or geographically or those not included in participating in and benefiting from the digital economy bridge digital separation and creating capacity amongst all citizens. Enhanced capacity among digital users, small and medium based businesses, entrepreneurs, enterprises, and cultural institutions to adopt the digital content that informs, enlightens, entertains and reflects the national experience thereby aiding the advancement of the digital economy that will make a government's digital content meticulous. (Annunzio 2001) Despite the fact that leadership is paramount in the utilization of digital software in a country, they have been experienced several challenges that they need to solve to ensure that there is successful adoption of the digital economy. As a prerequisite, for success in the digital economy, government managers and political leaders should become more involved in digital aspects. As information grows, it is used for changes, as well as for quantum changes. This needs organizational shifts that cannot be carried out by technical experts only, but by strong partnerships between leaders and the general population. The vast knowledge gap, which is present, between managers and population must be reduced. At the stage of individual ideas, the leaders require an understanding and overcoming barriers of conflict and confusion. While ideas with the minimum conflict can be put to practice through uniform project management methods, others will require extra efforts to clarify the vision. The leadership should not only deal with technical and economic situations but also, deal with the issues of behavioral suitability. At the level of all organizations, leadership requires an investment in the correct amount of IT-related scholarship. In good environments, such investments may be hampered by the work of a specialized planning worker. In drastically changing situation, especially more resources are needed to deal with change. Government tends to invest so little in learning to avoid errors in the near future only to fall farther to the curve of possibility and expectation. Leaders need investigate to comprehend the issues of leadership within geographically marginalized electronic communities. They give and protect local value, resolve misunderstandings between individuals and groups they rule. They should go beyond the limited geographic borders they have set up. Networking and issues of privacy, freedom of speech, property rights are all issues that need excellent leadership and governance. Conclusion Finding leadership techniques that support innovation and utilization of the digital economy is rare. Our research findings would posit that the duty of a leader is essential to the adoption of a digital economy. This means that an inspirational or heroic leadership is not needed here; instead, crucial components for successful innovation are required. This calls for leadership, which makes an atmosphere in which people can survive and which dwells effortlessly on designing an environment, which enables creativity and interactions. The leadership should also create an environment and an acquisition as well as the maintenance of everyone’s talent a primary duty. This is because only people can innovate and not the processes and appliances. REFERENCES Annunzio, S. (2001). eLeadership: proven techniques for creating an environment of speed and flexibility in the digital economy. New York: The Free Press. Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York:Paulist. Kelly, K. (1998). New Rules for the New Economy: 10 Radical Strategies for a Connected World. New York: Viking. Mary Lynn Pulley, Valerie I. Sessa, (2001) "E-leadership: tackling complex challenges", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 33 Iss: 6, pp.225 – 230. USA. MCB UP Ltd Srivastva, S. and D. L. Cooperrider. (1990). Appreciative Management and Leadership: The Power of Positive Thought and Action in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Tapscott, D., (1996) The Digital Economy: promise and peril in the age of networked intelligence: New York. McGraw Hill publishers Thierry, R., (2008) Understanding the challenge of the Digital Economy: the nature of digital goods. London. Metropolitan Business School. Read More