The pace of change is not only faster these days, it arrives with little knowledge about its nature, often lacking details that could help with understanding - this is disruption in the modern age. Each of the disruption factors contributes to great uncertainty and risk. It matters little if the disruption emanates from Brexit, trade war announcements, the Middle East or new technology in the for of AI or robot etc as the inter-connectivity of trade and social media or the internet all aid in the acceleration of knowledge (even if they lack detail or policy maturity).
Business could once upon a time wait for government policy to be developed over years, where input and collaboration was included as new policies were settled. It was once possible for business to read about future changes in newspapers and analyst briefings to gain understanding or before it was required to react and adjust. This new age is interconnected so a policy announcement may now come from a president or government leader over social media, where the information is brief and the legislature may occur later, markets react instantly and the organization is required to make decisions at that point, well before analysts and media have had time to review, ask questions and provide advice.
Organizational leaders and managers are now regularly expected to operate in a new age that may have only a 50/50 likelihood, where their careers and the future of their organization may hang in the balance if poor choices are made. Whilst reacting quickly is important, there is the lack of information and lack of analysis to contend with prior to making decisions. Working up organizational policy once also took time to develop and to approve, time to explain to staff and to have it properly written. In this faster new age there may be insufficient time to develop the policies required, even less to brief and train staff.
Organizations need to be conscious of this new age and its nuances, as operating in old decision models is likely to be no longer appropriate. Ignoring the new age may be even more risky than making decisions on the fly, as being last to react can be as dangerous as being last, conservatism practices may need to be re-worked.
So as you may be clearly be able to see - it matters little if you believe robots are coming or will never arrive, as the impact either way will be swift, with little predictability and yet will have high impact due to inter-connectivity of trade and knowledge.
A whole lot of internal investigation is required to prepare for disruption, even more to adjust the organization to be more nimble and less bureaucratic. The smaller organization may be in a place of considerable advantage in disruption as they can make decisions faster and be more innovative in their approaches.
hese and other related topics feature in Dr Mats book titled "Leading and Managing Change in the Age of Disruption and Artificial Intelligence" - written for the modern professional, student and academic - in fact anyone wanting to be ahead on modern Leadership and Management issues.
Dr Mats latest book is available through Amazon (kindle version or hard copy can now be purchased) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1787563685 . This book has been strongly endorsed - so use this link to review the endorsements, or to preview Chapter 1, table of contents and the preface from Amazon (kindle version button) - consider buying this book or recommend it to professional colleagues or friends/family, students and academics.
Dr Mat also writes for a number of professional/ other magazines, podcasts, conferences, webinars in his quest to spread knowledge on these modern important topics. So he is available for presentations, key note, private briefings and mentoring to assist your organization prepare for the future.
Dr Mat is also on Twitter - @DrMat14
Consider your own specific situation and seek professional advice before acting directly in reaction to any of the tips on this website, they are intended as general advice only.
