The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is no longer an abstract concept – it is happening. As it continues to disrupt global markets, business leaders need to prepare themselves to meet the challenges it presents and incorporate its emerging technologies into their operations. The Johannesburg Business School (JBS), a faculty of the University of Johannesburg, recently launched its Doctor of Philosophy (PhD/DPhil) in Digital Transformation, which is already being seen as the programme that can help business executives and organisational leaders adapt to an everchanging digital environment.
As one of the first digital-centric business programmes to become available in South Africa at the highest level of education, the DPhil provides academic credibility to a subject that has long been viewed an abstract concept. The doctoral programme is in line with the JBS’s goal to become South Africa’s premier business school for the digital era. It is intended for business executives and organisational leaders who are poised to be the frontrunners in the digital transformation of their organisations.
For the past decade, 4IR has been a subject largely left to futurists, global economic lobbying organisations, governments and those businesses that saw the emerging technologies on the horizon. However, according to Professor Lungile Ntsalaze, Head of the JBS DPhil in Digital Transformation programme, 4IR technologies are fast becoming a part of our daily lives and leaders will need to incorporate them into their operations. “The transformation to a digital future is happening right now. We all need to be prepared for the disruptions it will cause.”
The DPhil programme will help make organisations future fit, Ntsalaze says. “The technologies are moving from laboratories into the world market. Our programme prepares students to take advantage of the new opportunities arising.”
The doctoral degree is a mix of theory and practice, with a supervisory panel from a diverse pool of experts to benefit students’ work. Mentors are on hand to support candidates through the research proposal development stages. Since digital transformation cuts across organisational functions and industries, the programme, through a highly selective admission process, is accessible to anyone with a Master’s Degree from any field of study.
Meeting global challenges
The World Economic Forum’s Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution look at emerging technologies – such as big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cloud computing and drone technology, among many others – as tools that can help us overcome the global challenges of inequality, climate change and food security.
Ntsalaze says turning digital transformation into a subject of study emphasises the important role organisations play in overcoming these global challenges. Businesses, big and small, can adopt emerging technologies quickly and take them to market. “If businesses ride this wave, South Africa will remain a vital part of the global economy.” He says it is the business sector that will be the catalyst for digital transformation.
For more information visit: https://jbs.ac.za/
