Lessons from Global Boardrooms

The Leadership Gap in Emerging Tech: Lessons from Global Boardrooms

After spending a lot of time in different boardrooms as a part of companys’ board and as an independent director, one pattern becomes evident in almost every situation: when you look at the discussions taking place surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), data platforms, and digital ecosystems, they sound confident and even visionary. However, once you dig down below the surface of the discussions, there is another unmistakable element – hesitation. Not in terms of what is being said, but in terms of how confident someone feels they have the ability to execute the desires expressed in the discussions.

You may also be interested in: AI Capacity is Strategy – Special Article

It is not that Board members lack intelligence or experience; in fact, they have been successful at leading complex organizations through tremendous change over the last several decades. Therefore, the difficulty that boards are having understanding how emerging technologies operate, compared to the manner in which they typically manage transformation, occurs because the nature of emerging technologies is not predictable, complicated, or manageably ambiguous.