Managing the transition to i5.0

When organisations talk about transitioning to Industry 5.0 (i5.0), they’re usually referring to moving beyond the automation and efficiency focus of Industry 4.0 toward a human-centric, sustainable, and resilient industrial paradigm. Change leaders in this context face a dual challenge: adopting advanced technologies and ensuring people, purpose, and sustainability remain at the core.

Here’s a practical Industry 5.0 Playbook for Leaders – structured as a step-by-step guide with clear actions, checkpoints, and leader behaviours:

i5.0 Leadership Playbook

Purpose: Help leaders guide their organisations through the transition to Industry 5.0 by focusing on humancentricity, sustainability, and resilience alongside technology adoption.

Actions:

Craft a clear narrative: “Why Industry 5.0? What value for people, planet, profit?” Translate this into 3–5 strategic priorities (e.g., employee empowerment, sustainable operations, customer personalisation).

Align with corporate mission, ESG commitments, and innovation agenda. Leader behaviours:

  • Communicate vision in simple language
  • Reiterate “people + technology together”
  • Set measurable success indicators

 

2. Put People at the Centre

3. Human–Machine Collaboration Design

4. Build Sustainability into Every Decision

5. Strengthen Resilience & Agility

6. Engage & Co-Create with Stakeholders

7. Lead the Change Journey

Leader’s Quick Checklist

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