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This article deals with the profound shifts that are taking place in light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which humanity’s future is highly topical. The article engages Thomas Merton’s re-evaluation of Anselm’s Cur Homo Deo with Harari’s book Homo Deus (2015) and argues that, while we must take Harari’s views seriously, the future evolution of humanity is not the human god suggested by Harari, but that suggested by Merton, who argues that the incarnation shows God’s love for creation; shows Christ as the pattern of what it means to live a holy life, and, ultimately, shows the future of both the cosmos and humanity, where all is taken into the very heart of God. Harari views the future as the creation of a benevolent human god; Merton views the future as a place where all of creation is divinised.

PurposeArtificial intelligence (AI) is one of the latest digital transformation (DT) technological trends the university library can use to provide library users with alternative educational services. AI can foster intelligent decisions for retrieving and sharing information for learning and research. However, extant literature confirms a low adoption rate by the university libraries in using AI to provide innovative alternative services, as this is missing in their strategic plan. The research develops (AI-LSICF) an artificial intelligence library services innovative conceptual framework to provide new insight into how AI technology can be used to deliver value-added innovative library services to achieve digital transformation. It will also encourage library and information professionals to adopt AI to complement effective service delivery.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative content analysis to investigate extant literature on how AI adoption fosters innovative services in various organisations. The study also used content analysis to generate possible solutions to aid AI service innovation and delivery in university libraries.FindingsThis study uses its findings to develop an Artificial Intelligence Library Services Innovative Conceptual Framework (AI-LSICF) by integrating AI applications and functions into the digital transformation framework elements and discussed using a service innovation framework.Research limitations/implicationsIn research, AI-LSICF helps increase an understanding of AI by presenting new insights into how the university library can leverage technology to actualise innovation in service provision to foster DT. This trail will be valuable to scholars and academics interested in addressing the application pathways of AI library service innovation, which is still under-explored in digital transformation.Practical implicationsIn practice, AI-LSICF could reform the information industry from its traditional brands into a more applied and resolutely customer-driven organisation. This reformation will awaken awareness of how librarians and information professionals can leverage technology to catch up with digital transformation in this age of the fourth industrial revolution.Social implicationsThe enlightenment of AI-LSICF will motivate library professionals to take advantage of AI's potential to enhance their current business model and achieve a unique competitive advantage within their community.Originality/valueAI-LSICF development serves as a revelation, motivating university libraries and information professionals to consider AI in their strategic plan to enable technology to support university education. This act will enable alternative service delivery in the face of unforeseen circumstances like technological disruption and the present global COVID-19 pandemic that requires non-physical interaction.

The study sought to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic in motivating digital transformation in the education sector in South Africa. The study was premised on the fact that learning in South Africa and the rest of the world came to a standstill due to the lockdown necessitated by COVID-19. To assess the impact, the study tracked the rate at which the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) tools were used by various institutions during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were obtained from secondary sources. The findings are that, in South Africa, during the lockdown, a variety of 4IR tools were unleashed from primary education to higher and tertiary education where educational activities switched to remote (online) learning. These observations reflect that South Africa generally has some pockets of excellence to drive the education sector into the 4IR, which has the potential to increase access. Access to education, particularly at a higher education level, has always been a challenge due to a limited number of spaces available. Much as this pandemic has brought with it massive human suffering across the globe, it has presented an opportunity to assess successes and failures of deployed technologies, costs associated with them, and scaling these technologies to improve access.

Moll (S Afr J Sci. 2023;119(1/2), Art. #12916) argues that we are not currently living in the Fourth Industrial Age (4IR). In this response to Moll, I contest that Moll's argument does not correctly reflect the understanding or definition of the 4IR as presented in the pivotal texts of the leading global and South African 4IR advocates. I believe that, had Moll focused on the definition of the 4IR presented initially by Schwab, that is, around the fusion of technologies across the digital, physical and biological worlds, he could have come to a different conclusion about the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

PurposeGlobally, the business organisations are experiencing a transformation due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The need for an effective 4IR leadership has placed new demands on organisations to develop and select leaders to effectively lead the organisations in the 4IR era. Hence, it becomes important to understand the attributes for an effective 4IR leadership. This study examines the relationships between leadership styles, leadership traits, leadership intelligence and effective 4IR leadership to empirically validate the effective 4IR leadership framework that was conceptualised. The hypothesised relationships from the framework were tested using a survey of 416 senior construction executives across the nine provinces of South Africa.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the study objectives, an online survey was sent to construction firms across the nine provinces of South Africa. “Construction”, for the purpose of this study comprised building and civil engineering firms listed on the construction industry development board (cidb) register of contractors in South Africa. The target group was the upper echelon executives, i.e. Chairman, CEOs, managing directors and chief operating officers, and the survey was directed to contact e-mail of the study samples. The professional service providers (architects, consultants and surveyors) were not part of the survey sample. The database of the organisational leaders was obtained from the cidb. The online survey was created on the 23rd of August 2019 and closed on the 23rd of April 2020, thereby making the duration of the survey eight months. The total number of respondents at the time of closure of the survey was four hundred and sixteen (416). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for the analysis of the results.FindingsThis study validates the effective 4IR leadership framework as proposed by Alade and Windapo (2019) by empirically examining relationships between leadership styles, leadership traits, leadership intelligence and effective 4IR leadership. The findings from this study have shown that effective 4IR leadership is positively associated with leadership styles, leadership traits and leadership intelligence. Hence, an effective 4IR leader must spread the knowledge and understanding of the 4IR opportunities and threats in the organisations. The leader must ensure that the executives in the construction organisation become change conversant and ensure that the employees acquire 4IR skills. Multiple leadership intelligence is essential to effective 4IR leadership. These multiple intelligence are the ability to adapt knowledge and skills to different situations, ability to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously, a high level of understanding, ability to process and analyse information and ability to utilise knowledge from many disciplinary boundaries.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is focused on construction business organisations in South Africa. As such, similar studies on 4IR leadership effectiveness can be carried out in other countries and across other organisations. Future studies should also consider using a case study approach specifically focused on organisations with high implementations of 4IR technologies. Interacting with the leaders of such organisations and their employees will give a broader perspective in understanding the reasons of their effectiveness.Practical implicationsThe leadership of construction organisations must partner with the academia, industry players and team members in their efforts to implement 4IR in their organisations. Also, the existence of a positive association between leadership traits and effective 4IR leadership implies that to ensure a 4IR-driven work process in construction organisations, the leadership must embrace disruption and quickly respond to change. Further, it can be concluded from the findings of this study that appropriate leadership styles are required for effective 4IR leadership. The appropriate leadership style for effective 4IR leadership requires the leadership of construction organisations to delegate some of the 4IR function. The 4IR function must be performed based on the challenges that are associated with 4IR. The positive correlation between leadership intelligence and leadership styles makes it possible to conclude that the competencies of leadership of construction organisations in a 4IR-driven change depend on the level of leadership intelligence of the executives of construction organisations. It is evident that 4IR will change the business environment; hence, leadership intelligence is required to adapt construction organisations to the change dynamics. This study has provided information on what 4IR leadership entails in construction organisations. The study has contributed a framework for ensuring effective and smooth flow 4IR implementation in construction organisations through a purposeful leadership that combines leadership styles, leadership traits and leadership intelligence.Social implicationsThis research will be useful to government agencies and board members of construction organisations, in appointing leaders to see the construction industry and organisations perform better in the 4IR era. Young individuals who are also aspiring to take on leadership role in the industry will benefit from this study.Originality/valueThis study is a new and original research that seeks to investigate the need for an effective 4IR leadership in construction business organisations. Construction as an industry is usually criticised for her slow response to change. Since leadership is required to drive the change agenda, this study examines the relationships between leadership styles, leadership traits, leadership intelligence and effective 4IR leadership to empirically validate the effective 4IR leadership framework that was conceptualised.

Business operations are undergoing drastic changes due to the disruptive effects of technology innovations; however, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the acceptability and consequences of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in the education sector. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study explores the readiness of the education sector for 4IR. We adopted face-to-face semi-structured interviews to explore the views of 33 key stakeholders in the education sector, to understand the readiness and acceptability of 4IR in the sector. Findings show that the education sector, especially in Africa, is unprepared for 4IR, although there are indications for opportunities to harness the potential of the much-anticipated 4IR. Moreover, our study demonstrates a mutual symbiotic relationship between the education sector and technology innovations. The findings show that 4IR can facilitate students' learning experience and transforms the workplace, although there is a need to assess the learning environment, to understand the facilitators and barriers to 4IR diffusion. The findings indicate the opportunity for the education sector to harness the innovations associated with 4IR through research and teaching to enhance learners' experience; however, this may require a significant improvement in education curricula, as well as investments. The findings contribute to the theory and practice of technology in education and the limited literature on 4IR in the education sector, particularly in Africa.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) ushered in the era of digitalisation, organisational transformation, and innovation of processes, strategies and operations. Integration of modern technology can provide opportunities for improvement, contributing to an organisation’s productivity and efficiency, but also introduces risks that may influence organisational performance and success. To effectively integrate 4IR technology into organisational processes and functions, organisations must understand the new risks and how they can be mitigated. Despite the growing need to embrace digitalisation, the lack of clear guidelines remains challenging. This paper aims to address the gap by developing a theoretical model that identifies the risks encountered during organisational digitalisation and contributes to literature and understanding of the digitalisation risks during 4IR. A systematic literature review was conducted using four recognised databases to highlight the leading risk types that organisations face during the digitalisation of their operations. Ten risk types were identified, and a model was developed to indicate the risk items within each type and the relationships between them. This paper emphasises the importance of understanding and managing risks and adopting a comprehensive risk management approach, allowing organisations to ensure sustainable success in the digital era of the 4IR.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) ushered in the era of digitalisation, organisational transformation, and innovation of processes, strategies and operations. Integration of modern technology can provide opportunities for improvement, contributing to an organisation’s productivity and efficiency, but also introduces risks that may influence organisational performance and success. To effectively integrate 4IR technology into organisational processes and functions, organisations must understand the new risks and how they can be mitigated. Despite the growing need to embrace digitalisation, the lack of clear guidelines remains challenging. This paper aims to address the gap by developing a theoretical model that identifies the risks encountered during organisational digitalisation and contributes to literature and understanding of the digitalisation risks during 4IR. A systematic literature review was conducted using four recognised databases to highlight the leading risk types that organisations face during the digitalisation of their operations. Ten risk types were identified, and a model was developed to indicate the risk items within each type and the relationships between them. This paper emphasises the importance of understanding and managing risks and adopting a comprehensive risk management approach, allowing organisations to ensure sustainable success in the digital era of the 4IR.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) ushered in the era of digitalisation, organisational transformation, and innovation of processes, strategies and operations. Integration of modern technology can provide opportunities for improvement, contributing to an organisation’s productivity and efficiency, but also introduces risks that may influence organisational performance and success. To effectively integrate 4IR technology into organisational processes and functions, organisations must understand the new risks and how they can be mitigated. Despite the growing need to embrace digitalisation, the lack of clear guidelines remains challenging. This paper aims to address the gap by developing a theoretical model that identifies the risks encountered during organisational digitalisation and contributes to literature and understanding of the digitalisation risks during 4IR. A systematic literature review was conducted using four recognised databases to highlight the leading risk types that organisations face during the digitalisation of their operations. Ten risk types were identified, and a model was developed to indicate the risk items within each type and the relationships between them. This paper emphasises the importance of understanding and managing risks and adopting a comprehensive risk management approach, allowing organisations to ensure sustainable success in the digital era of the 4IR.