ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that how important it is that hospitality leaders have a clear vision of future developments. Under the influence of societal developments, leaders must develop the competencies that enable them to foresee developments, to be successful and in the future. The introduction of newer generations in the workforce urges managers to think about new ways of leadership, including supportive leadership and empowerment. Conducting an environmental analysis will enable managers to envision the impact of global and industry changes on their current hospitality businesses. Technologies similar to Ray Kurzweil’s disruptive technologies are also expected to influence the hospitality industry, for example, virtual agents will assist travellers, or artificial humans will facilitate the delivery of hospitality services. Communication and information technology will enable new ways of collaboration, new service designs and improvements to the operational efficiency of service staff and information flows to management. Employing information and communication technology is vital to virtually every aspect of operations.
