It’s not front page news yet we all know it: technological change is speeding up.
Some folks embrace new technology, as my 88 year old friend did when he got his first iPad this week. But many people feel completely left behind. The problem is they are chasing a train that is rapidly pulling away from them.
Over 40% of IBM’s revenue in 2012 came from products and services that did not even exist just 2 years before.
According to technology expert Daniel Burrus, there is one key point we must all accept about technology – if it can be done, it will be done, and if you don’t do it, somebody else will.
Technology provides us opportunities to do things better, and yet at the same time it challenges us by demanding that we continually adapt. The technology is driving us to change, and for many people, that is stressful.
Burrus alerts us that we cannot bury our heads in the sand and hope change will go away. Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum, says the rise of intelligent machines will force humans to become more adaptable if we are to have a place in the fourth industrial revolution. The competitors for our jobs will increasingly be machines.
So how do you deal with change? If you need help in this area, we can help.
Dr Steve Barlow
Author: Steve Barlow
Steve heads up The Change Gym. He is a change readiness specialist. You can contact him at steve@thechangegym.com.