The Future of Work in the Digital Economy

The buzz: Only digital natives need apply. Two worlds collide. By 2020, about 75% of the world's workforce will be millennials (born 1982–2004). Employers are seeking future workforce skills in analytics, cloud, mobile, and social media (Oxford Economics Sept. 2014). Good news: Millennials, the Digital Economy natives, have these skills. How can your organization prepare to meet the demands of these digital natives as well as your need to grow through globalization? The experts speak. Ben Dollar, Deloitte: “Information sharing is power. If you don't share your ideas, smart people can't do anything about them, and you'll remain anonymous and powerless” (Vint Cerf). Anne Dacy, IBM: Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work” (Vince Lombardi). Daisy Hernandez, SAP: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” (Sir Winston Churchill). Join us for The Future of Work in the Digital Economy.

The buzz: Share and share alike. Following the lead of now-established startups like Airbnb and Zipcar, more companies are offering a unique customer experience designed for convenience, trust and comfort. And this is causing more people to wonder what they can share, borrow or rent as a business opportunity. Have we evolved into an altruistic society? How is the digital economy enabling this to unfold? The experts speak. Bill Briggs, Deloitte: “I don’t believe in Beatles; I just believe in me” (John Lennon). Troy Fulton, Tangoe: Data analytics, policies and security measures must evolve to preserve and protect the mutual trust of protecting data between enterprises and their audiences.” Dinesh Sharma, SAP: “We cannot forget the concept central to the collaborative economy – everyone receives some kind of benefit. As businesses start to make money, how can the initial concept stand up to this tenet?” Join us for Collaborative Economy: It’s Real and It’s Disrupting Enterprises.

The buzz: Money can’t buy you love. As the complexity of workforce challenges deepens, so will the demand for quantitative approaches to address the people-related questions central to your organization’s simplification and success. According to 2014 Oxford Economics and SAP research, employees want higher compensation and more career opportunities. How is your company keeping valued talent engaged while measuring performance against the right metrics and incentivizing them to help achieve your goals? The experts speak. Nathan Sloan, Deloitte: “I was there to push people beyond what's expected of them...an absolute necessity. Otherwise, we're depriving the world of the next Louis Armstrong” (“Whiplash” film). Eric Lesser, IBM: At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies (Lawrence Bossidy). Kerry Brown, SAP: “Simplicity is complexity resolved” (Constantin Brancusi). Join us for Are Your Metrics and Incentives Rewarding Complexity or Simplification?

The buzz: Off-screen. Each day, the power of 1.3 billion people and 9 billion sensors interact in ways once seen only in the movies: Pilots steer a plane to avoid a volcano eruption. Farmers responsibly feed billions worldwide with precision farming. Consumers rally to change an unhealthy 130-year-old soft drink recipe. Digital Economy hyper-connectivity and the data it generates are transforming our lives, society, planet. Have you and your business embraced it yet? The experts speak. Fabian Cortes, IBM: “Within two years, digital commerce and systems of engagement will drive more IT expenditure than any other enterprise applications.” (Gartner 2011) Pete Swabey, EIU: “The majority of executives believe failure to adapt to hyperconnectivity—is the biggest risk their organisation faces.” (EIU 2015) Dinesh Sharma, SAP: “The Digital Economy is quickly becoming a fact of life…But (in) the business world, it’s about reinvention.” Join us for The Digital Economy: How Organizations Adapt.

The buzz: You know. As technology makes the global marketplace increasingly more accessible, all size companies must effectively distribute that knowledge across their entire organization. Why? Knowledge networks enable businesses to cross physical and virtual boundaries, innovate and collaborate at scale, and maintain human relationships where colleagues work virtually. However, research is limited on how to establish and run a successful network. Ready to learn what a well-built knowledge network looks like and how it could positively impact your business? The experts speak. Cynthia Gee, IBM: “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know” (1918 war slogan). Michael Gretczko, Deloitte: “You seek knowledge from books. What a shame!…You are an ocean of knowledge hidden in a dew drop” (Rumi) Jennifer Engelhardt, IBM: “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). Join us for Knowledge Networks: Productivity and Human Connections

The buzz: Cities. Connected cars, connected devices, connected wearables and more. If your city was connected, too, the data generated could provide predictive maintenance plus smarter decisions to help your city run simple. That’s a good thing. Can your company be part of such a future metropolis? What societal impact can this bring to the Digital Economy? The experts speak. Joe Francica, Pitney Bowes: “You can look at tables and pie charts and KPIs and graphs…or one map. That’s location intelligence.” Stephen Goldsmith, Harvard Kennedy School: “The digital age that has so changed every aspect of life can also fundamentally improve local government and raise the civic spirit of our people and the officials…” (S. Goldsmith and S. Crawford). Dante Ricci, SAP: “City government and private service providers have the opportunity to remove the IT complexity built up over decades to unlock potential and transform quickly.” Join us for Smarter Cities: Future Metropolis and Societal Impact.

The buzz: Workplace culture. Stockholders may not be concerned with your company’s culture, but your employees certainly are. Culture is such a powerful tool for companies that it can attract talent or scare it away. With historically low rates of employee engagement, and a pervasive lack of trust in leaders, organizations everywhere are trying to solve this growing. One way is by becoming more inclusive. How do you build-up trust and engagement, as well as diversity, to solve the culture problem in your company? The experts speak. Beth Thiebault, Deloitte: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” (Peter Drucker). Bill Jensen, “Mr. Simplicity”: “We have met the enemy and he is us” (Pogo). Deb Stambaugh SAP: “Great workplaces are built through the day-to-day relationships that employees experience — not a checklist of programs and benefits” (greatplacetowork.com). Join us for Great Workplaces: Trust, Engagement, Simplification, and Millennials

The buzz: Getting hyper. What does it really mean to have a connected business? Analysts estimate that by 2020 there will be 2.5 billion people connected on social networks, 75 billion connected devices, and $65 trillion in global business trade between connected businesses. As we move to an era of hyperconnectivity in this digital economy, how can your company turn these challenges and your business networks into profitable opportunities? The experts speak. Sudeep Gautam, HP: “The extent of imagination and rapid innovation will determine the velocity of hyperconnectivity in the digital world. A small pause in this process could severely derail the path to The Perfect World.” Dennison DeGregor, HP: “By 2017, the CMO will have larger budgets for technology than the CTO.” (Meg Whitman) Drew Hofler, SAP: “We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” (Sir Isaac Newton) Join us for Business Networks Fueling the Digital Economy: Are You Connected or Disconnected?

The buzz: Leaders and the bottom line. According to research from SAP and Knowledge@Wharton, 51% of leaders today believe simplification is of strategic importance, yet only 17% feel their efforts have been successful. Why does it matter? Because effectively managing complexity can result in at least a 25% increase in profit margins (BCG 2010). Leaders now need to step-up: learn or enhance their skills around organizational design, analytics, and more. The experts speak. Eric Lesser, IBM: “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. (Benjamin Franklin). Josh Bersin, Bersin by Deloitte: “’Culture is the new Black' in today’s data-driven work environment – anything we can do to understand and improve our workplace culture results in higher performance and greater customer success. Kerry Brown, SAP: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” (Sir Robert Bruce and William Edward Hickson…) Join us for Simplifying Your Business: Are Your Leaders Equipped?

The buzz: Wake-up, Retailers! Our hyper-connected networked economy has created a fast-paced environment for business growth, innovation, and optimization. Many retailers are taking advantage of this trend to deliver innovative consumer experiences. But retailers who wait too long to adapt may find their strategy defined by the consumer. The experts speak. Brent Brown, HP: “So we finish the 18th and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, ‘Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.’ And he says, ‘Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.’ So I got that goin' for me, which is nice…“ (Carl Spackler in CaddyShack) Brian Kilcourse, RSR Research: “Think global, act local.” (Patrick Geddes) Tim Hood, SAP: “In the networked economy…Retailers must embrace the opportunities and manage the challenges in order to be successful.” Join us for The Networked Economy: Shaping the Future of Retail