Governing the machine: leadership priorities for industry 5.0 in emerging digital economies

The transition to Industry 5.0 is reshaping leadership expectations as organisations seek to balance advanced technologies with human-centred and sustainable priorities. This study examines the leadership competencies most critical for guiding this transition in developing digital economies. A structured assessment was conducted using the Best–Worst Method (BWM), a multi-criteria decision-making technique that reduces cognitive burden, enhances internal consistency, and enables robust prioritisation of expert judgements. Fifteen senior experts from industry, academia, and policy across the Middle East evaluated five leadership domains: technological and AI capability; strategic foresight and innovation; adaptability and learning agility; relational and people-oriented skills; and ethical governance and sustainability stewardship. The findings indicate a clear prioritisation of governance-related competencies, particularly transparency, accountability, and the ability to interpret and communicate algorithmic decisions. Interpersonal competence and sound judgement were also rated highly, while visionary innovation and technical implementation skills received comparatively lower emphasis. Overall, the results suggest that leadership in digitally intensive contexts is becoming increasingly ethics- and governance-oriented. The study contributes to the leadership and digital transformation literature by offering an empirically grounded hierarchy of Industry 5.0 leadership competencies situated within the socio-technical realities of the Middle East.