This paper presents a literature review of leadership over the years and the emerging role of transformational leadership. We also argue that this form of leadership is appropriate in the context of globalized markets, where there is increasing diffusion of goods, services, values and technologies globally, which results in the convergence of societies toward a uniform pattern of economic, political and cultural organization. There are various issues and consideration existing in the leadership literature as “the core of the criticism in the literature is that organisations of all sorts (corporations, government agencies, and not-for-profit organisations) tend to be over-managed (and/or over-administrated) and under-led” (Mills 2005, p.19). Mills (2005) highlights the vital importance of leadership in both political and business areas, and argues that organisations in both areas, in the absence of effective leadership, are not capable of effectively implementing changes at the organisational level. This paper adopts a conceptual approach aiming to convey the importance of transformational leadership amongst other styles. In this paper, we review the role of leadership in the business area and establish the need to investigate transformational leadership, as an ideal leadership form in enabling firms to accomplish sustainable competitiveness as they operate in global markets. Based on the various leadership theories discussed be further argued that leadership is highly essential for business organisations to achieve a sustained change and eventually higher degree of effectiveness, especially when operating in global markets. Transformational leadership, comprising characteristics of idealised influence, individualised consideration, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivation has been found to have implications for higher leadership effectiveness in new market environments and production locations. Various empirical studies highlighted transformational leadership as an enabler of innovation. To demonstrate the role of transformational leadership in organizational innovation, it can be argued that these leaders facilitate the generation of new knowledge and ideas through applying intellectual stimulation aspect that motivates employees to approach organizational problems in a more novel approach. Accordingly, we establish the appropriateness of transformational leadership as a managerial-based, output-based as market-based competency for firms in globalized markets. We conclude by providing suggestions and scope for empirical investigation into local organizations to evaluate the extent of transformational leadership apparent and how effective they can be in globalized markets. The findings from empirical studies could provide managerial and research implications on a Nation’s competitiveness in today’s dynamic and globalized environments.

Within only a couple of years, Industry 4.0 made the transition from a potential buzzword with an uncertain future to a serious manufacturing concept that is adopted by a constantly increasing number of companies. However, recent studies suggest that corporations struggle with the transitional process or even hesitate to implement Industry 4.0 at all. As a consequence, several investigations examined the potential factors that influence the implementation of Industry 4.0. Yet a comprehensive view of the issue cannot be formed because the findings are spread throughout a number of publications, and no single study has attempted to synthesize previous investigations. Therefore, this study sets out to build a solid foundation for future research and to provide orientation for practitioners and governmental institutions by building a bridge between what already has been explored and by showing how the Systems Thinking perspective can help to get a better understanding of the complex nature of Industry 4.0. Based on a systematic literature review, this study presents and discusses a comprehensive list of potential factors that influence the implementation of Industry 4.0 and strengthens the idea that further research is necessary in order to address contradictory findings and to develop efficient Industry 4.0 implementation frameworks.

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Industry 4.0 provides companies with the technological and theoretical means to enhance data-driven decision-making procedures. To facilitate the transformation process, several studies have identified factors that need to be considered when implementing Industry 4.0 on a broader level. However, the dynamic relationship between these factors has yet to be understood to provide companies with the in-depth knowledge needed to effectively manage the transition. The principal aim of our research is therefore to map out the complex relationships between the identified factors, by adapting a novel approach that combines network analysis and causal loop diagrams. Results show that the roles of implementation factors are not static, and what role they play depends on their position in the network, complementing the findings of previous investigations about the drivers of change. Furthermore, our findings indicate that multiple intervention points exist, shedding more light on how to develop effective implementation strategies.