Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This academic article aims to examine leadership theories aligned with global dynamics, analyze the evolution of human capital from Era 1.0 to 5.0, and establish leadership development guidelines for human capital executives amidst the volatility of the BANI World, Thailand 4.0 policies, and the concept of Society 5.0. The study was conducted using a documentary research methodology, reviewing national and international academic databases over the past decade. The study reveals that leadership styles in each era have inherently emerged to serve the evolving nature of human capital, in accordance with the Resource-Based View (RBV). This spans from the directive and bureaucratic leadership of Eras 1.0–2.0, to the transformational leadership of Era 3.0, and the digital leadership driving automation in the HR 4.0 era. Currently, however, organizations are confronting severe labor alienation and digital burnout among employees. This crisis has catalyzed a shift toward the HR 5.0 era, which demands a return to human-centricity, positioning technology merely as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for mankind. Consequently, this article proposes an applied conceptual framework through the “H-C-B-A Leadership” model, an integrative leadership approach comprising four critical dimensions: 1) Heart: developing digital empathy to foster psychological safety; 2) Cognition: leveraging data-driven insights and strategic foresight via People Analytics; 3) Balance: harmonizing artificial intelligence with digital ethics; and 4) Agility: cultivating a culture of lifelong learning and adaptive resilience. The article concludes that human capital executives in the 5.0 era must seamlessly blend a hard strategy with a soft touch to simultaneously drive high organizational productivity and sustainable happiness.
Source: Journal of MCU Kanchana Review
Institution: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University
Language: Thai
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7215146342