Leading innovation | Leadership 4.0

In today's globalized and competitive market, leaders who strategically focus on driving innovation, produce competitive advantages and stay relevant. Innovation generates functional, effective, and efficient improvements to the end consumer.

Since its inception in 2011, Industry 4.0 ( the fourth industrial revolution) has seen substantial market growth because of it's value and benefits. Industry 4.0 refers to the integrated network of intelligent machines and processes, using information and communication technology (ICT). Industry 4.0 is the driver behind innovations such as autonomous vehicles, smart factories, augmented and virtual reality, cloud computing, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence and more.

Value to the end consumer is typically realized in terms of quality, speed, cost, safety, service, agility, and more.

Leadership 4.0 suggests that the top three abilities that leaders need have to drive industry 4.0 innovations are:

1. The ability to lead an organizations vision with maximum employee engagement and alignment.
   

2. The ability to identify and develop talent in others.
   

3. The ability to drive organizational and cultural change.

"Leaders must be first to the future, in order to lead change successfully within organizations."

Lean 4.0 and Industry 4.0 may be combined together to create the right framework, mindset, and culture, for the purpose of achieving an organization's vision.

Both heavily rely on the continues improvement cycle PDCA (Plan, Do Check, Act), and with a clear vision and strategy, an organization could be headed in the right direction.

Industry 4.0 as a stand alone, focuses on the network of robotics, computers, and automation to communicate, make intelligent decisions, and improve itself. Lean 4.0, or Lean in general on the other hand, incorporates people and culture into one holistic approach to the philosophy of continues improvement. The challenge therein lies in the lack of human interaction in today's industry 4.0 systems.

Machines don’t think. Machines can't relate process improvements to vision (the why, the purpose, why the organization exists?). Machines can't lead, inspire, coach, engage, nor interact. Without people, industry 4.0 will not stand the test of time. Therefore to realize real sustainable success, concepts from lean, or lean 4.0 must be adopted when driving innovation.

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