New skills and understanding needed to lead technology in 2024. Utility?

January 30, 2024 

Despite this being a time of unprecedented change in our world, the core attributes of leading technology change in 2024 are an evolution of the skills always needed. This is probably no surprise and the core skills are probably familiar. Some represent something of a sea-change in thinking however. As the role of leading change ascends the organizational ladder then higher level “board” attributes become part of the CIO/CTO/CDIO skillset. Core attributes, without much explanation, have always been as follows; 

Technological inquisitiveness 

Team leadership attributes 

Emotional intelligence 

Excellent all-round communication skills 

Energy and pace 

Attention to detail 

Commercial drive and focus 

Delivery 

Comfort with change and ability to work with incomplete data 

With the advent of affordable AI and massive data engineering on top of other recent developments, the impact areas of technological change have widened to encompass aspects of life which should now be considered as part of the remit of the technology leader, or technology enabled business leader. These might now also include; 

Labour impact and extended social responsibility of the enterprise 

Knock on commercial impacts – secondary effects who, why, what, where 

Corporate integrity and corporate brand and image 

Privacy and other regulatory issues 

Safety and the need for a “kill switch” 

Awareness of potential futures in your product/service supply chain 

Corporate vs Social boundaries 

Impact on innovation and education. 

Now, not all of these attributes will be relevant and there are more that I cannot dream of. However, one can easily see that some of the thinking necessary for the leadership team going forward has moved its boundary from what one might call the micro view to the macro view. The thinking and awareness necessary now are widening. More to consider and more conceptual than tactical task-centered stuff. More philosophical, if you will, than scientific. 

Traditionally technology leadership has emanated from scientific academic beginnings. Might this be changing to leadership emanating from a wider set of perspectives? 

Is this even part of the enterprise duties and responsibilities? Well, historically only for some, like Lever Brothers, competitive pressures dictating otherwise. Will this change however when we are all “up the creek” with climate change and demographic issues or will we compete ourselves into a deeper hell? Unless the corporate world, and within that the leadership, can sustainably “step up to the plate” then a major source of innovation and change for good will be lost. It is impossible for government to take a lead of the wider issues. It simply is too slow, stupid or underpowered to have much of an impact. Given that much of the engine of change emanates from technology capacities then it seems to me that the leaders of technology change need to think wider and better. 

I go back to my early philosophy / economics reading and the notion of “Utility”. Not just profit but total broad-based benefit.  Then we may get somewhere. Of course we all have to play fair or else the cheats, chancers and black-hats will win out. Utilitarian thinking goes so much against democratic free-market competition to seem impossible however. The outcome of covid-19 vaccine research does demonstrate that collaboration is however possible, with margins of competition covering a wider field of thinking to the greater good. It is sure going to be a different world than we have lived in previously.  If you lead technology change then cast your eyes to the skies and ruminate. Think, just don’t blindly act, it is down to you now.