Mohamad Kader’s scientific contributions

Since the pandemic organizations have focused on ways to improve engagement, adapt to the new world and develop strategies for survival. In support of these goals an enhanced future-readiness model is proposed that encompasses concepts from ambidexterity, strategic foresight and organisational resilience applied to the industry 4.0 context. The model identifies thirteen primary (13) internal and external factors that can be used to design and apply a future readiness model within organizations to improve agility and preparedness for the challenges and opportunities posed by industry 4.0. It also identifies eleven (11) sub-factors that together with the primary factors provide a conceptual framework for managers to consider in their planning and preparations for industry 4.0 and other disruptive events. The model connects dynamic capabilities with the firm's strategic preparedness. It attempts to fill gaps in existing future readiness models and forms the basis for ongoing, applied research into its utility in product and service industries. This paper also refers to the dilemma of innovation and the need for change as it relates to industry 4.0. Concept for how new opportunities can be addressed and how strategy development and execution can be built on with other aspects of organisational maturity and agility to improve future readiness. The model proposes an approach to risk tolerance and reward management based on the resources of the firm, including its organizational culture and how its utilization of internal and external analyses prepares it for a dynamic environment in the context of industry 4.0. It incorporates the influence of people and digitization with the more traditional dynamic capabilities of the firm and proposes possible applications of the model to industries significantly affected by industry 4.0. INTRODUCTION The pace of change presented by Industry 4.0 (i4) and post pandemic challenges are forcing firms to re-imagine what it means to be future-ready. Digitization has affected supply and value chains and enterprise operations as well as how staff work and how opportunities are assessed and processed. A major challenge arising out of i4 is the need to sustain a competitive advantage in the current market while identifying opportunities in the future. This has become more challenging and has raised the question of what future readiness looks like.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ability of a firm to innovate and absorb its innovative developments by borrowing concepts and models from project portfolio management (PPM). Using past research and the existing literature, it evaluates the potential to apply PPM to the medium-term strategic planning efforts of small- and medium-sized firms. The implementation of strategic innovation requires organizations to develop both a dynamic culture and flexible internal systems that yield to major external changes in their industry as well as internal resource changes. Such changes could include supply or value chain adjustments, changes in consumer behavior, re-allocation of internal resources or the responses of competitors. This paper examines the planning and implementation of project portfolio management tools in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (50–250 employees) with a mid-range (2–4 years) planning horizon that are required to innovate in a strategic context to remain competitive or to take advantage of new opportunities. It relates strategic foresight to the ability of the firm to adjust tactically, including in the utilization and development of internal tools, processes, systems and culture. This paper contributes to the literature by examining the potential for PPM methodologies and models to support decision making in a strategic context in SMEs, an area that is under-represented in the research on strategy. It also relates this foresight with strategic innovation and draws parallels between the strategic management planning process and the use of project portfolio management models. It argues that strategic innovation is closely tied with the ability not just to innovate but to absorb this innovation within the organizational processes and build organizational maturity. It also examines the potential use of project portfolio management models to aid strategic innovation. The use of PPM models in support of strategic innovation may contribute to the sustainability of SMEs as businesses and to the potential to identify new business models that enhance the sustainability of a firm’s competitive advantage, particularly in the medium-term.