WHAT LEADERS THE WORLD NEEDS IN THE FACE OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION AND CRISES OF CIVILIZATION – PANEL
The kind of leaders the world needs in the face of the digital revolution and crises of civilization were discussed by representatives of corporate business during the panel “Fighting for talent and employee wellbeing in the age of AI.”
The event was part of the first global wellbeing campaign from Poland: Two Hours for Family | for Man, which has been organized by the Humanites Institute since 2012.
The panel was moderated by journalist, writer and author of the #K3 podcast: Dariusz Bugalski. Participants in the conversation_ included Anna Gott – Kędzierska, Organizational Culture Manager at Orange Polska, Tomasz Kukulski, President of Bibby Financial Services Polska, Zofia Dzik, President of the Humanites Institute, Bogusława Mazurek, People Experience Officer I HRBP CRIDO, Agnieszka Wojtyna President AIESEC Polska.
A perennial challenge in all human relationships is the temptation to simplify them from a position of strength.
A perennial challenge in all human relationships is the temptation to simplify them from a position of strength, argued Tomasz Kukulski, president of Bibby Financial Services. In his view, in modern societies there is a disconnect between the commonly declared ideal of freedom and the realms of sanctioned violence, command and obedience. This is evident in areas such as the military and politics, among others, but also in business, where hierarchy applies.
Meanwhile, building an organization not on blind obedience, but on the power of persuasion is much closer to the model of a community operating with respect for freedom. The trouble is that such an approach is much more difficult to implement, while the hierarchy of values plays a key role in it.
The biggest challenge for leaders today is reconciling contradictions. For the world is an interdependence of different perspectives
Shared values are a basic condition for cohesive teams,” explained Zofia Dzik, president of the Humanites Institute and initiator of the Two Hours for Family | Human action. Unfortunately, in the real world, the values we share are not always the same. However, it’s not that we should be identical. It’s just that certain values that everyone shares are necessary to define the field of freedom. They are what make possible the social contract, which is what guarantees diversity. Therefore, the greatest challenge for leaders today is to reconcile contradictions. For the world is an interdependence of different perspectives.
Technology is supposed to support workers, not replace them.
Perhaps in the future, leaders will become redundant altogether, and instead of hierarchies, teams will organize themselves according to competencies, Anna Gott-Kedzierska of Orange Polska wondered. Certainly a good step towards greater employee empowerment is to take care to clearly present the organization’s strategy and emphasize that technology is meant to support employees, not replace them, she argued.
A systemic approach to the problem makes it possible to map the competencies of individual employees and show each individual optimized development paths.
The place of management leaders will be taken by support leaders. Leaders will be replaced by mentors.
Leaders will not disappear, but their role will change,” Boguslawa Mazurek of Crido specified. The place of management leaders will be taken by supportive leaders. Leaders will be replaced by mentors. This is especially important in relationships with young employees, many of whom try to hide behind technology. However, this technological proficiency often hides a sense of insecurity. A mentor is precisely supposed to bring out the best in younger colleagues, while providing them with assistance and experience.
People of younger ages tend to hide behind technology.
People of younger ages today highly value individuality, but at the same time they tend to hide behind technologies they use with unparalleled proficiency,” explained Agnieszka Wojtyna, president of AIESEC Poland. Therefore, it is important for leaders to be characterized by flexibility and to be able to adapt their style to the individual needs of employees.
The point is not to fire people home early once a year. The point is to recognize that an employee is a human being who also functions in relationships outside of work.
In the area of leadership, there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” pointed out Zofia Dzik, and stressed that the two hours included in the name of the action is a symbol. The point is not to fire people home early once a year. The point is to recognize that an employee is a human being who also functions in relationships outside of work. That’s why the Two Hours for Family | Human action doesn’t talk about work-life balance, but about integrating work and private life through shared values and respect for employees’ non-work roles. This is the basis of Cohesive Leadership – an integrated model of thinking about the organization, which I have been developing at the Humanites Institute for more than 12 years.
CRIDO Foundation is a partner of the event
Partners of the 2023 Campaign:
KROSS S.A., Bibby Financial Services, CERRAD sp. z o.o., Great Place to Work, Business Women Leaders Foundation, Librus, SHE Leader, ThinkTank, Reputation Managers, Wirtualna Polska
Organizer of Action 2h4family 2h4human:
Humanites Institute – Human and Technology is a Think&Do Tank that has been working for sustainable development of social capital since 2010. The mission of the Humanites Institute is an informed, happy, cognitively open, proactive and socially sensitive human being.
Would you like to take part in a wellbeing action for companies and organizations?
We invite companies interested in joining the Two Hours for Family/Humanites campaign to contact us:
katarzyna.lorenz(at)humanites.pl
+48 505 017 957
See you soon!
