SBTC, ETR: 2 mins
What areas should we be watching?
Business trends ebb and flow, changing marketplaces.
2018 saw a number of new and not so new ideas come to the fore.
Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, 4 day working, mobile working, changes to working patterns and the like.
Below we highlight areas we think will be influential this year.
Initiatives that can Transform Business!
People.
4 day working
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A four-day working week will be possible if businesses share the benefits of new technology with their workforce.
Well-being initiatives for tacking mental, social and physical health
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With a growing focus on mental health and research showing that employee absences cost UK businesses £77 billion a year in lost productivity,
Talent management becoming more critical
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Businesses are getting used to the GIG economy and are nurturing an ever-growing network of high-quality talent. They are moving toward employing talent that jives with their culture and values. Tools that help a business track their talent network will be important.
Process.
Physical and Cyber Security
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Biometrics, also known as realistic authentication, is increasingly being used as a form of identification and access control.
Increase in mobile/remote working
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A further step away from the now not-so-trendy open plan office and a move towards more flexible, remote working. More businesses will adopt the ‘coffice’: meeting in coffee shops or other public spaces to work together.
Environmentally sound, sustainable businesses
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Adopting more sustainable practices can save businesses money ($12 trn a year globally by 2030) and help to attract the best talent as young people increasingly look for jobs with companies that reflect their own ideologies.
Systems / Technology.
Increased use of cryptocurrencies
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The key value proposition around blockchain is reducing business and technology friction. “Current blockchain technologies and concepts are poorly understood but leaders should be evaluating these new approaches.
Platform-itisation
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Another trend is the “platform-itisation” of emerging technologies. Blockchain-as-a-service, VR-as-a-service, augmented-reality-as-a-service, IOT-as-a-service and AI & ML-as-a-service. The important trend here is the evolution of cloud-provided services.
Networks
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5G Wireless, 5thgeneration wireless systems are improved wireless network technologies which started being deployed in 2018.
Mr T Says:
Get on these ideas and see whether they can help to improve the competitive advantage of the business.