It is an interesting time in history at the moment. We went through the age of the Industrial Revolution where machines made things faster and generated more end product but created much more pollution and waste.
Now we are experiencing a new revolution and this time it is people that are going to have to be smarter. The trend is not only Innovation and technology but also the environment and humanitarian issues which in fact is a driving force for innovation in many occasions. We are moving way from factories with monotonous lines of people doing menial work to having mechanical machines or robots replacing them. What does this mean for the millions of workers that will be out of jobs? I see a great divide here. It's funny I can meet a really smart person, chat and laugh with them but they don't perceive themselves to be anything but a footy player, a mum, etc. They choose not to see themselves in any other light and don't want to change because they are comfortable where they are. They don't realise that with social media and general life interactions that they are changing and becoming smarter and adapting everyday. We should always be learning new things, we should also consider learning new things that can contribute to new jobs.
We now have smart phones, smart cars and more to come, including more artificial intelligence. We have a small percentage of smart people paving the way for change. This is going to have to grow as new jobs are created. When we were young we could happily play using our imagination, creating and building. Some where along the line we have lost the ability to do this, to have wonderment at life and innovation. Can we really sit in front of the TV all night and watch reality TV all the time? I'm not saying don't watch it but not all the time. Spend some time with friends, nature, sport, a hobby. Be inquisitive, learn something online, create, write, enjoy. Find your passion. Through that be active and innovate. If you think the writing is on the wall for your job learn something new. Most of us will still have to put up with jobs we don't like and people that we don't like but instead of letting them affect you. You can create a new you change your attitude and it may rub off on the people around you or learn something new and get a new job. I can hear a few people say, 'I'm too old to learn something new. It's all too hard.'' I say, 'You are never too old..' 'Make a few small changes.' and never say, 'I can't.'
Innovation and technology, we are not all scientists, we don't have to know exactly how things work but we can appreciate the latest innovations and support the people that have come up with new ideas. As companies become global or seek to follow in the footsteps of leaders in that particular field we will be taking up this new technology and innovation faster than we have ever had to before. This scares people, the word Disruption is being used a lot. It was first coined by Harvard Professor Clay Christiansen. I find at the moment Disruption is being used a little too much and not for what it was intentionally coined for.
What 'Disruptive innovation means is,' described by a process by which product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of the market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established companies.' So if we have an expensive product that for example is being used to make a smart phone screen and scientist come us with a metal that can do the same job 300 times cheaper than current screens, phone companies better take note because the new technology will quickly take over the old and companies that don't keep up will be too expensive and forced out of the market.
It is important to know what is going on in your own industry. If you want to be an industry leader then it is important to spend money and time in research and design. Don't forget what your business goal or mission is but be adaptable to trying new methods of delivery. Look at industry standards. Use them and adapt them to make them unique to the companies needs.
For consumers we generally aren't too concerned with what the technical blueprints are but we enjoy the benefits. Generally a new innovation or technology was made to make our lives easier or to entertain us, so that we purchase it and use it.
For the younger generation find joy in doing things that you are passionate about. Find motivated like minded company. Never stop learning.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
HYBRID Change
I have coined the phrase HYBRID change because I feel there is a big divide between fast ever changing technology and what people are comfortable with. There is plenty of Science, Technology and Innovation happening in the world but when you ask an everyday person about it they often say 'That's over my head' or' I hear the words coming out of your mouth but in a sentence I don't understand what you mean.' I have experienced this personally, I am a lover of Science and new innovations but there are articles that I read that really could be written in an alien language. Luckily I do have some understanding and can translate and summarise them into words that I can understand, most of the time. I created a Facebook page called 'Debby's Simple Science Summaries' so that I can hopefully explain what I have read in my own simple words the wonderful daily innovations happening around the world.
So what I mean by HYBRID change is it is a blending of what we have now and new technology that is up and coming. Tesla motors is a great example of this. They currently use lithium batteries as a power source rather than reinventing the wheel and making a new type of battery even though there are plenty of new options under R & D. They produce one of the most beautiful looking cars on the market and it is a 100% electric car. There are however only a small number of electric cars in the market place and very few places to recharge them in public. So what does Tesla do? They release the plans and technology free of charge into the market place so other much larger companies like General Motors can take advantage of their research and build their own cars but not only that they will increase production of parts and build electric car charging stations. So now there is a new model for business, Open sharing of knowledge that actually benefits each other and not to mention the environment.
How can we start this revolution in HYBRID change. Maybe by sharing information, communicating with people in the same industry or people not in the same industry. Networking, having meaningful conversations, creating meaningful friendships, having a luncheon with like minded people. Seeking new innovations and seeing how they could be used to enhance and build a better economy or business. The best leaders will be the ones that can think outside the traditional box that they are in. Most of all they will think how their consumers or the market will perceive them. They will introduce change without arrogance or authoritarian measures and they will find ways to reach a much larger market share then traditionally thought of. They will look at what they already have, what consumers are already comfortable with and add a new benefit. It is essentially better customer service.
This way of introducing change will hopefully help fund more innovation rather than the millions of patents for new technologies or inventions sitting on a shelf being forgotten. New innovations are the catalyst for new start up businesses building a better economy and giving more people the opportunity to run their own business. HYBRID change a meshing of old and new.
So what I mean by HYBRID change is it is a blending of what we have now and new technology that is up and coming. Tesla motors is a great example of this. They currently use lithium batteries as a power source rather than reinventing the wheel and making a new type of battery even though there are plenty of new options under R & D. They produce one of the most beautiful looking cars on the market and it is a 100% electric car. There are however only a small number of electric cars in the market place and very few places to recharge them in public. So what does Tesla do? They release the plans and technology free of charge into the market place so other much larger companies like General Motors can take advantage of their research and build their own cars but not only that they will increase production of parts and build electric car charging stations. So now there is a new model for business, Open sharing of knowledge that actually benefits each other and not to mention the environment.
How can we start this revolution in HYBRID change. Maybe by sharing information, communicating with people in the same industry or people not in the same industry. Networking, having meaningful conversations, creating meaningful friendships, having a luncheon with like minded people. Seeking new innovations and seeing how they could be used to enhance and build a better economy or business. The best leaders will be the ones that can think outside the traditional box that they are in. Most of all they will think how their consumers or the market will perceive them. They will introduce change without arrogance or authoritarian measures and they will find ways to reach a much larger market share then traditionally thought of. They will look at what they already have, what consumers are already comfortable with and add a new benefit. It is essentially better customer service.
This way of introducing change will hopefully help fund more innovation rather than the millions of patents for new technologies or inventions sitting on a shelf being forgotten. New innovations are the catalyst for new start up businesses building a better economy and giving more people the opportunity to run their own business. HYBRID change a meshing of old and new.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Perception and Change
Perception is a funny thing. How one person sees something can be completely different to someone else. The most interesting thing is how we see ourselves. Australia for example is seen as the lucky country, rich in resources, great people, great food, great land and yet we are really quite isolated to the rest of the world. Our country is isolated and this may affect how we see ourselves and how we conduct business. Our political system is one of Local, State and Federal. These levels are intertwined but very rarely do they communicate effectively with one another. Information can easily get doubled up as one level researches something that another level has already researched. I brought this up recently with Kate Crawford who has a wide experience in the creative use of new information technologies to expand peoples ability to meet their needs and create new more sustainable ways of doing things. Her answer to me was 'open information, real open information.
I would like to add that the information needs to be short and to the point. No one wants to read 300 pages of waffle.
Currently China is again opening up the Silk road with it's 'One belt, One road' policy. This means that China is opening up trade and communication with the countries close to their borders and along the old Silk Road. China for many years was internal looking and now it's opening up to it's neighbours. They are expanding trade with nations big an small with in their community.
The current change in business sees organisation like Alibaba or Airbnb become $400 billion dollar companies because they take advantage of exponential market share. For example take a checker board. Imagine that's the earth. In the first box you tell one person about your product. In the next box there are two of you that tell two more about your product. In the next box there are 4 of you that tell 4 others about your product. If you keep doubling until you reach the last box you have nearly reached every one on earth.
So there is a shift in market perception. You reach out to the people around you and then they reach out to the people around them. You do this with the internet and social media. Australia would not be so isolated if we do this. We need to reach out to the countries that are not to far from our boarders. We need to communicate and trade with them much more than we currently do. We should not discriminate between the small countries and the large. We should not only concentrate on one large country when there are a wealth of smaller countries that are advancing much quicker than we are because they value innovation, science, technology and investment into research and design more than we do. To this end we should embrace the new age of technology that is driving the surge in giant global companies that use current internet capabilities to market to the whole world, not just the physical radius around their physical head quarters. The great thinker and scientist Dr. Michio Kaku visited Australia last year and the first message that came out of his mouth was:
'You can cut the Science budget, but you will pay a price, 'What is the price? Poverty,' 'Commodities will be important, but they mean less in the future.' 'More and more value will come not from commodity but from the mind.' 'We need to encourage young people to leap into the forefront of intellectual capitalism.'
Australia did indeed cut our Science budget.
So do you think it is time to change our perception of ourselves? For our future. I think maybe it is.
I would like to add that the information needs to be short and to the point. No one wants to read 300 pages of waffle.
Currently China is again opening up the Silk road with it's 'One belt, One road' policy. This means that China is opening up trade and communication with the countries close to their borders and along the old Silk Road. China for many years was internal looking and now it's opening up to it's neighbours. They are expanding trade with nations big an small with in their community.
The current change in business sees organisation like Alibaba or Airbnb become $400 billion dollar companies because they take advantage of exponential market share. For example take a checker board. Imagine that's the earth. In the first box you tell one person about your product. In the next box there are two of you that tell two more about your product. In the next box there are 4 of you that tell 4 others about your product. If you keep doubling until you reach the last box you have nearly reached every one on earth.
So there is a shift in market perception. You reach out to the people around you and then they reach out to the people around them. You do this with the internet and social media. Australia would not be so isolated if we do this. We need to reach out to the countries that are not to far from our boarders. We need to communicate and trade with them much more than we currently do. We should not discriminate between the small countries and the large. We should not only concentrate on one large country when there are a wealth of smaller countries that are advancing much quicker than we are because they value innovation, science, technology and investment into research and design more than we do. To this end we should embrace the new age of technology that is driving the surge in giant global companies that use current internet capabilities to market to the whole world, not just the physical radius around their physical head quarters. The great thinker and scientist Dr. Michio Kaku visited Australia last year and the first message that came out of his mouth was:
'You can cut the Science budget, but you will pay a price, 'What is the price? Poverty,' 'Commodities will be important, but they mean less in the future.' 'More and more value will come not from commodity but from the mind.' 'We need to encourage young people to leap into the forefront of intellectual capitalism.'
Australia did indeed cut our Science budget.
So do you think it is time to change our perception of ourselves? For our future. I think maybe it is.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
How Culture is affecting global business
There are many cultures in the world but there seems to be two differences that really stand out. There are cultures that base decisions in business or personally on the idea of family. Their business is their family. They base decisions holistically rather than individually. Other cultures base business ideas individually or for profit only. Mass sackings so as to get better profits and returns are not uncommon in Australia. These large organisations are not necessarily at the brink of bankruptcy. Could or would a CEO or GM or director take a pay cut in order to save an employee? This is not unheard of in countries where the culture is to see the organisation as a family. The matriarchs give up their entitlements so that their employees are able to stay on and in turn look after their families. They believe it is their responsibility to look after their employees until the company is prosperous once again. They believe that if the organisation is failing then it is their fault for not managing the business correctly.
So what happens when a family based culture tries to go global and open up in a country with a different culture system or vice versa? Historically a large number will fail at there attempts. It is much more beneficial to everyone to try to understand each others culture and customs. Someone else's culture can not be pushed onto someone else. There needs to be the ability to find a happy medium. This I think should be taught at a young age. The idea of multiculturalism should be taught as a part of the school curriculum at a young age. Maps of the world could be put in every classroom so that students actually see how many countries and cultures there are in the world. The cultures and landscapes of different cultures could be taught through the school life. When studying a Certificate, Diploma or Bachelor of Business there should be a module of business customs and cultures of the world especially of the countries nearest to them. Diplomacy should not just be taught in diplomatic courses but as a part of a general business course. It's a very different world out there than the ones just in books.
The world is becoming smaller. The idea of working out your target market doesn't necessarily mean just the 3 closest suburbs around you. It is possible for the entire world to be your target market. Look at companies like Air bnb, Alibaba, Apple, Google and Amazon. These companies are doing business all over the world and are recruiting staff from different countries to run their divisions. You cannot succeed if you enforce one culture onto another one. This is another reason to promote understanding of each other's culture. Respect of each others culture is paramount in doing global business. Again this would benefit from cross culture understanding being taught in school.
There are currently studies that show countries that have similar cultures work best together. But the world is a large place and there are so many opportunities out there. The answer may lay in the education of Cross Cultural understanding in the young for a chance at a country to have future economic success.
So what happens when a family based culture tries to go global and open up in a country with a different culture system or vice versa? Historically a large number will fail at there attempts. It is much more beneficial to everyone to try to understand each others culture and customs. Someone else's culture can not be pushed onto someone else. There needs to be the ability to find a happy medium. This I think should be taught at a young age. The idea of multiculturalism should be taught as a part of the school curriculum at a young age. Maps of the world could be put in every classroom so that students actually see how many countries and cultures there are in the world. The cultures and landscapes of different cultures could be taught through the school life. When studying a Certificate, Diploma or Bachelor of Business there should be a module of business customs and cultures of the world especially of the countries nearest to them. Diplomacy should not just be taught in diplomatic courses but as a part of a general business course. It's a very different world out there than the ones just in books.
The world is becoming smaller. The idea of working out your target market doesn't necessarily mean just the 3 closest suburbs around you. It is possible for the entire world to be your target market. Look at companies like Air bnb, Alibaba, Apple, Google and Amazon. These companies are doing business all over the world and are recruiting staff from different countries to run their divisions. You cannot succeed if you enforce one culture onto another one. This is another reason to promote understanding of each other's culture. Respect of each others culture is paramount in doing global business. Again this would benefit from cross culture understanding being taught in school.
There are currently studies that show countries that have similar cultures work best together. But the world is a large place and there are so many opportunities out there. The answer may lay in the education of Cross Cultural understanding in the young for a chance at a country to have future economic success.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Technology and people
I am a lover of science but I am also a person who searches out new experiences. I think people think I am strange when I can enjoy something completely random and get excited about it. There are people that are passionate about science but have no time for sport. That's ok but you shouldn't make a decision on anything in life until you experience it, at least once. When you are in a stadium with a huge crowd chanting for your home team it is not just the game that is moving you it is the pride in your team, school, town or country. The atmosphere is electric as they say. In science the possibilities are endless. I find people are scared of science because they don't understand it or they say they don't understand it. Science has it's own language which can be difficult to decipher. Generally there are too many words. Ultimately it doesn't matter, if you end up using the technological advances you don't really need to understand how it works so long as you have a use for it. I like to search for new discovers and watch how they will be developed in the future. Some disappear altogether. I am still waiting for the car that runs on compressed air.
The coming step in technology is artificial intelligence. It will make a huge impact on our lives in the near future. Machines will be able to do things man cannot. It is an interesting time. As humans I wonder though does communicating with a machine make us happy? When I catch up with my friends in person it's like a battery recharge. If I haven't seen them in a while I get cranky. I may talk to them on Facebook or social media but the experience is not the same as seeing them, giving them a hug or physically being in their presence.
Machines that can think for themselves. Machines that can evolve like humans. Machines that can learn. The research is fascinating. The reasoning for why we need these machines is also fascinating. One reason is that we are making machines that can think better than we can so there are less mistakes. But isn't this how we learn. Don't we make mistakes so that we will learn to do things better in the future. Then again as humans we have been to war many times and what have we learnt? I have no doubt that AI will be used in warfare. That's what really scares me.
Technology has it's place, it is definitely a part of our lives and will continue to be but it is only 1 part, it is an accepted part but for me I like to try and enjoy the simple things and try new experiences, meet new people, listen to their stories and not just live life but experience it..
The coming step in technology is artificial intelligence. It will make a huge impact on our lives in the near future. Machines will be able to do things man cannot. It is an interesting time. As humans I wonder though does communicating with a machine make us happy? When I catch up with my friends in person it's like a battery recharge. If I haven't seen them in a while I get cranky. I may talk to them on Facebook or social media but the experience is not the same as seeing them, giving them a hug or physically being in their presence.
Machines that can think for themselves. Machines that can evolve like humans. Machines that can learn. The research is fascinating. The reasoning for why we need these machines is also fascinating. One reason is that we are making machines that can think better than we can so there are less mistakes. But isn't this how we learn. Don't we make mistakes so that we will learn to do things better in the future. Then again as humans we have been to war many times and what have we learnt? I have no doubt that AI will be used in warfare. That's what really scares me.
Technology has it's place, it is definitely a part of our lives and will continue to be but it is only 1 part, it is an accepted part but for me I like to try and enjoy the simple things and try new experiences, meet new people, listen to their stories and not just live life but experience it..
Monday, April 20, 2015
Unexpected Change
There is a young man I have known for sometime that I have watched grow over the past 3 years. He is only 16 years old. He was studying here at a boarding school. His home country is so different to ours. It was a huge culture change for him to live here. His family were all overseas and his school mates became his brothers. Living here had it's difficulties for him but he was here so that he could have a better future. But things were cut short when his father took ill and he had to go home to help with the family business. Here is a young man who was playing rugby and mucking about with his mates one day and the next he has to grow up quickly to look after his family.
You might say poor boy or what about his education. Well he is now learning from life. He will have hard days but also good days. He has the opportunity to go back to study later on or do night classes. With the internet now he has the chance to study online. He is with his family that he loves and he has a good head on his shoulders. I am very proud of him. I wish him the best for the future.
Look beyond the unexpected change. Enjoy and embrace the new things that you will learn.
You might say poor boy or what about his education. Well he is now learning from life. He will have hard days but also good days. He has the opportunity to go back to study later on or do night classes. With the internet now he has the chance to study online. He is with his family that he loves and he has a good head on his shoulders. I am very proud of him. I wish him the best for the future.
Look beyond the unexpected change. Enjoy and embrace the new things that you will learn.
The fear of change.
There are many fears in this world. Fears of snakes/spiders and the dark to name a few, but what is the most universal fear among most humans. I would say it is 'Change.' Change of any sort is so feared that people will fight against it even if it is good for them.
Why is this? Is it the fear of the unknown or have we been programmed from very young to have set rules that we must follow.
The world is changing quickly. Technology is changing so quickly it is hard to keep up. New words have been created like 'Exponential organisations'. We now have organisations like Uber, Alibaba, Airbnb but the general populations don't know how they work. They can't fathom that these new business can make billions of dollars in only a few short years. Businesses that have been successful for years can not understand why or how business is changing and they can't keep up. Look at Kodak once one of the most successful companies in the world and now it barely exists. If they had looked ahead and embraced change maybe they would still be a leader today.
Traditionally we have been taught that businesses should be a top down structure with bosses, managers, assistant managers. But if you look at the structures of these new exponential organisations you will see a much more horizontal structure. When we were taught about market share we looked at physical boundaries. Exponential organisations have exponential market share. Basically the sky's the limit. This in it self is hard to fathom, it's hard to understand because we can't measure it. Who is your target market? Marketing 101. Well now it has the potential to be everyone. This does not however make everyone feel comfortable. We like to live in our own space. Villages use to work together to bring in the harvest, families use to work together to run a family business now we have the tools to do a lot of things ourselves.
A lot of people say fear is in the mind. Worry will make us ill. It would be disrespectful to tell people their fear is not real, to them it is. But you have to remember that we are all in the same boat. Change is going to happen and we will see amazing achievements by some very smart people but that does not make us any less important. Everyday day there is something new that will change the world, I say bring it on. I want to see how we can change the world in my lifetime. I'm along for the ride.
Why is this? Is it the fear of the unknown or have we been programmed from very young to have set rules that we must follow.
The world is changing quickly. Technology is changing so quickly it is hard to keep up. New words have been created like 'Exponential organisations'. We now have organisations like Uber, Alibaba, Airbnb but the general populations don't know how they work. They can't fathom that these new business can make billions of dollars in only a few short years. Businesses that have been successful for years can not understand why or how business is changing and they can't keep up. Look at Kodak once one of the most successful companies in the world and now it barely exists. If they had looked ahead and embraced change maybe they would still be a leader today.
Traditionally we have been taught that businesses should be a top down structure with bosses, managers, assistant managers. But if you look at the structures of these new exponential organisations you will see a much more horizontal structure. When we were taught about market share we looked at physical boundaries. Exponential organisations have exponential market share. Basically the sky's the limit. This in it self is hard to fathom, it's hard to understand because we can't measure it. Who is your target market? Marketing 101. Well now it has the potential to be everyone. This does not however make everyone feel comfortable. We like to live in our own space. Villages use to work together to bring in the harvest, families use to work together to run a family business now we have the tools to do a lot of things ourselves.
A lot of people say fear is in the mind. Worry will make us ill. It would be disrespectful to tell people their fear is not real, to them it is. But you have to remember that we are all in the same boat. Change is going to happen and we will see amazing achievements by some very smart people but that does not make us any less important. Everyday day there is something new that will change the world, I say bring it on. I want to see how we can change the world in my lifetime. I'm along for the ride.
How the word Smart has challenged our concept of the word Change.
Change, why are we so scared of it? In general people like to do things that they know and are comfortable with. It makes them feel safe. It is interesting to see that in the last decade change has sped up with the introduction of smartphones, touch screens, smart TV's etc. Is it the word SMART that is making people accept change much faster that before? If we have the latest technology does it make us think we are smarter therefore more superior? It's an interesting concept.
The perceptions of oneself. I may not be so good at school but with this app I can tell the name of the brightest star in the sky by facing my iPad toward it. I may not be able to write or spell but I have a program that can do that for me by speaking into my device. So should we leave it up to just a few people to think for us? Write programs that we can use to make our lives easier. Why do we now have less time on our hands? Before it was normal to sit down with the family at dinner time and talk about our day. Now everyone is too busy. A good meal that took time and love is replaced with a quick meal. Funnily my son does not like to eat out. He always prefers home cooking.
In general we do not like change but we enjoy communication. People want to feel loved and to be a part of a conversation. Social media puts you in contact with the world. You can talk to someone on the other side of the planet and get an instant reply. Your messages and pictures are liked which gives you a good feeling. We all endeavour to feel good about ourselves.
So personally I want to accept change but also retain the basics. Going for a walk, clearing my mind, being a good friend, giving a nice hug, enjoying family time, being social, helping others and looking up and being amazed at what I see.
The perceptions of oneself. I may not be so good at school but with this app I can tell the name of the brightest star in the sky by facing my iPad toward it. I may not be able to write or spell but I have a program that can do that for me by speaking into my device. So should we leave it up to just a few people to think for us? Write programs that we can use to make our lives easier. Why do we now have less time on our hands? Before it was normal to sit down with the family at dinner time and talk about our day. Now everyone is too busy. A good meal that took time and love is replaced with a quick meal. Funnily my son does not like to eat out. He always prefers home cooking.
In general we do not like change but we enjoy communication. People want to feel loved and to be a part of a conversation. Social media puts you in contact with the world. You can talk to someone on the other side of the planet and get an instant reply. Your messages and pictures are liked which gives you a good feeling. We all endeavour to feel good about ourselves.
So personally I want to accept change but also retain the basics. Going for a walk, clearing my mind, being a good friend, giving a nice hug, enjoying family time, being social, helping others and looking up and being amazed at what I see.
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