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While the rest of the world is talking about recession, the GCC region is flourishing in many sectors, and change is accelerating. Digital transformation and using AI are strategic priority for any firm, and executives and staff must run to keep up. As we all find out the impact on organizations, consumers, communities, and team members, the changes are exhausting but also invigorating. Leadership development, as we know it, requires modification.
According to Deloitte’s 2023 Global Human Capital Trends study, 94% of its 10,000 respondents believe leadership competencies and effectiveness in a disrupted environment are critical or extremely important. Nonetheless, only 23% of those organizations believe their leaders are prepared.
Furthermore, only 15% believe their organizations’ leaders are prepared.
It is worth explaining why the job of leaders is changing at the same rate that technology is affecting our lives. The pandemic produced a world in which people could work with greater flexibility and autonomy. This resulted in a desire for more say and control over how, when, and where they worked. While many of our GCC clients have returned to working from their offices, there is still an underlying mindset shift in how teams desire to be directed. Technology such as Microsoft Teams has enabled more transparent and involved collaborative work settings. When used effectively, data from the MS Viva Suite provides firms with real-world insights about Ways of Working and, more crucially, the potential to innovate.
Workplace changes have also increased options for gig workers or contractors, freelancing models, micro-entrepreneurship, and remote workers. When combined with core team members, it provides GCC organizations with cost-effective and adaptable resources to manage the region’s speed and seasonality.
The difficulty with different working relationships is that leaders must adapt their leadership style. They must mobilize talent to complete tasks, regardless of whether they have formal reporting lines or sit inside or outside the organization. Hierarchical leadership is becoming obsolete.
The C-suite must be more symphonic than ever before, realizing that no single department will have all of the solutions and that cooperation and involvement across the organization is critical. They must also hold leaders at all levels accountable for delivering a shared vision and creating a safe environment for teams to experiment, try, fail, and learn.
