The revolutionary developments in information and communication technologies have impact not only on administrative professional’s work environment but also on their future roles and accompanying thinking processes. More importantly, the traditional skills of administrative professionals have become obsolete, with a shift towards executive support, which entails skills at a more advanced level.

Authors such as Domeyer (2005) and Rorbak (2012) confirm that the increasingly complex and specialised effects of rapid developments in information technology and its diversity in business environment pose a challenge to the existing work behaviours. This also requires that administrative professionals acquire more knowledge on a variety of subjects, and that they apply more skills than at any other point in the history of the profession. Technological changes have also had a significant impact on the role of administrative professionals with regard to the assimilation, processing and utilisation of information. A combination of technical expertise and desirable personal attributes contributes to the career success and effectiveness of administrative professionals. Several researchers (Ensminger, Surry, Porter, & Wright, 2004; Hollis-Turner, 2008, p. ii) emphasise the importance of ‘a perceived need to change old methods’ and ‘the need for developing psychological ownership and competencies by employees in order to successfully facilitate change within an organisation’.

The call to adapt to new ways of thinking in the new world of work led Venter (2011) to investigate the ideal profile of preferred thinking styles of a contemporary administrative professional. The results revealed that the current preferred thinking styles of administrative professionals might be inadequate for performing effectively in the newly developing world of work. The necessity for administrative professionals to develop from a predominantly left-brain thinking preference to become whole-brain thinkers, by incorporating right-brain thinking in executing their roles effectively, emerged from this study. The contemporary administrative professional would continue to need left-brain thinking skills to function effectively. However, based on Venter’s findings, such thinking needs to be complemented by right-brain thinking in order for the administrative professional to function more effectively in the new world of work.

The whole-brain thinking equips a person to develop the skills to interpret managerial styles as well as resolve business problems pertaining to production, planning, communication, teamwork and reaching goals. Whole-brain thinking also provides an invaluable basis for understanding processes of thinking and the interrelation of knowledge, skills and competence (Herrmann & Herrmann-Nehdi, 2015; Neethling & Rutherford, 2005). Herrmann (1995) asserts that the:

Thinking that is associated with the whole-brain concept (Herrmann & Herrmann-Nehdi, 2015) emerged in research conducted by the World Economic Forum (2016), which found that an immense disruption of skills arose from the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

This article is a response to Bussin and Brigman’s (2019) statement that key demographic and economic drivers of change continuously change the context of employment, which will lead to a shortage of 60 million knowledge workers worldwide by 2020. In addition, this study is based on the recommendations of a previous study by Venter (2011), who came to the conclusion that administrative professionals henceforth need to complement their predominantly left-brain thinking with right-brain thinking to function effectively in the new world of work. The significance of this study therefore lies in its attempt to determine the impact of global key drivers of change on the future-focused whole-brain success profile for optimal effectiveness of administrative professionals in the future world of work.

The economic characteristics of the world have changed dramatically. Societies have evolved over four industrial revolutions from a group of farmers to consumers sharing their experiences in a knowledge-based society. To transition amongst economies requires a different way of thinking. Thinking associated with the left brain emerged during the agrarian economy, the industrial economy and the information age. The industrial economy fostered quality and productivity. Electronics, technological developments and global competition characterised the digital age. The ability to acquire and apply theoretical and analytical knowledge distinguished knowledge workers. The service economy emphasised proficiency, it increased productivity and strove for quality in goods and services (Bloem et al., 2014; Ferreira & Teixeira, 2013; Herrmann, 1995; Hosany & Witham, 2010; Howes, 2016; Kamel, Melo, De Souza, Lima, & Lopes, 2008; OECD, 2000; Pine & Gilmore, 1998, 2001; Pink, 2005; Pompidou, 2007; Rowson & McGilchrist, 2013; Seltzer & Bentley, 1999; UBS, 2016).

With the emergence of the experience economy, a diverse set of skills came to the fore, with new technologies that engaged customers with experiences that involve and create emotions and affective memories, where different dimensions of sensory, social and spiritual stimulants focus on providing customers with holistic and long-lasting personal experiences. The emotional response of the creators and the empathisers at the delivery of a service appeals to the limbic system, and consequently to the right brain, which controls the limbic system (Ferreira & Teixeira, 2013; Herrmann, 1995; Hosany & Witham, 2010; Kamel et al., 2008; Pine & Gilmore, 1998).

In addition, the conceptual age required the mastering of a new set of skills, including empathy, creativity and storytelling, which reflect right-brain thinking. The emphasis on right-brain thinking continues with the economic realm of relationships. The rise of social media gave brands and consumers a variety of platforms for conversations and connections, thus a different means of communication and social skills (Huitt, 2007; Pink, 2005; Smith, n.d.; Stanfield & O’Hare, 2013).

Thinking associated with whole-brain thinking emerged in research by the World Economic Forum (2016), which found that there is an immense disruption to skills, driven by extreme automation and connectivity through artificial intelligence that has set the stage for the sharing economy (4IR). This has implications for the skill set that includes social and cognitive abilities as well as technical skills, resource management, processing (e.g. active listening, critical thinking and monitoring self and others), content skills (e.g. active learning, oral expression, reading comprehension, written expression, information, communication and technology literacy), system skills (such as judgement and decision-making and system analysis) and complex problem-solving abilities. In addition, for the workforce to be successful, it needs to go beyond these skills, namely to be flexible and to be able to adapt to change (Anderson & Rainie, 2012; Bloem et al., 2014; Herrmann & Herrmann-Nehdi, 2015; Quilligan, 2015; UBS, 2016).

The focus of the study is on the impact of global key drivers of change in the South African context and the impact thereof on administrative professionals. As stated by the UBS (2016), these global key drivers of change would have a negative impact on highly repetitive low-skill and medium-skill occupations.

Although South Africa is a young participant in these global trends, the key drivers of change have a significant impact on the current political and economic dialogue. Recognising the impact of changing economic structures on the future would continue to expand the ability of South Africa to grow globally by placing a competitive impetus on all South Africans (Cilliers, Hughes, & Moyer, 2011; Fear, Botha, Young, Rautenbach, & Groenewald, 2009; Silke, 2011). The Department of Higher Education and Training (2016) has compiled the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS III) Progress Report 2011–2016 to serve as a key driving force in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the skills development system. It also promotes partnerships between employers and public education institutions (including technical and vocational education and training colleges, universities, universities of technology, private training providers and sector education and training authorities) (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2016; Skills Development Facilitator Guide, 2013). In keeping with the need to recognise the impact of key drivers of change, the African Union points out on their website (https://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/pdf/au/agenda2063.pdf) that the African Agenda 2063 serves as a masterplan for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse of the future. Of specific relevance is the aim to ‘[c]atalyse education and skills revolution and actively promote science, technology, research and innovation, to build knowledge, human capital, capabilities and skills to drive innovations […] for the African century’ (African Union Commission, 2015).

The characteristics of the new world of work, known as the ‘key drivers of change’ served as a guide to test the impact of global and national key drivers of change and transformation on the application of new knowledge and skills of administrative professionals in a South African context. The guide, as illustrated in Figure 1, is adopted from Burton and Shelton (2010), Davies, Fiddler and Gorbis (2011) and the World Economic Forum (2016) to constitute a framework of emerging key drivers of change that transform global society and marketplace.

The increasingly complex and specialised effects of the explosion of information technology and its diversity in the business environment not only challenge existing work behaviours but also require administrative professionals to acquire more knowledge on a variety of subjects, and apply more skills, than at any other point in the history of the profession. They have also impacted significantly the role of administrative professionals with regard to the assimilation, processing and utilisation of information. A combination of technical expertise and desirable personal attributes contributes to the career success and effectiveness of administrative professionals. To successfully change within an organisation, employees should develop psychological ownership and new competencies (Domeyer, 2005; Ensminger et al., 2004; Hollis-Turner, 2008; Rorbak, 2012). Other factors that impact the effectiveness of administrative professionals were revealed in studies conducted by Ferreira and Van Antwerpen (2011) and Van Antwerpen and Ferreira (2016) amongst administrative support staff in the South African public service. The factors that are relevant to the subject are, amongst others, promises that are not kept with regard to skills improvement, such as attending training courses, ignorance regarding inclusion of centralised decision-making, and faster and more powerful computer hardware.

The results of Venter’s (2011) investigation into the ideal thinking style preference profile of administrative professionals revealed that the preferred thinking styles of administrative professionals might be inadequate for performing effectively in the newly developing world of work. What also emerged is the necessity for them to develop from a predominantly left-brain thinking preference to become whole-brain thinkers by incorporating right-brain thinking in executing their roles effectively. According to Herrmann (1995), left-brain thinking relates to hard thinking processing, such as to organise information logically, analyse problems and solutions, rational, criteria and logical reasoning, quantitative issues and activities. Thus, left-brain thinking needs to be complemented by nonlinear and non-verbal right-brain thinking such as visual, conceptual, imaginative, spatial and simultaneous processes for administrative professionals to function more effectively in the new world of work.

Whole-brain thinking equips a person to develop the skills to interpret managerial styles as well as to resolve business problems pertaining to production, planning, communication, teamwork and reaching goals. It also provides an invaluable basis for understanding processes of thinking, and the interrelation of knowledge, skills and competence (Herrmann & Herrmann-Nehdi, 2015; Neethling & Rutherford, 2005).

The brain constantly changes when it learns a new skill set, for example a technical or a financial skill. Once the process of thinking is understood and utilised to support and enhance the effectiveness of employees, problem-solving, innovation, communication and achieving individual and company goals are promoted. Professionals are able to adapt to the continuous pace and the extent of change more effectively, and they could access different thinking styles that could provide appropriate responses to changing situations. Although individuals choose to solve problems in their preferred thinking style, access to all thinking styles is necessary to solve more complex problems. Individuals can adopt different thinking styles according to different tasks and situations. Whole-brain thinking encourages a person to complement less preferred thinking style preferences instead of disregarding the lack of necessary skills, which may cause anxiety and stress. Furthermore, the new world of work encourages a shift within educational institutions and the workforce. The historically separate worlds of work and learning originally focused on predominantly left-brain thinking and teaching. This was evident in the service economy, where knowledge workers excelled in left-brain thinking and were distinguished for ‘their ability to acquire and apply theoretical and analytical knowledge’ (Pink, p.16) (De Boer & Van den Berg, 2001; Harypursat, 2005; Herrmann, 2005; Jensen, 2007; Kruger, 2008; Neethling & Rutherford, 2005; Samuel & Kohun, 2010; Sternberg, 1994; Van Niekerk, 2007).

Considering that the purpose of this study was to discover and interpret the impact of global key drivers of change on administrative professionals for effective performance in the changing world of work from a whole-brain perspective, the relevant key whole-brain human information processing theories were considered. These theories include Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® model (Herrmann, 1996; Herrmann & Herrmann-Nehdi, 2015), Taggart’s whole-brain human information processing theory (Taggart, 1980; Taggart & Valenzi, 1990; Taggart, Valenzi, Zalka, & Lowe, 1997), Sternberg’s theory of thinking styles (Sternberg, 1990, 1994) and Kirton’s model of cognitive style (Cassidy, 2004; Coffield, Moseley, Hall, & Ecclestone, 2004; Kumar, 2014; Stum, 2009). Consequently, Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® theory has been chosen, given that the characteristics of the theory mainly encourage whole-brain development. Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® theory thus serves as a conceptual framework for this study with the aim of constructing a future-focused whole-brain success profile.

In addition, Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® theory is chosen as Herrmann is acknowledged as the father of brain dominance technology in literature (De Boer, Du Toit, & Bothma, 2015). Furthermore, his research provides a valid approach towards a theory for understanding how the brain processes information. He illustrates this through the four-quadrant model, which presents four modes of thinking and learning, not only two hemispheres, and is based on the Whole Brain^® theory comprising the following key concepts (AlGhraibeh, 2015; Herrmann, 1996):

Application of the model can harness cognitive diversity, such as improving the efficiency of teams and individuals, and for better problem-solving, decision-making, communication and management. The model is holistic and has factorial and construct validity when applied in the fields of business and education. Moreover, the Whole Brain^® theory promotes professional development by encouraging the development of less preferred thinking styles. Consequently, Herrmann believes that thinking style flexibility supports responses to meet particular situational demands. Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® model and the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) represent one of the six recommended models in education and training. Furthermore, Herrmann’s whole-brain approach provides evidence that using multiple thinking styles promotes development of students’ full potential and deeper learning (Coffield et al., 2004; Herrmann, 1995; Herrmann & Herrmann-Nehdi, 2015; Martins, 2015).

The triune brain theory and the left-brain/right-brain theory facilitated the development of Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® model. Popularisation of this theory was formed by clinical evidence provided by Robert Ornstein, Roger Sperry, Joseph Bogen and Michael Gazzanaga. These two hemispheres communicate with each other by means of connectors called the corpus callosum, the hippocampal commissure and the anterior commissure. Herrmann combined the elements of MacLean’s triune brain model and Sperry’s theories into a four-part model representing the Whole Brain^® model (Herrmann, 1996, p. 15). The four-quadrant model therefore serves as an organising principle of how the brain works, namely that the four thinking styles metaphorically represent the two halves of the cerebral cortex (Sperry) and the two halves of the limbic system (MacLean). As illustrated in Figure 2, the cerebral mode represents the cognitive modes associated with the cortex, demonstrating Quadrants A and D of Herrmann’s Whole Brain^® model. Quadrants B and C represent the more visceral and emotional modes associated with the limbic system (Herrmann, 1996).

The above explanation of the Whole Brain^® theory serves to interpret the results of the study and to construct a future-focused whole-brain model. The Herrmann Whole Brain^® model also forms the core of a future-focused whole-brain model, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Rapid economic developments of the past decade have had an irreversible impact on the set of skills and thinking processes of administrative professionals who are expected to apply 20th-century skills and knowledge in a new world of work. Therefore, administrative professionals have to adjust from the execution of duties on the instruction of managers, as was expected in the service economy, to the demands of the experience economy to the skills of innovation and creativity. The relationship economy has prompted a shift towards another conformation, namely interpersonal and intuitive skills. Consumers are sharing their experiences of trademarks and services on social media. Therefore, social media create a different platform for administrative professionals to communicate and connect with clients. Flexibility and adaptability are skills required not only for the sharing economy but also for transition into 4IR, which is driven by extreme automation and connectivity through artificial intelligence. Administrative professionals should obtain a skill set which is beyond that of functional skills to execute their role effectively.

The researcher obtained written consent from the Research Ethics Committee of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to engage with human participants from public and private sectors. Written consent was also obtained from an association for administrative professionals, namely the Association for OPSA that they would distribute the survey questionnaire to their members on behalf of the researcher for the quantitative data-gathering process. Participants agreed to participate in the survey by means of an online implied consent.

Negotiations with regard to the distribution of the survey questionnaire by the professional association, OPSA proved a time-consuming process. The researcher distributed the letter of informed consent to chief executive officers (CEOs) of three professional associations. Communication with them was a time-consuming process, considering that being the CEO of a professional association was not their primary occupation. Therefore, responses to emails were delayed, with the result that the period for approving the informed consent was extended. This trend was also experienced during the pilot study and the comprehensive survey. The professional association had to post numerous reminder emails, and consequently the window period had to be extended. In view of the fact that maximum participation in the survey was limited to one province, greater participation in other eight provinces would have added value to the study. Another limitation was that the study was based on a self-assessment (respondents’ own perception of their current proficiency), and not an assessment of skills. Regarding assessment of skills, it should be taken into consideration that Van Antwerpen (2013) found that testing of skills and competencies could be time-consuming. Low response rate from the target population could also be considered a limitation of the study.

Figure 4 depicts a future-focused model for whole-brain thinking, which shows the impact of revolutionary developments in information and communication technology on the current work environment of administrative professionals and the future role and accompanying thinking processes. The knowledge and skills required by administrative professionals for optimal efficiency were determined during the data-gathering process, namely in Phases 1, 2 and 3. The knowledge and skills required to comply with and perform according to the demands of the changing world of work have been categorised as functional future skills, which constitute the first layer around Herrmann’s four quadrants at the core of the future-focused model (see Figure 4), followed by essential future skills, with emerging future skills in the outer layer.

The four quadrants are displayed in Figure 4, namely analytical (A), organise (B), personalise (C) and strategic (D), which show different thinking preferences. The activities allocated to these four thinking profiles are as follows:

Quadrant A represents activities that involve analysing, dissecting, solving problems logically and getting facts. These activities are preferred by the ‘theorists’, or the rational self. The organisers, or the safekeeping self, of Quadrant B prefer detailed, sequential, structured and linear activities. Activities that consider people, team participation, emotional intelligence and social and humanistic interests are represented in Quadrant C. These activities are preferred by humanitarians, or the feeling self. Intuitive, holistic, conceptualising, adventurous and risk-taking activities are preferred by innovators, or the experimental self, of Quadrant D (Herrmann, 1996, pp. 20–23).

The functional future skills circle displays the basic skills and knowledge and the interpersonal skills that administrative professionals require to execute their work effectively, irrespective of the socio-economic, geopolitical and demographic key drivers of the changing economy. It is evident that administrative professionals at functional level require thinking in all four quadrants.

A skillset much different from the functional future skillset is required in the circle representing essential future skills. A difference worth mentioning between the essential future skills layer and the functional future skills layer of Quadrant A is that a more advanced computational skillset is required in the former layer, for example audio and video technology, digital technology, system thinking, data analysis and presentation, and data-based decisions. More resources have to be allocated in the essential future skills layer of Quadrant B, namely organising time, assignments and projects, and streamlining tasks. Skills such as training and mentoring of co-workers, effective negotiation, listening skills, and social and emotional intelligence are essential skills of Quadrant C. Being flexible with working arrangements, process skills, such as conceptualising and critical thinking, and novel and adaptive thinking differentiate the two layers of Quadrant D.

From the emerging future skills circle of Quadrant A, it is apparent that the biggest impact is on the field of information and communication technology in terms of cloud technology, project management software and mobile Internet technology. Quadrant C shows that conflict management in terms of poor time management and communication is an emerging future skill. Another emerging future skill of creating and developing a virtual corporate event is evident in Quadrant D.

This section provides recommendations for curriculum development and continuous professional development.