Leadership in a Digital Age

This article explores the significance and models of leadership in the digital age, specifically in the hospitality industry. It discusses self-analysis, leadership capabilities and behaviors, and how digital leadership can enhance business transformation and performance. The article also highlights the six characteristics of digitalization and the challenges faced by geographically dispersed teams.

Leadership in a Digital Age

Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
Section 1.....................................................................................................................................................3
Self-Analysis...........................................................................................................................................3
SECTION 2................................................................................................................................................7
Leadership Capabilities and Behaviors....................................................................................................7
SECTION 3................................................................................................................................................8
Business Transformation.........................................................................................................................8
SECTION 4................................................................................................................................................9
Personal Development Plan.....................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................14
2

INTRODUCTION
Leadership is the process of leading an individual or group towards a common goal in an
organization. It is a positive approach that assists in achievement of goals and targets with proper
and full capacity utilization of resources. Being a leader is not an easy task as it requires different
skills and capabilities to carry out the various roles and duties associated with this designation
(Conger, 2015). The impact of digitalization has further added more paradigm to various
industries and their structures. To understand the same concept in more detail significance and
models associated with leadership will be discussed in context of hospitality industry. Self-
understanding of the relationship between digital technical management and performance will be
carried out. It would be highlighted how leadership capabilities and behaviors can be applied to
the management of geographically spreaded teams and finally issue from professional practice
would be identified and evaluation of same would be done as to how digital technical leadership
can enhance business transformation and performance of this issue.
Section 1
Self-Analysis
Digitalization is the process through which most of the manual practices are
computerized and has changed the overall business carry outs. It is a great challenge for leaders
to perform in the continuous changing commercial scenarios where maximum operations are
carried out using the digital resources like computers, internet and cloud technologies (Kowalski
and Giumetti, 2017). There are many irreversible alterations that are made due to the digital
applications and leaders find it difficult to manage the day to day operations of the firms with it.
In order to better understand the interrelationships between digital tool and eh leaderships in
hospitality industry the six distinct attributes of digitalization will be highlighted here along with
the discussion of how these characteristics are affecting the different forms of leading people.
Goldie (2016), says that leading digital change is now a new role of leader to achieve the
competitive advantage in the hospitality industry as here there is close and tough competition in
this sector and operations needs to be carried out using the advanced sources. The innovations in
the working of leaders is such that it has completely reshaped the traditional practices. Business
which are successful in implementing the digital technology affectively is considered to be good
leader in the industry as they create a benchmark for other enterprises to achieve. The
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capabilities of a leader are judged as how effectively they have implemented the digital tools in
the day to day working of the company. For this it is important that there are IT leaders too
employed in the company so that they can guide the employees in more improved way. Those
who are at the position of leading people frame the digital challenge for the followers. This way
the work force is made familiar with the positive chances which are there if new computerize
systems are followed (Gee and Hayes, 2011). Creation of such awareness also aid employees to
prepare themselves for the threats or danger which has the capacity to effect the day to day
operations of the work force. This way a common vision is formed in the sector as how and
using what all digital platforms the work would be done in more effective way. After this
investment are focused which are required to develop the infrastructure of digital tools and this
planning is used as a map for further activities to be performed. For successful implementation
leaders need to create urgency for digitalization as this will lead to better installation of various
practices and hence proper utilization can be ensured. Employees need to react positively to the
change and must be welcoming for advance techniques. It will reduce the unfavorable results and
will attract maximum participation.
Mayer-Schönberger, (2011) another scholar who has further given light on distinct
matrixes through which the hospitality industry can do the better utilization of different digital
platforms. He suggested multi steps which ranges from mobilization, synchronization and
speeding up of process which can be practiced in the firms as this will help in better carrying out
of operations and will aid in raising the overall effectiveness of digitalization.
Trait theory of leadership
Leadership in general is a process through which an individual with his/her core skills
and competencies perform the different roles and responsibilities. It is a very crucial designation
in any business as person leading the group is responsible for the overall results and hence needs
to ensure that the work is done as per the goals and objectives of the firm. In the digital age
leaders perform an important role of motivating and influencing other to work in a particular
manner so that full capacity utilization of different applications is made.
This is one of the most popular theory of leadership and is systematic approach which
maximizes the users understating of this concept. In this the different traits that are found in a
leader are disclosed under the broad categorization of his skills, particular characteristic and
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persuaders. Leaders take the initiatives to take business to a higher level and does maximum
supervision so that the results do not deviate much from the expectations. According to this
theory the leaders has the intelligence to guide other and specifically they know how to deal with
the present digital age (Colbert and et.al., 2012). Author says that those who are good front-
runners has the required maturity and are self-assured which further motivates them to influence
other to perform in certain method. They manage their survival even in the digital age because
welcoming change is in their core competencies.
Value based leadership
This is another theme in the studies of leadership styles and theories. This approach gives
emphasis on leading the work force following the beliefs integrity and ethics. The evolution of
this model is from the excessive increase in the unethical practices which has become common
in corporates these days. In the urge of earning maximum revenues corporates are forgetting the
morals which are important for the society (Bao and et.al., 2013). The process of decision
making has become such that it gives more focus on what is more beneficial in monetary terms
and all the social responsibilities are ignored. This theory demotivates such trend and acted as a
counter point by highlighting the role of ethics in corporations.
Authentic leadership
This is another model of leadership which is again based on the development of true
connections with the work force. Leaders who follow this style are open to all and communicates
accordingly. Those following this type of leadership believes in delivering maximum advantages
to the new leaders (present followers) so that they work with maximum efforts and can be
sustained for longer time duration. It has four distinct branches which are awareness of self,
impartial handling, reliable behavior does the orientation of any new contacts on fair grounds.
Six characteristics of digitalization
Interconnectedness – The connections among the different business within the same
industry has raised to great level with eth implementation of different digital platforms in the
hospitality industry. Leaders at distinct locations can now exchange their ideas and knowledge
which further gives a positive impact on the overall output of businesses. It has facilitated with
creativity as many options are made available through the digital tools which increases the
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overall quality and standards of the society. All these results into innovation which is again
important and has become necessity for the survival of businesses (Khan, 2016).
Better transparency and complexity – In the present world people have become more
aware about the products and services which are delivered to them. Digital tools help in reaching
to retailers and customers in more adequate manner which help in raising good connections with
the market in which a company is servicing its products and services. Though such applications
are complicated to use but give improved results which has long term effect on the organizations.
Diminishing time lag and abundance of information – Reduction in total time taken
for operation is one of the most important result of digital age. Now the leaders can take better
and quick decisions which are also supported by immense of information which is made
available through the internet. Better marketing can be done now using the platforms like
televisions, mobile phones etc. and hence awareness among the public can be created (Imbert
and et.al., 2016).
Removal of personal barriers – Digital tools has the capacity of establishing
communication among the people sitting at far of places. Apart from this within the organization
due to complex structure it is not always possible to establish the interaction among individuals
in person and therefore here again the distance and obstacles for exchanging the information is
removed by digital tools. By convening message on same employees do not need to meet
personally and hence can continue with the operations.
Self-analysis using a range of diagnostic tools
SWOT analysis is an appropriate tool through which the areas of improvements and core
competencies can be evaluated. The following discussion will show my strength which will help
me in performing the role of digital lead and also will highlight the various sections in which I
need to work on so that I do not find it difficult to work in the same field.
Strength – The first and foremost important skill in which I am excellent is my ability to
perform under pressure. Whenever I am given some tasks I ensure that same is completed as per
the instructions given. This will help me in performing appropriately in the digital age where
leader need to be effective in their operations. Thereafter the other asset I have is of being able to
learn new things early and is also able to further enhance the understanding of a fresher. I
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comfortable with IT projects and is familiar with most of the relevant concepts which is again
crucial in every digital leader.
Weaknesses – Whenever I am given task to work with other I Found it difficult to
perform to my full capacity. It is because I am not good at sharing duties and responsibilities and
hence give under performance. Thereafter the other area in which I lack behind is of managing
risk. As there are many risks associated with the use of digital platforms I am not able to identify
them properly in advance and may face issues in resolving them once occurred.
Opportunities – In order to perform well in the digital age, it is of great importance that
a person must has a positive approach towards adopting changes. To be competitive it is required
that whatever new applications are launched in the market are made in own practice as this will
help in ensuring better leadership and hence overall improvement of the society will be ensured.
Apart from this the other opportunity for better leadership is of raising punctuality. This makes
an individual disciplined and hence leading other becomes a more effective process.
Threats – There is close competition in the hospitality sector and any mistake made by
the human resource is not entertained as there are many options with the company (Kuester and
et.al., 2010). Therefore, it is important that I work on my weaknesses like lack of problem
solving skills and incapacity of working in a group. It will restrict my growth and I will not be
able to meet the expectations of my superiors. To be an effective leader it is essential for me to
carry out the projects effectively else it would be threat to my profession.
SECTION 2
Leadership Capabilities and Behaviors
Geographically dispersed teams are the one which are scattered at different locations but
are working with the common objective. They take use of different mediums like email, fax,
video conferencing to communicate with one another and carry out their operations. Leaders play
an important role in managing such groups as they are the root with whom all the scattered
employees are connected with. In order to manage such group leaders, need to be have following
characteristic’s and behavior:
Good negotiator – When employees work far from the employees they face many issues
and sometimes there are chances of contradiction in the interest of the parties involve. In this
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case it is important that the leader has the negation power so that the best solution which is
suitable for the organization is taken. This help in maintaining continuity in the work process and
avoid conflicts (Youssef and Luthans, 2012).
Effective communication – As the employees are working from separate locations it is
important that the information and relevant message which needs to be conveyed to the work
force is done appropriately so that the meaning of the content communicated do not change. The
receiver should be clear with the message so that deviations in results are not found.
Problem solving – This is another important trait which has to be there in a leader to
contribute in the digital leadership role. According to this one should not panic and try to
understand the situation in more detail and accordingly think of the different solutions which are
possible. With the help of this one can deal with the different situations which come across while
carrying out the different operations specifically when the corporate identity is planning to
expand. Many time such situations are to be faced where leader has to choose the best suitable
option to be continue. Only with the ability to solve the issues person can do the wise choice else
the opportunity will be missed out.
While working with a brand in hospitality industry which has its different branches in
distinct locations I will be required to maintain balance in the operations that are carried out at
each place. I have to check that the overall polices are followed everywhere and whatever
changes need to be made with the current working style are uniformly adopted in all chains. I
will have to check that employees are happy with the working style as it is very important for
controlling the overall turnovers. For this they need to be communicated in fix interval of time so
that grievances can be resolved if any and through negotiation what best suits the company is
offered to the work force (Martin, 2011).
SECTION 3
Business Transformation
There are many contemporary issues which are faced at the work place like problems
related to globalization, dynamic work force, requirement of quick decision making etc. The
most common problem which come across is of continuous change in technology. Due to
excessive demand of the hospitality companies by the customer’s improvements in the same are
made so that ever time clients are provided with better services. It creates pressure on the work
8

force to learn fresh applications and IT techniques to cope up with the latest trends. It is
important that this issue is resolved or handled effectively so that the company do not face any
loss of potential business (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes, 2013). Digital technical leadership assist
in handling this issue to a great extent and facilitates with the following measures through which
the overall business transformation and performance can be enhanced –
Develop Culture of change – Employees in order to avoid the extra efforts which are
required for the adoption of new method of working show resistance to change. It is a very
common tendency and act as a most crucial milestone for leaders to cross. Here the digital
technical leadership will assist in resolving the problems associated with the continuous updating
of applications. Leaders may create a competitive environment where the work force like to take
the challenges and do not step back from trying something new which is better.
Facilitating training and learning programs – In order to accept the change, it is most
important that proper time and training is given to the work force so that they can perform
accordingly. Leaders under their guidance can teach how to work with the new system and can
also aid employees in case if they find any difficulty while working with the digital platforms
even after the training session is completed. This will motivate them to be adaptive and will
reduce the overall pressure from the work place.
Employee engagement – Employees feel motivated when engaged in the decision
making. Therefore, before adopting any new technique if it is discussed with employees who will
be affecting by it will reduce the overall problems associated with innovation (Kuester and et.al.,
2010).
SECTION 4
Personal Development Plan
Personal development plan is the process through which aims and objectives are identified
which an individual wish to develop. This plan can be formulated for different time duration
which ranges from short to long term. In order to develop the aims of PDP plan first using
different self-analysis tools like SWOT analysis and other the areas in which person is weak and
needs development are identified. Then accordingly planning for improving each is done. The
following personal development plan is made in order to improve my own different skills as a
leader in digital age:
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What are
my goals?
Define the
goal
Which goal
needs to
happen first?
When do I
want to
achieve
this?
What
obstacles
might come
in my way?
How can I
improve my
chances of
meeting my
goals?
Where I go
for support?
Team
working
Team
working is a
process of
performing
tasks in
groups.
There are
many
projects
where it is
required to
assign work
to more than
one person
and in that it
is essential
that every
individual
involve has
skills to
work with
others.
1) First I need
to make my
own working
effective.
2) I would
start
participating
in group
activities and
will learn to
work with
others.
I want to be
effective in
team
working in
next 6
months so
that
thereafter I
can
contribute in
my
organization.
As presently
I am not
very good in
performing
while
working in
groups my
coworkers
might not
entertain my
participation
with them.
By
maximizing
my efforts in
team works
and working
under the
guidance of
my seniors I
can ensure
that the
overall goals
are achieved.
In order to
raise my
capabilities
and skills of
working in
group I would
be working in
close
monitoring of
my
immediate
seniors and
hence will
learn from
their
instructions.
Managing
risk
In the
hospitality
industry
First in order
to improve my
skills of
I want when
after eight
months any
As risk is
involved in
the
By analyzing
the situation
in detail and
In order to
avoided the
issues
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there are
many cases
when an
individual
has to take
risk to
compete
with others.
Such acts
need
effective
performance
as failure of
doing so
may lead to
great loss to
the
enterprise.
managing risk
it is important
for me to
participate
more and more
in different
projects.
Secondly,
instead of
hiding or
avoiding from
the
responsibilities
I would take
more of
challenging
tasks and will
give my
maximum
efforts to
accomplish
them.
new
challenging
task is to be
performed
by superiors
select me to
perform
same.
important
projects
only, my
superior
might not
prefer to
deliver such
tasks to me.
It is
important to
show
dedication
by my side
so that their
trust can be
gained
which is not
very easy.
working with
care it is
comparatively
easy for me to
avoid risks
and perform
task
effectively.
associated
with the
project I
would be
taking
assistance
from my team
mates ass
together the
situation can
be handled in
better way.
Punctuality This is
another trait
which
reflects the
capabilities
of
performing
the allotted
task within
First, I will
start taking
more
responsibilities
to perform.
Secondly, I
would make
sure that
In order to
raise my
skills of
being
punctual I
would be
requiring 3
months.
Punctuality
comes with
practice and
if I am not
provided
with many
opportunities
then it may
be difficult
By dividing
the whole
work into
small limits
and setting
targets from
them can help
me in
completing
To get the
support I can
communicate
with the other
team
members who
has once
performed the
same task. It
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time and in
the specified
manner.
whatever task
has been
allotted to me
is completed
within the time
frame and in
the same
manner as
demanded by
the superiors.
for me to
improve my
capabilities
of being
punctual.
the overall
work in time.
would help in
getting the
idea of
different
ways in
which the
work can be
done and
hence the
most
appropriate
method can
be adopted.
Developing
positive
perspective
Avoiding
negative
aspects
related to
any
situation
and finding
favorable
pints in
same is
known as
having a
positive
approach.
Firstly, I will
start analyzing
the situation in
detail and just
not give the
judgement
from the very
impression.
Secondly, I
will try to
identify what
are the
benefits
associated
with same
instead of just
focusing on
I want to
develop this
skill as early
as possible
and will try
not to
exceed 4
months in
developing
this skill in
me.
Whenever a
new
situation or
offer is made
it is very
common that
the negative
aspects
influence the
decision
making
more. It is
very
important to
do the
balance
analyses so
that a better
By being
more
confident and
believing in
myself I can
motivate
myself to face
the issues
associated
with any
situation so
that I can
enjoy the
benefits
which are
associated
with the
I can
communicate
with the
higher
authorities to
get the better
understanding
of situation.
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the
unfavorable
issues.
opportunity
is not missed
out.
situations.
By developing all the above goals there are greater possibility for me to be a better digital
leader as once I have achieved them I will be able to better lead my work force. More challenges
can be taken then and the work force will be kept motivated to accept the challenges which are
faced in the present digital age. Apart from this it will also improve my worth in the hospitality
industry where there is close and tough rivalry and need competitive personnel to carry out the
various operations.
CONCLUSION
From the above report this has been concluded that digital age has brought much change in
the working style of the enterprises. It has facilitated hospitality industry with better services and
effective management techniques. In order to ensure he overall growth of the firm it is important
that leaders remain updated with the digitalization as this way they can do better leadership and
can enhance the working capacity of employees. There are different issues which are faced in the
organizations and same can be resolved using the leadership as this is an effective measure
through which the working can be improved and overall objectives of the enterprise can be
attained. Finally, the personal development plan is made in which all the weaknesses which were
identified in the previous sections were included. It was planned that how the various areas can
be developed using different tactics like increasing my participation, analyzing the situations in
more detail etc. If everything goes well and the plan is executed in the same manner, then I will
be able o perform my role as leader in more appropriate manner.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Kowalski, R.M. and Giumetti, G.W., 2017. Bullying in the digital age. In Cybercrime and its
victims (pp. 167-186). Routledge.
Goldie, J.G.S., 2016. Connectivism: A knowledge learning theory for the digital age?. Medical
teacher. 38(10). pp.1064-1069.
Gee, J.P. and Hayes, E.R., 2011. Language and learning in the digital age. Routledge.
Mayer-Schönberger, V., 2011. Delete: The virtue of forgetting in the digital age. Princeton
University Press.
Colbert, A.E. and et.al., 2012. Assessing the trait theory of leadership using self and observer
ratings of personality: The mediating role of contributions to group success. The
Leadership Quarterly. 23(4). pp.670-685.
Khan, S., 2016. Leadership in the digital age: A study on the effects of digitalisation on top
management leadership.
Imbert, P. and et.al., 2016. Isometric characteristics of the anterolateral ligament of the knee: a
cadaveric navigation study. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related
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Youssef, C.M. and Luthans, F., 2012. Positive global leadership. Journal of World Business.
47(4). pp.539-547.
Martin, J.A., 2011. Dynamic managerial capabilities and the multibusiness team: The role of
episodic teams in executive leadership groups. Organization Science. 22(1). pp.118-140.
Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue—social media and
business transformation: a framework for research. Information Systems Research. 24(1).
pp.3-13.
Kuester, J.M. and et.al., 2010. Method for modeling business transformation. U.S. Patent
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