Leadership in the Information Age

Abstract

Currently one of the most challenging social changes is where the previously least influential sector of society are becoming more important both in size and in their willingness to exert influence. These social trends are creating significant behavioral changes at the individual level. In addition to this digital networked technology is also altering individuals’ behavior compounding the effects. This increasingly influential sector of society, called the long tail, is getting fatter, more assertive, has expectations and in the long tail it is harder to differentiate leaders from those being led!

In order to understand the complex relationship between social trends, the individual and technology that have affected how the long tail can be led, lower level influences will be briefly discussed. This involves concept duality resulting from digital technology and behavior influences experienced as intensity and embededness of engagement, decision-management, feedback ability and motivators. The presentation then proceeds to ways in which leaders can work with the long tail either from within as a member or externally using the ‘RIP Leadership’ framework. This presentation will be of particular interest to educationalists and business leaders who are most likely to be affected by the soft power of the long tail.

14th Humanities Graduate Research Conference

14-15 November 2013, Curtin University. Perth.