Developing a leadership model to integrate Millennials and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the eThekwini Municipality.

Abstract

As the generation of the fourth industrial revolution, millennials have been described as the sophisticated generation that relies on the internet for information and finding solutions to resolve workplace problems. While the Ethekwini Municipality employs millennials, it appears from the results of the study that it has not prioritised their integration into the workplace. The fourth industrial revolution is at an advanced stage in developed countries; however, South Africa is still behind on implementation and has not rolled out a plan to integrate it into all government spheres to increase efficiency and enhance service delivery. Consequently, the fusion of millennials and technologies into the workplace may necessitate a shift by government and workplace leaders to ensure that organisations are in sync with the rest of the world. Against this background, the study is conducted in the Ethekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa and it seeks to develop a leadership model that can be adopted by the municipality to integrate millennials and the fourth industrial revolution. The study is empirical in nature and was conducted using a mixed methods approach. The data was collected through interviews with fifteen municipal leaders employed at various management levels, a questionnaire was sent to 332 millennials and six millennials participated in the focus group. The study provides recommendations for the municipality to implement the transforthentic leadership model developed to integrate millennials and the fourth industrial revolution. Among the key findings of the study is the importance of understanding the relationship between millennials and the fourth industrial revolution, the influence of the revolution on organisational culture, its role in enhancing strategy implementation, its impact on attracting and retaining millennials, and the importance of developing a leadership model to integrate millennials and the revolution to ensure that organisations are prepared for disruptive and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, virtual reality, cloud computing and robotics. Among others, change management is recommended to the Ethekwini Municipality to ensure that all employees share the common goal of integration of millennials and the fourth industrial revolution. Training and development are recommended to ensure that all employees are provided with the necessary skills to drive strategies that will assist the municipality to achieve its goal of building a smart city by 2025. It is also recommended that the municipality develops a vigorous talent management strategy to attract and retain millennials who will be at the forefront of implementation of fourth industrial revolution strategies. A leadership and coaching programme is proposed to ensure that the leaders are well equipped for the 4IR.