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9707P - THE MIND OF THE FUTURE LEADER

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Paper by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr.


1.0 FUTURISTIC VISIONS- circa 2020

By about 2020 technology will have drastically changed the way people lead and manage for example

Bookshops may give way to selling books on line and printeries may not be needed

Robots will design and construct buildings

Many employees will work at home

Information will be so readily available to the common people that government and business will be completely transparent

Communication will have become so easy that the world will for the first time become a real global village

2.0 FUTUROLOGY

The study of futurology is now very important for leaders

Futurology studies try to predict changes that will occur based on current trends

Methods of futurology: scenario writing, model building, extrapolation

Institutions of futurology
                        US: 2000 Committee, Hudson Institute
                        UK: Mankind 2000
                        France: Futuriste
                        Muslim: Institute Of Future Studies in London

3.0 ISLAMIC FUTUROLOGY

Islam is in the future. Islam is ahead of us. Islam is the future.

The Islamic ideals are still way ahead and out of immediate reach for most individuals and communities.

Islam calls humanity to come and catch up

Working towards the future is moving towards islam
           
Islam will have a major impact on the new world order

It is therefore very important that Muslim leaders be future-oriented

4.0 GHAIB: THE QUR’ANIC PARADIGM OF THE FUTURE

Only Allah knows ghaib: 6:73

Absolute ghaib: death 31:34, yawm al qiyamat 33:63, 31:34, ruh 17:85

Relative ghaib: past: 3:44; present 8:30; future 30:2-4

Islamic attitude to the future is positive

Studying the future from a perspective of iman

Facing the future from a perspective of iman

The righteous shall inherit the earth 21:105, 24:55, 28:5-6
                       
5.0 THE CHANGING AND THE STABLE

The natural laws (sunan llah fi al kawn) do not change

The basic attributes of humans do not change

Physical laws do not change; humans know them or do not know them

Continuous changes in technology and its applications

Changes in social organization

Changes of ideology

Changes in the environment/ecosystem

Changes of culture

6.0 THE CYCLE OF CIVILIZATIONS (al dawrat al hadhariyat)
Each civilization has a fixed lifespan (ajal al umam) 7:34, 23:43

many factors contribute to the rise and fall of civilisations

Islamic civilisation was strong at one time the weakened

Ancient civilisations of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Persia collapsed

The British empire over which the sun could not set collapsed

The US is the current superpower; a time will come and it also collapses

Future leaders must understand the causes of the rise and fall of civilisations

7.0 CHANGING LEADERSHIP ENVIRONMENT

Lowering of barriers: information, political and military, cultural and language, distance  and time

Computer technology: artificial intelligence, expert systems, decision support systems

Workforce: scarcity of skills, independent-minded, desire for more satisfaction from work, little loyalty to organisation, attitude of disrespect for authority, a hedonistic lifestyle (pleasure; no pain)

Economic system: well informed consumer, competition among producers will be based on creativity in quality of products and efficiency of service, political/economic spheres will no longer be relevant

The ecosystem: degradation, concern about the future of life on earth

CHANGING LEADERSHIP STYLES
                                                            1895                1945                1995                2020
directing                                              100%               75%                 50%                 10%

coaching                                              5%                   50%                 75%                 95%

supporting                                           0%                   10%                 50%                 90%

delegating                                           10%                 40%                 75%                 90%

NB: The percentages are estimates to illustrate changing trends

9.0  CHANGING LEADERSHIP FUNCTIONS AS A RESULT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

                                                            1895                1945                1995                2020
Decision-making                                 90%                 90%                 50%                 10%

Problem-solving                                  90%                 90%                 50%                 10%

Srategy and planning              5%                   40%                 75%                 95%

Organizing                              80%                 50%                 40%                 10%

Controlling                              100%               75%                 50%                 10%

Evaluation                               10%                 40%                 60%                 90%

Communication                       10%                 40%                 70%                 90%

Negotiation                             10%                 50%                 80%                 95%

Co-ordination                          5%                   30%                 50%                 80%

Coaching/training                    10%                 40%                 75%                 80%

Motivation                              5%                   30%                 50%                 80%


10.0 CHANGING MANAGEMENT STYLE
                                                1895                1945                1995                2020

Authoritative                           100%               75%                 50%                 20%

Participative                            0%                   40%                 70%                 95%


11.0 THE HUMAN DIMENSION WILL BECOME MORE IMPORTANT

People vs  machines & systems

Motivation and getting the best out of the worker

Importance of the individual 80:1-10, 17:70
           

12.0 CREATIVITY WILL BE THE CRITERION OF BEST LEADERSHIP

Creativity is the essence of civilizational change (creativity vs fossilization)

Creativity is looking at issues from different and new perspectives

Creative thinking is: divergent, lateral, imaginative

The creative mind is: free un-inhibited, exploratory, prepared

The creative personality is: dynamic, non-conformist, autonomous

Creativity is both rational & intuitive

Qur’anic encourages creativity and condemns blind following 38:8, 43:22-24, 37:69-71

13.0 THE KNOWLEDGE DIMENSION

Depth & understanding and not only knowing

Raw data     intelligence    knowledge    wisdom

Euro-centric paradigms of knowledge are failing

New paradigms of knowledge: islamisation

Objectivity of knowledge (al istiqamat)

Understanding human nature: 50:16, 11:10, 100:6-8, 70:19-21, 41:49, 18:54


14.0 THE CULTURAL DIMENSION

Different communities/societies: 11:118, 5:48

Different languages and colors 30:22

Technology: transfer vs creation

Global village vs multi-culturalism

New cultural paradigms

The English language: success and failure

The Arabic language preserved by the qur’an

Islam and civilization