In the previous articles in this series we explored augmented man and the anthropological implications of the digital economy. These changes are profoundly impacting the modern worker and their workplace. Helping the organization transition to this new style of working requires a new style of leadership.

1. A series of white papers by Ade McCormack, Auridian
Sponsored by:
Augmented work
Leading the hunter-gather pack

2. 2
Introduction
In the previous articles in this series we explored
augmented man and the anthropological implications of the
digital economy. These changes are profoundly impacting the
modern worker and their workplace. Helping the organization
transition to this new style of working requires a new style of
leadership.
In this article we explore the characteristics of this digital leader.

3. 3
Remover of obstacles Outcome-oriented
Traditional leaders are boardroom-centric; they
believe that is where the brain of the organization
resides. Anyone outside of the room is an operative
whose role is purely to implement the strategy.
The modern day leader recognizes that the
organization’s intelligence, including its ability to
innovate, lies within its people. It is likely that as
workers increasingly seek roles that are more driven
by personal fulfilment than by financial reward,
the quality of their work will increase. In fact, it will
increase to the point where there is little need to use
a ‘carrot and stick’ management approach.
The primary role of the modern day leader will thus
be to remove the obstacles that hinder the workers
from doing great work.
The traditional model of leadership was one
underpinned by the need for control. Sometimes
arbitrary rules were created to maintain dominance
over the workers, eg. clothing and attendance
restrictions. Hence, people would be punished for
not wearing a tie or being late for work.
Some roles, of course, do require adherence to
working hours and certain dress codes, but many
do not. Great leaders recognize this and look to
remove rules that have a constrictive effect on
worker productivity.
Brazilian industrialist Richard Semler, famous for his
forward thinking approach to the workplace, actually
discourages his workers from coming into work if
they have achieved their stated goals earlier than
planned. If your weekly goals have been achieved
by Wednesday, then it is best that you head to the
beach for the rest of the week!

4. 4
Tech savvy
Catalyst for collaboration
Modern day anthropologist
The concept of digital leadership has been around
for some time. Some people assume that this
is just a rebranding of the CIO role, given their
technology management responsibilities. But, in the
digital economy, everyone in the boardroom needs
to be tech savvy.
That is not to say that the choice of in-house
programming language should be a boardroom
agenda item. However, all leaders need to be aware
of the state of the art with respect to workplace
technologies, as it is these technologies that will
attract the best talent or drive them away.
As mentioned, digital economy talent want to
work in an environment where they can do their
best work, so productivity tools are key. They also
want to work with the ‘best and brightest’ in the
organization, so collaboration tools are critical. The
growing ‘wearables’ market will have a significant
impact on productivity. It will also have a significant
impact on technology architecture, information
management and security.
The power axis shift from employer to worker is
leading to IT strategy being driven by the users
rather than the IT function. BYOD (Bring Your Own
Device) is just the tip of the iceberg in this respect.
Modern leaders are outcome rather than ego-
driven. They do not use their appointed authority or
louder voice to drive through change. They know
that such change will be resisted and ultimately
eroded. Today’s leader seeks and cultivates
consensus.
This requires a high degree of emotional intelligence.
Workers will be inclined to be less political and
more collaborative if they see this behavior in
their leadership team. If organizations are to get
the best from their people, they need to invest in
collaborative tools. If they are to get the best from
their collaborative tools, they need to cultivate a
collaborative culture.
As we saw in an earlier article, it is in our natural
behavior to be social, mobile, creative and
productive. We also want access to data that gives
us insight into what’s happening around us. Smart
leaders will create a workplace that maximizes
these tendencies.
Organizations such as Google recognize this
and build fantasy playground-type environments
for their staff. This has a stimulating impact on
creativity. However, we have to remember that the
office building, traditional or otherwise, no longer
maps neatly onto the workplace, given our need to
roam. Workers increasingly spend their working life
at home or in public places. This has information
security implications, which need to be woven into
the organization’s technology infrastructure and
policies.
Consequently, this leadership characteristic requires
a high degree of tech savviness.

5. 5
CEO – Chief Experimental Officer
Conclusion
We usually associate experiments with the research
and development function. It’s easy to imagine
bespectacled scientists looking bemused as their
singed hair reveals yet another surprising outcome.
However, many are looking towards Silicon Valley to
understand and copy the ‘secret sauce’ that makes
it such a hotbed of innovation. Embracing Silicon
Valley practices has almost become an industry in
its own right.
The big revelation is that the California start-ups
treat their organization, less like an institution,
and more like a series of ongoing experiments.
The concept of the ‘lean start-up’ has entered
mainstream business usage.
The ironic thing about the digital era is that it is primarily about people and not technology. However, once
you focus on the people, you soon realize the important role new technology has to play.
Thus, smart leaders need to be both genuine people-leaders and digital leaders.
The challenge, of course, is to take start-up
practices and apply them to mature organizations.
Nonetheless, market clock speed is forcing
organizations of all sizes to blur their strategy and
execution. Business agility is impossible if there is
rigid adherence to a three-year place.
Digital era leaders have an enlightened sense of
risk management. Unlike their predecessors, they
are not looking to reduce risk, they are looking to
acquire it—because with risk comes value. They
are fully conscious of the likelihood of failure and so
encourage a working environment where (smart)
failure is encouraged.

6. Ade McCormack
HP
Ade McCormack is an advisor and columnist for the Financial
Times and CIO magazine. He helps organizations thrive in the digital
economy. Ade’s particular interests lie in the future of work and
humanity. Ade’s perspectives can be found via his Digital Strategist
blog: the-digital-strategist.com.
HP Mobility and Workplace services help you transform your
workplace and empower your employees, while ensuring your
workplace remains enterprise grade, scalable, and secure. We can
advise you on building a road map and implement a managed
environment that is user-focused (rather than device-focused),
protects your data, and delivers relevant information to provide
the employee productivity you and your employees want.
For more information please visit: hp.com/services/workplace.