NGOs/CSOs in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Transition to Transformation, Key Challenges & Way forward
As you may know, we have already entered a new generation of technologies — namely the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR). This new generation of technological advancements is merging our physical, digital and biological worlds unlike any time before. This is a huge transformation for the world including Bangladesh and again a big challenge for us as well. It is a great change which is very challenging for Bangladesh as well as for the world. This change has created a situation where uncertainty, momentum and arguments are prevailing. The change has created an impact on the relationship between man to man, government to government institution to institution which has created change globally, nationally, and locally in the rule of government and day-to-day life.
Defining the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The fourth industrial revolution is a vaguely defined term used to refer to a variety of technological changes and innovations that have occurred since the beginning of the 21st century, with potentially dramatic effects on the economy and society.
It is characterized by increased automation of working affecting both low and middle-skill jobs, greater connectivity, machine learning and developments in new and emerging technologies, occurring considerably faster than in preceding industrial revolutions.
The origin of the term “fourth industrial revolution” can be traced to the idea of “Industries 4.0” first used at the 2011 Hanover Fair and subsequently featured as one of ten “future projects” identified by the German government as part of its High-Tech Strategy 2020 Action Plan, published in March 2012.
More recently, the term has come to be associated with the work of the German engineer, economist and founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab through his 2015 book The Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In this work, Schwab identifies three distinct preceding industrial revolutions:
The First Industrial Revolution — Spanning from the 1760s to the 1840s and characterized using water and steam power to mechanize production.
The Second Industrial Revolution — Spanning from the 1870s to the 1910s, characterized by the use of electrical power to create mass production.
The Third Industrial Revolution — Beginning in the 1960s, the digital revolution has been characterized by a shift away from mechanical and analogue electronic technologies to digital electronics, as well as further automation of industrial production.
Schwab goes on to describe a fourth industrial revolution, beginning at the turn of the century, driven by automation and connectivity and characterized by “a more ubiquitous and mobile internet, artificial intelligence and machine learning.” Borrowing the title of a work by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, Klaus Schwab, president of the world economic forum describes this new era as “the second machine age” though one that will be characterized by the making of “unprecedented things.
Specific features that define the fourth industrial revolution include:
The emergence of “smart manufacturing” and “smart factories” — that is manufacturing processes based around the integration of physical production with digital technologies collecting data on plant operations and the supply chain, which are able to analyze this data and contribute to real-time improvements in production, procurement and supply chain management.
Tied to this idea is the concept of the ‘Internet of Things (IoT) — in which everyday objects, are connected to the internet, able to identify themselves to other devices to collect and exchange data and the replacement and augmentation of certain kinds of labor using automation technologies, including robotics and machine learning. This also opens up the possibility of automation of certain kinds of knowledge work.
Ongoing developments in new and emerging technologies, including nanotechnology,
3-D printing, biotechnology, quantum computing and renewable energy and energy storage and the rate of change is considerably faster than in preceding industrial revolutions
This transformation is a pace where there are unbelievable uncertainty, transition, and controversy. This transformation will change the relationship between the individuals to individuals, governments to governments and institutions to institutions that will affect the global, national, and local system of governance system and way of living. Shaping the future of the NGOs/CSOs will also be a new phenomenon in this era of the fourth industrial revolution.
This new form can’t be untouched by our NGOs/CSOs sector. So question is — what will be the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on our NGOs/CSOs as a sector and how we will survive?
In this reality, we need to think about the way forward that will make the role of the NGOs/CSOs sector stronger and in an appropriate manner for the development of education, creativity, up-skilling and re-skilling of rural people and human resources of NGOs. Thus, we will be able to deal with the challenges of NGOs/CSOs in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.
We need to upgrade the leadership skills and responsibility of the society as well as to realize the difficult nature of the fourth industrial revolution standing on the idea of several ideas. Besides, to know and understand how to prepare for adaptation by identifying the changes in NGOs/CSOs in this context of the fourth industrial revolution.
The shaping of the future of the NGOs/CSOs in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution no longer can be regarded as unreal or, any science fiction. It is very important for us to identify the possible changes and challenges that will come to the life of rural communities and how NGOs/CSOs will overcome those due to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The digital revolution has radically altered the ways in which we communicate with each other and gather information. Emerging technology platforms have created a complex information ecosystem for NGOs/CSOs that is both a blessing and a curse for free and independent NGOs/CSOs.
Digital technologies have created unprecedented opportunities for NGOs/CSOs sector and distributing development content. For many, digital innovations hold enormous potential to remake the NGOs/CSOs landscape. At the same time, in this new age of misinformation and disinformation, are increasingly under threat, as members of populist movements attack their credibility in digital spaces.
With the destruction of the NGOs/CSOs sector in line with fintech and emerging tech models, NGOs/CSOs outlets are now struggling to survive. The digital revolution is far from over: Driven by technological innovation, it appears to be accelerating.
How can NGOs/CSOs succeed in this context?
What are the most pressing challenges?
What new approaches look promising?
Where should the NGOs/CSOs sector be innovating?
Where should it focus on continuity?
Prime Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh H.E. Sheikh Hasina declared the election manifesto of 2018 ‘Bangladesh on the March towards Prosperity’ and its chapter 3.21 was mentioned ‘Digital Bangladesh and materialization of the dream: Information and communication chapter has been mentioned about Artificial Intelligent (AI) Robotics, Big Data, Block Chain, Internet of Things (IoT) and future improvement of technological development which was mentioned specially.
NGOs/CSOs sectors must identify the changes in a rural community and their life and livelihood including the human resource of NGOs/CSOs. What types of changes will take place in future and how NGOs/CSOs will work, we must understand it and undertake necessary measures for this? We must include rural communities for facing the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and make a capable rural community. We should involve them in technological knowledge-driven activity and skill as well as create a delicate generation to realize them to understand the techniques to develop a new generation.
In the age of the fourth industrial revolution, development communication will get a new dimension. NGOs/CSOs sector will not be left out of this change. What will be the future of NGOs/CSOs and how we will survive in the effect of the fourth industrial revolution? Under these circumstances, we must work on the education of the rural community, creativeness and dissemination of skills of the human resource of NGOs/CSOs and the role of NGOs/CSOs will be strengthened and made useful for the age.
Mainly we are facing changes in our lifestyle such as the Internet of things (IoT), Big data, Artificial Intelligent (AI) and 3D printing and how the people will be benefited from this will learn people and inform us about the challenges such as readymade garment industry will use Artificial Intelligent (AI) or Robot will be used for their products which will create more challenges in this sector. So, from now on we must think about its alternative and make capable people through skill development for NGOs/CSOs.
According to World Economic Forum, in October 2017, the World Economic Forum Society and Innovation team initiated consultations for a novel initiative on Preparing NGOs/CSOs for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the aim of tracking and disseminating efforts while encouraging new collaborations across the sector linked to the responsible use of emerging technologies.
NGOs/CSOs are currently responding to digital and emerging technologies in their work and how societal challenges might be better addressed in the future cross‑sector partnerships. The ensuing debates and discussions reveal three cross‑cutting considerations as to how civil society can participate in, and in many ways lead, to the Fourth Industrial Revolution:
NGOs/CSOs face pressure to play a diversity of roles in the technological and institutional context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
As the Fourth Industrial Revolution matures, NGOs/CSOs must recognize new, distinct roles for the sector in responding to existing and new societal challenges. Several examples have already emerged, including roles as watchdogs, advocates and facilitators. To successfully navigate the pressure to play multiple roles, NGOs/CSOs will need to enter into cross‑sector partnerships and will require the development of new sets of skills. Importantly, insights from this research highlight that civil society cannot stand still like the relationship between society and technology changes
NGOs/CSOs must resolve a range of tensions to responsibly play these roles and respond to the governance and use of emerging technologies
How NGOs/CSOs grapple with tensions in their approach to innovation and technology will affect their ability to positively impact and influence the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Those tensions include:
Independence: How do NGOs/CSOs stay independent and critical as part of NGOs/CSOs while participating in corporate digital platforms or using algorithmic tools from the private sector?
Motivations: What is driving NGOs/CSOs’ motivations to use technology? What problems are they trying to innovate for?
Architecture: How do NGOs/CSOs design for innovation, considering organizational structure(s), culture(s), talent(s) and other factors?
Investment: How do NGOs/CSOs make decisions on using limited resources on technology for short‑term and long‑term change?
Learning: How do NGOs/CSOs structure knowledge management and learning, weighing both global best practices and context‑specific details?
NGOs/CSOs need to make critical investments to lead by example in key areas of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Civil society organizations have long‑standing knowledge and history of working with the most vulnerable populations in difficult contexts. To capitalize on its experience of and proximity to community issues, the civil society sector should make investments in several areas to lead the way in modelling key elements of a human centered Fourth Industrial Revolution:
Responsible, rights‑based use of digital and emerging technologies
Inclusive and participatory approaches to social innovation and technology
Models for translation across sectors, disciplines and experiences on technology and society issues. (Ref. World Economic Forum)
According to World Economic Forum, NGOs/CSOs have engaged with digital and emerging technologies to address and solve various categories of problems. Instead of focusing on individual technologies, this paper presents a taxonomy of functions enabled by these technologies including:
Understanding communities and their needs
Providing precision service delivery
Communicating new information more effectively
Tracking, compiling and verifying information
Forecasting trends and influencing decision‑making
While these use cases may demonstrate possible, context‑specific benefits for different kinds of NGOs/CSOs goals, missions and purposes, they are not meant to be prescriptive for all NGOs/CSOs to use or invest in.
NGO/CSOs have engaged with digital and emerging technologies to address and solve various categories of problems. Instead of focusing on individual technologies, this paper presents a taxonomy of functions enabled by these technologies including:
1. Immediately organize a workshop about the fourth industrial revolution for all levels of the staff member and develop a course of action.
2. Strategic use of websites and social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others
3. Provide training for all levels of the staff member for re-skilling and up-skilling of their knowledge, skills, and attitude in line with the fourth industrial revolution
4. Importance should be given to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in program design and implementation
5. Appoint a full-time chief data officer and chief technology officer
6. Introduce blockchain for NGOs/CSOs management and financial transparency
7. Introduce and compulsory the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for all levels of the staff member about re-skilling, up-skilling, and deskilling.
8. Introduce financial technology (FinTech) for microcredit operation
9. Introduce Artificial Intelligence/ Machine learning/ big data process for the program implementation and program monitoring and evaluation in line with the project cycle.
10. Organize a capacity-building program about ICT for development (ICT4D), Digital literacy and Internet Governance for all levels of the staff member.
11. Immediately revisit the organizational vision, mission, and strategy and strategic plan in line with the fourth industrial revolution
For facing the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution we must move rapidly on the right track we have to keep (government, NGOs, business, media, industry, and academic research) possible changes and develop a relevant way for realization which is very essential. Side by side it is also important for production, management, and execution, for all sectors we need change, and we need to prepare for change, and we should welcome the fourth industrial revolution.
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Endnotes:
1. Klaus Schwab and Nicholas Davis (2018). Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution
2. CIVICUSMonitor: www.civicus.org/index.php/what‑we‑do/innovate/civicus‑monitor
3. BNNRC (2018). Digital Peoples’ Colloquium- Shaping the Future of Media, Information and Entertainment in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
4. National Institute of Mass Communication of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — Conducts Workshop on Potential of 4th Industrial Revolution 2021
5. How Bangladesh can thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Dec 2018 of Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh
6. Interview with Mark Latonero and Jake Metcalf from Data and Society
7. Klaus Schwab (2016), The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Crown Publishing
8. National Workshop on 4th Industrial Revolution of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Nov 13, 2018
9. “Bangladesh is marching towards fourth industrial revolution. Bangladesh has the capability,” of World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. Nov 10, 2021
10. HPM Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh for easy technology transfer to face 4th industrial revolution challenges, December 11, 2021
AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, Policy Research Fellow, Shaping the Future of Media, Entertainment & Society in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Chief Executive Officer of the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC).
He has promoted the Report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation report, the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation Roadmap on Digital Cooperation and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda (2021) in Bangladesh as the facilitator. He is a recipient of awards of the UN WSIS prize winner 2016 and Champion 2017, 2019, 2020 & 2021 for UN WSIS action line localization. He can be reached at bnnrcbd@gmail.com | +8801711881647
