A few years ago, I wrote a piece articulating what lessons consultants could take from bartending. Recently, I was reflecting on that article and considering how, at Toffler Associates, we encourage our clients to look outside their company and their industry for answers to complex questions. As I thought about the Tofflers and our legacy as a firm, that timeless search for meaning struck me as one of the most critical aspects of understanding change. That seemingly simple realization prompted me to reflect on the art and science of philosophy in our contemporary context of change, disruption, innovation, and changing leadership.

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”

-Isaac Asimov

We hear a lot about “disruptive technology,” but what does that really mean? It is one thing to put together a trend piece or identify the next big thing. Understanding it and planning for the disruption is another challenge altogether.

“What's the problem we're trying to solve?

What is the question that we're trying to answer?

The key is getting the question right.”

I recently had the opportunity to engage in a fascinating conversation with a fellow life-long learner and high-touch futurist. That discussion with Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild, founder of Wild Innovation and Interim Executive Director and Chief Futurist for the Rural Futures Institute (RFI) at the University of Nebraska, was recorded for the Rural Futures Podcast. On a weekly basis, this platform explores rural-urban divide, technology development, and the future of work.

Being a bit of a technology geek, I always look forward to Mary Meeker’s annual update on Internet Trends. Since 1995, Ms. Meeker has been maturing a compendium of valuable insights into the growth and expansion of our global information infrastructure. It has become an almanac of sorts for the technology industry, helping to guide investments and develop strategies for competing in the Digital Age.

How often do we hear about an organization that is going through, coming out of, or planning for a change? Constantly. The cycle is almost continuous. One change is barely implemented before a new disruption or opportunity presents itself and demands a response. Organizations capable of engaging a continuous process of identifying, planning for, and adapting to change are those with teams aligned around priorities and structures in place to act on decisions with process and focus.

Toffler Associates keeps an ever-present eye toward the future. An important step in the process of identifying and contextualizing predictions is taking the time to consider the current environment, past trends and events, and the ways that expectations proved out in reality.

Summarizing 2017, we see seven disruptions and impacts that we believe will shape business, infrastructure, economy, and societies in 2018. Some are inherently optimistic; others are risks to mitigate. In every case, these are big ideas and important considerations as you take a breath over the holidays and plan for the year to come.

Over the past couple of years, the focus of my work has been helping organizations wrestle with the promise and challenge of disruptive technologies. I’ve participated in, led, and observed countless presentations about viable emerging technologies and disruptive companies. As part of the discussions, we have examined potential threats and risks, and constructed scenarios and preparations. I’ve worked with clients to determine the investment and portfolio compositions necessary for robust, sustainable growth. I’ve helped to build and prepare teams to brief boards of directors, interviewed more than 300 leaders across industries, and done hundreds of hours of research. Through this work, I’ve come to a single, clear realization: we’re doing it wrong.

Technology will transform how we connect, learn, share and innovate in the future, having broad implications for organizations, workforces, and customers. Whether from great expectations, fears of job security, or uncertainty due to myriad options, technology is challenging leaders to reconsider how they will create and protect value in the future.

Over the course of the past few months, we’ve given blog space to an increasingly pervasive question: as innovations in smart technology reshape the organization and competitive marketplace, how is the role of the human worker changing? Secondarily, what new skills do leaders need to hire for and nurture to address immediate challenges and opportunities, and build a resilient, future-focused organization?