Will AI ever sit at the C-suite table? The future of senior leadership

Graeme J. Watson, Kevin C. Desouza, Vincent M. Ribiere and Jaka Lindič

Business Horizons, 2021, vol. 64, issue 4, 465-474

Abstract: As the sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) systems develop and AI becomes a key element of organizational strategy across a wide spectrum of industries, new demands are being placed on senior leaders. To understand the growing challenges leaders will face in the age of AI, we conducted interviews with 33 senior leaders in several countries across a wide range of industries. Our research highlights key capabilities and skills that leaders will require. Underlying these capabilities is a mindset oriented toward continuous learning and self-development, which will enable ongoing and rapid adaptation to change. Our findings identified the following key capabilities: digital know-how, data-driven focus, networking, ethics, and agility. To successfully navigate the coming era, senior leaders will need to focus on reskilling the workforce, recruiting and retaining highly skilled talent, building an intrapreneurial culture, and managing unprecedented changes in technologies and the nature of work.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Leadership development; Workplace training; Intrapreneurship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:bushor:v:64:y:2021:i:4:p:465-474

DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.011

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