"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
(Arthur C. Clarke)
I’m sure there are a number of examples of similar levels of
mastery you can relate to even if your relationship with technology is
dominated by the user perspective – Imagine watching your favorite sport, golf
for example, where the player you root for confidently walks up to the tee,
effortlessly drives the first shot down the fairway to the ideal location for
an easy pitch onto green, and executes a single controlled put to score a
comfortable birdie. If you’re not a
sports fan – I think we’ve all seen street artists sketch a portrait or
caricature where at first, the few simple lines on the blank sheet of paper
through a mesmerizing transformation move from a nonsensical shape to a
beautifully detailed likeness which, if asked to explain or perform the task,
the untrained layman would face poor odds.
Both circumstances require repetitive training, analysis,
learning and experimenting over extended periods of time combined with the
passion and curiosity to reach those extraordinary levels of mastery exhibited
by our billboard athletes, artists, and top-tier professionals in different
fields in business.
When we encounter these skills skillfully applied in a neat
streamlined little package of seamlessly integrated technology, we get the
impression of some intangible reality changing properties being imbued with the
object – put more simply, it’s like magic!
Remember your first encounter with the iPhone, or Spotify,
or having a video-chat with a loved one around the world, or perhaps the
combination of internet and Google putting the knowledge of the world at your
fingertips. The inherent complexity of
the multiple layers of technology, infrastructure and software making these
experiences possible is practically incomprehensible for regular mortals – yet these
wizards of technology conceive and realize the end-results, and possible next
generation technologies which lie beyond.
In current cutting edge application of Big Data
technologies, machine learning, efforts towards predictive algorithms and the
beginnings of Artificial Intelligence visible in concepts like the IBM Watson –
a whole new range of business models and value creation will take place, and
any business with the ambition to remain competitive tomorrow needs to maintain
a split vision between the day-to-day challenges in the business, and the
opportunities brought into the industry by disruptive technologies.
Classic business examples of failing the challenge of the
future upheld in classrooms around the world include Eastman-Kodak (film),
Facit (calculators), Xerox (copier machines), Nokia (mobile handsets) and
perhaps within a shorter timeframe than we realize – well-known hotel chains,
taxi companies, network television and record companies.
What then, is the take-home insight we should derive from
the connection between the individual effort, leading to mastery, leading to
wonderful – practically magic – technological advances and solutions? Here are my conclusions –
-
Focus on your
goals, your reality, your ability to explain the challenges
of your business to people who can help you resolve some of those problems with
solutions you may not even have imagined were possible. Sometimes, this opens up transformational possibilities
which may expand business and create new revenue streams previously not
available to the organization.
-
Start small, and build trust with a dedicated
team of technology experts who share your vision of where the business should
be heading, introducing technological solutions to create value for your end
Customers. Let the results speak for
themselves, and iterate to progress forward.
-
The day-to-day, bread and butter, core-part of
your business should run like clockwork and create as little “fuss” as
possible, in order for you to enable a focus on innovation and expansion –
regardless if it’s relating to technological improvements or not.
Recently, I’ve come across
a few great examples of how this can work out in the real world.- ESAB
- Ambea
.. and some bonus material -
http://www.esabna.com/us/en/weldcloud/index.cfm
http://youtu.be/R63DEWagbV8
– I hope you find them inspiring!
