Being prepared to navigate the transition begins with awareness of the shifts to come and some understanding of their implications, and this report is a start at raising the awareness. Author: , Executive Director, Center for Digital Strategies, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College Image: People take photos with the skyline of the central business district shrouded by haze in Singapore September 10, 2015. Your role is to separate the noise from the important stuff and make smart choices based on the megatrends you observe. This was the driver behind the recent report, , just released by the World Economic Forum. The competitive cycle continues on perpetually. Whether you like it or not.
After all, twenty years is a long time. The Security Megatrends are the top forces at play in security, expected to have far-reaching impacts on businesses across the industry. Let me just highlight those companies that have struck me most in four areas of using megatrends in corporate strategy: Example 1. But the picture above stresses the importance of having a thorough look at megatrends and assess how exactly they impact your business. The Internet has a long memory… Example 2. Fair enough, but some new business models are a result of distinct megatrends as well. Imagine the positives of being able to access any service you want, or physical asset or tool you need, just when and where you need it, on whatever device; or being able to predict a serious health problem before it happens and get the needed medical attention or an organ perfectly made just for you wherever you are.
But if you do care, you might find out that it is very hard to provide an answer to this question. The individual, organizational, governmental and societal adjustments are non-trivial, and the impact of these adjustments will be felt by everyone. Also new to the 2020 Megatrends are national security concerns and identity as the new perimeter. Maybe this question is not bothering you at all. Megatrends impact your business strategy. At the same time, there are real concerns.
For the second year in a row, cybersecurity was identified as the predominant trend shaping the security industry and a major concern for C-suite executives, government buyers, enterprise organizations, integrators and more. As work changes, or perhaps even becomes unnecessary for many, what will happen to the sense of worth, place and contribution to society that human beings have derived from work throughout much of recorded history? But, as always, the devil is in the detail. So how could you take them into account? There is no stopping point and no final battle. The challenges of navigating the transition are great as well. This opens up the opportunity for the offering of an innumerable number of services by and between individuals and organizations of all types from companies to non-profits and governments, but also portends large-scale change that has the potential to be difficult to absorb in both scale and speed. How companies benefit and suffer from megatrends: 4 examples There are plenty of examples of how big and small companies are impacted by megatrends.
And while no-one understands all the changes these developments will bring, most individuals, many business and governmental leaders, and society as a whole, are not really cognizant of or prepared for the shifts to come. For each industry or product niche you will find several. . Megatrends: 5 global shifts changing the way we live and do business Watch our latest video on the Megatrends as David Lancefield, Partner, PwC, gives an overview on how the Megatrends are shaping business and society today and in the future, and how foresight and tapping into these Megatrends is critical. Companies that embrace new business models emerging from megatrends is the biggest thing in business right now, to such an extent that some argue it is a trend in itself. While relatively small and prone to some growth pains, the business is growing some 400% yearly. What Siemens did was to re align each of its business unit with a specific megatrend urbanization, ageing society, climate change, ….
Luckily, they also form opportunities for those who do. With accessibility greatly enhanced and a path to almost everything possible on the internet, how can we sufficiently protect intellectual property or secure financial data? Whether you know it or not. Ultimately, the answer depends on how well you anticipate and adapt to long-term shifts that might not even be visible, or that are visible but their exact direction and amplitude is not yet known. Companies who have made megatrends the center piece of their business strategy The single best example in this space is Siemens. For established companies in these industries, the capital question now is whether they should embrace these new business models, or stick to the old ones with all the risks this entails.
But for me, the key question is not so much about the megatrends itself. The technology-enabled shifts enumerated in the report, at their core, are fundamentally providing two things: 1 digital connectivity for everyone to everything, anywhere and at anytime; and 2 the tools for analyzing and using digital data in new ways. Megatrends often offer unique ways to rethink a business and better prepare it for the long term. Even the banking business is not safe —why not create platforms to connect people with too much money with people who are in need of it? There are thousands of trend watchers. Should banks combat this, or should they embrace it? The potential for democratization and transparency is great. The picture below provides a general overview of which corporate activities can benefit from the influence of megatrends: Overview of megatrends Of course, not all of the megatrends have an influence over all of these activities. Deep Shift: Technological Tipping Points and Societal Impact.
The exact nature and the importance of this impact will depend on the industry you serve; as well on the way you operate your business. With the ever increasing interconnection of people worldwide, many businesses that serve to connect supply and demand seem to become obsolete. Complete industries can undergo very profound changes due to these shifts. Your company is part of a larger ecosystem, one that changes constantly. It is hard, but certainly not impossible. The speed of various aspects of the transition are hard to predict, but it is not difficult to see that our world will function quite differently 10-15 years from now.
With data created on everything, will there be acceptable levels of privacy for individual lives? However, there is no miracle way. Those companies operating in an environment subject to drought need to have a very close look at their processes, or else share the fate of Coca-Cola India, whose products were boycotted several times between 2003-2006 because of very bad water management in their plant in South Indian state Kerala. A resounding number of respondents called for facial recognition to be added as a 2020 Security Megatrend, bringing the newcomer to the number-three position. The developments in digital technology of recent years are truly dramatic and their implications far-reaching. . .