The future of work: staying on the positive side of technology

The long-term effects of the Covid-19 crisis are still mainly in the dark, but it is already clear that our experiences with remote work will shape the future of work going forward. Our increased use of technology already leads to cleaner air and lower CO2 emissions, improves work-life balances, and increases collaboration. Technology has always paved the way for a better future. We created it to benefit us. But its use requires cautious decisions that balance the positive and negative…

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The 4th industrial revolution is a dangerous myth

The fourth Industrial Revolution has not started yet. We are still in the Integration Phase of the Third Industrial Revolution. Not recognising this may mislead and prevent us from understanding the true nature and potential about what is happening at the moment. The false start into the 4th industrial revolution The possibilities and automation potential of the technologies currently at our hand, including AI, IoT, and robotics are astounding. There are so astounding that some suspect the beginning of a…

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More predictions for a Post-Corona World

This article is inspired by Emma Rose Bienvenu’s article 7 Predictions for a Post-Coronavirus World Futurism is a discussion that thrives on openness, diversity, inspiration, and productive dissent. Let’s discuss this. As much as we feel that Covid-19 is a life-changing experience, the world we grew up in still exists and works. The recent developments may not be permanent. A data point does not make a trend. You need at least two. But in turbulent times, even this may not…

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Who should you blame for Covid-19?

Blame flows freely when things get out of hand, people die, and economies collapse. We cannot blame a virus. So blame shifts to individuals, authorities, and institutions all the way up to the UN and EU. Blame is attributed to not preparing, not communicating, not acting, or doing it too late and insufficiently. I think we need to look at this differentiated and would like to suggest that we distinguish between politics and administrations as well as systems and individuals.…

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Future of logistics report released

Background The report builds on a 2017 study issued by the German Logistics Association BVL. The BVL Singapore members wanted to review, update it and especially add the Asian perspective. Thomas Martin from Forward Intelligence Group created an initial trend map from the report that served as an input to a workshop conducted with the BVL Singapore members. In that workshop, the team discussed and aligned their views on how the industry works and will evolve in Asia. As a…

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Is the Balkanisation of democracies a consequence of increasing individuality?

Catalan just failed in its attempt to secede from Spain. Many other territories, even in the EU are at risk. In all cases, groups of people want more autonomy or establish an independent country. There are at least two different drivers: Wrong borders. Borders that were drawn by (colonial) powers irrespective of ethnic realities that force people to live together that were not meant to live together. The most prominent case that gave this development a name is the Balkan. Today…

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Fake news is hard to come by

This comprehensive analysis of the fake news situation by the Pew Research Center is a fascinating account of the complexity of the situation. They queried more than 1,000 experts about their opinion on the fake news situation: will it improve or not? The experts are divided: 51% for 49% against. The analysis goes deeply into the drivers, dependencies and also the history of the topic. It touches on political, economic, social, technology, and legal facts and trends and paints a very…

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Hard trend alert: Teal organizations in the context of human development

In his book Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness Frederic Laloux presented a model for the evolution of organizations that uses colors to describe each stage starting with ancient red “wolf pack” organizations that form under a total “chief” leader. You can get a good overview of the different stages and the overall concept in this article. The final stage is teal. Teal organizations are self-managed living entities that move toward…

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Edge execution requires guidance – an example from the US military

Edge execution requires guidance - an example from the US military Edge execution avoids long decision-making cycles and allows organizations to react to new developments quickly. It requires the delegation of decision making to font-line people who are likely to encounter new developments first. Traditionally, the new development would be reported up the command chain, probably altered in process and then subjected to a consent and planning-based decision-making process before the final decision is eventually communicated down for execution again.…

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Do you work for free?

I remember talking to a friend a couple of years ago about mobile applications. I was working at Microsoft at that time, a company that makes money with software. He waved his Android phone and said: "why should I pay for anything?". I tried to explain it to him. He is academic, highly intelligent and in a very senior position far away from the software industry. He didn't get it. He already was too deep into the "freebie economy". He…

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