Technology and Disruptive Trends – Business vs. Disruption
By: Jennifer Nietz
This month’s article was inspired by a recent trip I had to my local Verizon store. You know the experience: you walk in and are greeted by an employee that now has a tablet to check you in with.
They give you ample time to walk around and explore all the new technology that you can touch and feel. Finally, you are assigned another rep with a tablet that asks you what is bringing you in today. You give them the same story: “I am here just for a case and new screen protector.”
Magically, an hour later, you are walking out with a nice big Verizon bag with a new device and a new service plan—all of which could be purchased standing in the same spot by the rep’s device with a card reader.
My purchase? A watch phone for my 6-year-old. You can program four numbers in, but the real selling point is the ability to track him. If he wonders out of the yard, the app is so detailed, you can tell where he is. No, a six-year-old doesn’t NEED a phone, but it was cool disruptive technology, played to my fears, and I had to have it.
Why and how does this happen so quickly?! Disruptive technology, my friends.
This adventure made me think about the technology around us in the workplace and how that is evolving. What is a necessity? What trends are disrupting our workplaces for the better? Where is technology going, and what are we going to be dealing with in the next year that we don’t even know about?
Disruptive Technology Trends
I went to the web and came across an article written by Brian Solis in February of 2016 which discusses disruptive and technology trends from 2016-2018. You can read the whole article here: http://www.briansolis.com/2016/02/26-disruptive-tech-trends-2016-2018/
I thought I would highlight some of the most interesting trends that caught my eye and apply to our business and our clients. Solis writes:
1) The New Brand: Experiences are More Important Than Products
Customer experiences become more important than products; companies now have to consider how products and services enhance specific lifestyles and workflows.
The legacy value of brands is overtaken by brands that earn relevance by investing in engagement and collaboration in moments of truth…beyond creative. Marketing becomes CX. This includes the sum of all disparate parts, marketing, product, sales, service, support, CRM, R&D, etc. Brands must also zero-in on the needs, values and aspirations of a generation that defines everything radically differently than previous generations.
2) Digital Detox Improves Digital Productivity
Digital is its own drug. People will learn how to hack their workflow because they have to. There’s too much email, too many meetings and not enough leadership to change routines. This leads to the need for individual productivity hacks. These acts go beyond employee efficiency; they will improve experiences and relationships professionally and personally. Everyone will need some sort of digital detox and/or focus.
3) The Consumerization of Work Turn Employees into Collaborators
The consumerization of work goes beyond IT and devices; workflow, behavior and expectations mimic real-world apps like Snapchat, Uber, Tinder, etc. Digital employees and customers think, act and expect differently. They want every business to feel, serve and work just like their favorite apps. Enterprise software will start to mimic consumer apps and ultimately reshape the role of IT and the processes it manages to support employees.
4) The Age of Corporate Renaissance
Old ways give to new business models, processes and philosophies; disparate departments merge, uniting tech and complementary disciplines. Marketing and IT work together rather than compete. CX, CRM and marketing form new experience teams. CIOs realize the “I” stands for “innovation” and as such understand external/internal behavior to rethink how people and tech work together now and in the future. Training and education become proactive to help modernize the workforce. HR undergoes a renaissance to provide a workplace that is native to Millennials and up-and-coming Centennials.
5) Culture Finally Gets Its Time in the Spotlight – Welcome to Culture 2.0
Culture is largely misunderstood and undervalued by the C-Suite today. It’s one of the reasons morale is at an all-time low. This will change because it has to. Employee engagement or the lack thereof creates a morale-busting “engagement gap”, giving way to an executive-level charter to invest in “culture 2.0”
6) The Cloud Takes Over Business
Critical ERP systems beyond CRM, marketing, etc. move to the cloud. Businesses cannot compete at the speed of digital Darwinism if they don’t change how they “do” business. Nearly a third of all enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in the world will attempt the migration to the cloud in the next two years.
How is your business affected by disruptive trends and technology? Is it for the better, or does it cause organizational chaos? I look forward to getting the conversation going.
*Note: This article was originally published in July 2017 and has been updated and revised for relevance.
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