Track: Operations Management

Abstract

The complexity of the business environment today becomes a factor behind the evolution followed by traditional leadership due to no longer effective and should be changed.  Planters who are the spearhead of the palm oil plantation have not been able to provide the maximum role in a plantation and losing their effectiveness. This qualitative research aims to develop the framework of plantation leadership in the global era and technological development. Thirty-three informants in the palm oil plantation industry in Indonesia were observed and interviewed then verified to a detailed and in-depth exploration of documents. The framework is defined by adjusting the leadership evolution process. It encourages the leadership capability in task orientation with a people-oriented approach and improves the competencies, which consist of managerial competencies, functional competencies, and leadership competencies. It is necessary to formulate and detail action plans to fill stakeholder expectation gaps on planter’s leadership, a thorough evaluation of field training curriculum or assistant trainee programs and immediately formulate and agree on planter competency standards that will become a reference for the palm oil plantation industry.