Megatrends, decision evaluation and the future we want
In the process, a number of meta-drivers fell out that may shape the megatrends. Yes, this is turning into a convoluted network of interactions and that is why some models to assess these interactions are so important. These categories for these meta-drivers seemed to be:
- Engagement – this is what drives social, concepts like flow and maybe even the Internet of Things
- Simplicity – addressing the limitations of our ability to consume
- Efficiency – this embraces the concept of abundance and scarcity
- Flexibility – the need to adjust quickly (probably the sustained driving factor for cloud techniques)
- Security – we all know about this, if you don’t feel safe almost nothing else matters
- Visibility – the need for contextual understanding in order to act (one of the reasons for the current focus on Big Data)
Are these too simple? What have I left out?? It surprised me how old some of the links I identified were to link to this post.
It seems like many of our decisions could use an indicator showing how they increase or decrease these categories. We could use this as part of defining our expectations.
How many times do we make decisions that increase security but radically decrease flexibility or visibility, for example? You hear that discussion about our personal as well as our business lives today.
Trends and innovations that will shift the workplace of the future (2nd in a series)
Advances in improved handling of lost packets for mobile
“Several companies have licensed the underlying technology in recent months, but the details are subject to nondisclosure agreements, says Muriel Medard, a professor at MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics and a leader in the effort. Elements of the technology were developed by researchers at MIT, the University of Porto in Portugal, Harvard University, Caltech, and Technical University of Munich. The licensing is being done through an MIT/Caltech startup called Code-On Technologies.”
The issue of constrained mobile bandwidth is huge and growing. Dropped packets cause delays, and then to compound the issue traditional techniques generate new network traffic to replace those lost packets.
If the technology works across wireless implementations and domains, it could help forestall a spectrum crunch. Cisco Systems says that by 2016, mobile data traffic will grow 18-fold. Bell Labs goes farther, predicting 30x mobile traffic growth over 5 years (2010-2015).
Businesses depend on reliable mobile data capabilities so these advances are important to IT organizations. The BYOD movement will place even more strain on the mobile space, but is probably considered as part of the predicted growth. It does make me wonder if available mobile bandwidth will become part of the work migration movement, since bandwidth is turning into the measure of distance – a good example of a Megatrend.
MegaTrends and Healthcare
The ones that dominate the healthcare discussion (regardless of country borders) were:
- The aging population
- Chronic illness is becoming more common
- The threat of global pandemics
- The costs of healthcare outpace the GDP
- Shortages of professional providers
There are also some organization specific trends that seem to dictate the agenda:
- Antiquated healthcare systems
- A focus on cost rather than value/quality
It is clear that innovative approaches will be required to overcome the breadth of these trends. Questioning the Status Quo will likely involve new perspectives on mobility (including sensors), analytics and collaboration. There are some interesting activities taking place in the labs that are not quite ready for the light of day, but hopefully they will be soon.
There are other sites discussing healthcare megatrends. Which ones resonate with you?
