Agile Leadership for Industry 4.0: An Indispensable Approach for the Digital Era

This new volume explores the new paradigm that is Industry 4.0―the application of information-intensive technologies that integrate software, hardware, and biology (cyber-physical systems) for effective manufacturing and related industries. This volume focuses specifically on leadership that can respond quickly and effectively to changing conditions in the Industry 4.0 environment. It looks at leadership skills needed during the COVID-19 pandemic, skills that can be applied to many other changing conditions as well.

The authors consider the role of virtual leadership in an age of working from home; present case studies that provide valuable lessons for the agile leader; and examine the crucial role of human resources in providing agile leadership to an organization. The volume aggregates original theoretical, conceptual, and empirical research on challenges and opportunities in the context on Industry 4.0.

Tanusree Chakraborty, PhD, is a faculty member at the Centre for Management Studies, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, working in organizational behavior/human resource management. She has been associated with several reputable business schools and universities in India and has many publications to her credit. She has presented research papers at conferences and is an empaneled corporate trainer, having conducted over 150 corporate training programs in the areas of behavioral science and HR and psychometrics.

Tahir Mumtaz Awan, PhD, is Head of China Study Centre, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the China Brand Centre of the Academy of Entrepreneurship, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. He trains students in the SKOLKOVO Executive MBS program at the Moscow School of Management and at Shenzhen, China. He has delivered talks, training workshops, and keynotes about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Belt and Road Initiative, marketing in developing countries, big data, cryptocurrencies, etc.

Ashok Natarajan, PhD, was at the College of Business Administration, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA. He has over 15 years in the academic arena and was also a practicing manager, both in the USA and India. He has been a consultant on business valuation projects, and he has published research papers in the top accounting and finance journals. He also works in the areas of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (and the role of accounting and finance in these two areas) and corporate strategy.

Muhammad Kamran, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Wyższa Szkoła Gospodarki Euroregionalnej im. Alcide De Gasperi, Jozefow, Poland. He has more than 15 years of teaching and administrative experience in academia at different Polish universities. He has participated in national and international conferences that include at Harvard University, USA.