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TOPICS:

Business Trends, Innovation and Change

Issues of the Future

Business Strategy Issues

BUSINESS TRENDS, INNOVATION AND CHANGE

• In an innovation rut? Here are tip-offs." ....a lot of organizations have become so focused on getting things done that they've lost their ability for any sort of creativity. That's why Einstein's comment is so appropriate; in a world of rapid and constant change, many people still manage to think that they can get away with routine."
• Will Sarbanes-Oxley Kill Innovation? "Will the intense focus on governance and compliance issues in the wake of major scandal somehow force many organizations to throw the innovation baby out with the bath water? It may inhibit a board's ability to focus on risk taking and long term value creation. And once risk and innovation are removed from the board table, it will soon disappear from the rest of the organization as well."
• Smooth the wheels of innovation. "We've got to get away from the past, and continue to reinvent ourselves for the future, through the application of all kinds of wildly innovative ideas as to how we work on a day-to-day basis."
• Resistance is futile. "Go on, admit it: You still set the "upside down" ketchup bottle down cap up.....Of course, we can all be forgiven for an inability to cope with ketchup bottle change because it involves instinct and ingrained behaviour. It's when we can't deal with other kind of change -- things that you have to control and adapt to -- that things go wrong"
• Paralyzed by indecision? Just Do it "It's sad to say, but it seems corporations have lost their sense of direction.....Quite simply, people have decided not to make decisions - and they like it. The result is a economy in which everyone seems to be stuck in a rut, unwilling and unable to move forward".
• What's your tin can? "How many executives and organizations within your association base are stuck in a 110-year old rut?"
• The Commoditization of human capital "With the political storm now raging around outsourcing and "off-shoring," one fact seems to be rather obscured: it is happening because many individuals, and likewise, many professions, have not managed to make a transition from a role that is tactical to one that is strategic
• How to implement change "Many people seem to be driven by a rather simple outlook on life: whenever confronted with something new, they quickly respond that we can't change things because "we've always done it that way."
• What's coming in 2004? "What pressing issues will face your members next year and the years to follow? What steps can you take now to help them cope with these challenging new realities? Jim Carroll provides an in-depth look at nine major issues and trends he believes all executives should be thinking about in the year ahead."
• Establish your own trends radar "I'm often asked how I became a "futurist, trends & innovation expert." Easy - I spend time observing and thinking about what's going on in the world around me - and I enhance those observations with real data"

ISSUES OF THE FUTURE

• The end of retirement "Are you ready for a world in which the concept of "retirement' has come to an end? If not, you'd better be, as this is likely to rapidly emerge as the most significant issue for every organization through the next ten years. That's because right now, we have a "perfect storm" brewing that involves three succinct but inter-related trends that will see the ongoing involvement in the workforce of people well past the age of 65."
• 10 Things My Kids Think Are From the Olden Days "....it can be very useful to have a barometer that helps to measure the rate of change. In my case, I track what my two boys - aged 8 and 10 - happen to think about the world around them."
• What's happening to our careers? It is estimated that medical knowledge is doubling every eight years, and that half of what students learn in their freshman year about science and technology is obsolete or revised by their senior year. Consider this - one professional estimate suggests that the half-life of an engineer's knowledge is about 5 years.
• Gen-Y in the workforce. One of the more challenging issues that organizations will have to deal in the next few years is how to successfully integrate "Gen-Y" into the workforce........ there hasn't been a lot of thought given as to how to successfully integrate this new and diverse age demographic into the workforce, an issue that is becoming more important with every passing day. The fact is, these kids are unique in more ways than one, and hence, forward thinking executives should take the time to learn how to take advantage of their uniqueness, and how to best manage and motivate them."

BUSINESS STRATEGY ISSUES

• Leadership for the future "Seek out the rebels in your membership base - you might not like what they have to say, but often, they are probably right in what they will tell you"
• Jumping on the corporate blog wagon "It likely won't be too long before we see an official Harley blog that features ongoing commentary, news and updates from an 'evangelist' within the Harley organization. Featured within the main Harley-Davidson site, the effort will emerge as a powerful means by which the company can further cement its digital relationship with its customers"