Living the Fourth Industrial Revolution

To better understand the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we must understand what the first three were all about. The first utilised water and steam power to mechanise production. In the second, electric power drove mass production, and the third saw electronics and information technology automate production. Finally, we are experiencing a Fourth Industrial Revolution that builds on the Third. It is regarded as a fusion of technologies that is distorting the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

This article focuses on the requirements that are essential for the public sector to adopt in order to properly engage with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The public sector needs to understand and manage this Fourth Industrial Revolution since it will introduce momentous transformative change and opportunity to the way people work, play and build relationships. The public officials who include government policy developers, regulators and health and safety inspectors make up that point of contact/interface between technology and the public; as such they are critical to ensure the diffusion of new technologies.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution’s products and services display a speed and constantly adapting nature.

This is exhibited in 3D printingenabled clothing and consumer goods and nanotechnology which empowered medical interventions and even weapons.

The inability to control, and the time pressures to respond to diffusion into the real economy are expected to be relentless, and to place great pressure on existing regulatory systems.

We must remember that in most countries there traditionally existed a linear relationship between the introduction of new technologies and the public. This means they passed through the regulatory system before been permitted for public consumption. Unfortunately, it would appear that in many countries this is breaking down.

What we find is the public tests and uses new technologies prior to gaining any knowledge about their social and environmental impacts. Ailish Campbell suggested that it is important for public officials to possess skills to better enable them to engage effectively and efficiently with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The first and fundamental skill for the public sector is to have technological knowledge and expertise and apply the best knowledge available to review new and adapted products and services. The key is continuous learning as well as hiring practices that bring in new technical skills to public institutions. Campbell stated there must be no difference between the rate of technical knowledge in government and the private sector.

The second is to combine expertise with data. The amount of data generated in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is exponentially larger than the other three. Governments must be equipped with high computing power and big data capabilities. The public sector must identify data that is missing and ensure an inclusive innovation system. As an example, when robots replace care workers, which is not too far-off in the future as one might think, data from senior citizens’ experiences must be included in the information evaluated for regulatory approvals.

The third is properly collaborating with the public.

We in this country, as in other parts of the world, know the importance of citizen and stakeholder engagement in developing laws, and regulation which is a key feature of effective governance. Generating effective interfaces and channels of communication with public officials that facilitate public input, early-warnings, data and collaboration, is crucial to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The relevance of this skill becomes more evident as globally services high in demand and evolving at a pace, exceed the ability of the government to keep up.

Coupling public information and feedback in real time becomes critical, as does transparency about what the government knows and does not know about a service provider.

Campbell has suggested that the fourth skill that is required is development of global networks across sectors. This is important since the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the creation of global cooperation between different disciplines and companies.

Any oversight and/or rules developed for the Fourth Industrial Revolution will, thus, involve “collaboration between officials, business and the public, to gather information, share best practices and stop harmful effects”. Traditional models of isolation must be replaced by thoughtful networks. Academia must also be involved in these networks.

The fifth and final skill is that public officials must have an open and agile workplace.

This means leaders must be motivated by a mission and focused on outputs. It also requires an adaptive organizational culture.

Applicable disclosure rules and organizational ethics are needed.

It is also important that rules and procedures don’t become irrelevant. The fourth industrial revolution is upon us we need to understand and quickly become part of it or be left behind.