Senwes Scenario Februarie / Maart 2015 | Page 52

••• FUT UR E F OC U S Jim Carroll observes, “Some people see a trend – and see a threat. Innovators see the same trend – and see an opportunity.” He believes we need to acquire ‘business agility’. This empowers us to respond to fast external trends in order to spot opportunity, ward off challenge and align resources for fast success. Farmers, who maintain this is not relevant to them, make a mistake. This is exactly why some for example, have successfully embraced the futures trading platforms while others stand by frustrated and negative. Farmers also need to keep abreast of the rapidly changing consumers – their tastes, food trends and those social networking trends which are influencing food purchasing decisions – often with some serious misinformation! How do we achieve this business agility while we contend with issues which make us feel burdened and overwhelmed? We re-focus on the big picture and get a vision for our operations where we can thrive within the change. Carroll says issues we could focus on are: • Rebuild our competitive intelligence capabilities; • Abandon tradition and get more projects going on the leading edge; • Be decisive; • Be innovative; • Develop unique partnerships and mix different generations together; • Adapt to new technology – rapidly! Bill Gates has said we always overestimate the rate of change that will occur in the next two years – but we underestimate the 50 rate of change which will occur over 10 years. Ten years ago there was no twitter, no Amazon Kindle reader and face book was used mainly by university students – even apples and iPads were the playground of few - and yet today they are critical tools for everyday life. There is no doubt that we need to keep our finger on the pulse of change. A few changes mentioned in Carroll’s ‘25 Trends for 2025’ are: • Cash will have all but disappeared; • Africa will have ceased to be ‘a rural continent’ due to massive migration and urbanization. The majority of the world’s population will live in less than 30 mega-cities by 2025. • Mass urbanization will force vertical expansion and ‘skyscraper’ technology. • Life expectancy in the west will increase while in Asia, Africa and the Middle East it may decline. • A new business model will emerge with small groups of people focused on goals, ideas and innovation. Think BIG. Be small! • Healthcare will be redefined as bio-connectivity will see small chips under our skin to monitor our vital signs. • These same chips will be embedded in plants which will report if they need a nitrogen boost or a drink of water. Farmers will have instant ‘analytical dashboards’ to monitor health, growth rate and maturity of their croplands. • Re-generative technology will mean most energy will be reused and recycled. • Paper will belong in Februarie/Maart 2015 • SENWES Scenario ‘the olden days’. Education will shift to ‘just-in-time’ knowledge. Opportunities will depend on the ability to get the right knowledge at the right time for the right purpose. University degrees will be obsolete. • Sub-Saharan Africa will emerge as the world’s new China with fast paced advancements in water osmosis, desalinization and micro-weather control. In spite of the pace of change, the key to happiness, resilience and staying-power remains in our own hands. The Hudson Institute names 10 qualities of self-renewing adults. They: 1. Are value driven – time is organised around critical priorities. 2. Are connected to the world – caring, communicating, networking, and seeking. 3. Make moments for quiet – solitude brings perspective. 4. Pace time well – life is about more than work! Quality and integrity matter. 5. Get into Nature – use it to renew one. 6. Make time to be creative and playful – enjoy being alive! 7. Adapt to Change – always pursue the best options. 8. Learn from the down times. 9. Always stay in training – learning awakens us to new possibilities. 10. Are future orientated – look for ways to deepen our experiences and make a difference to our world. Sometimes it all seems too much to contemplate. Years ago Pieter Dirk Uys declared: ‘Adapt – or die!’… We just didn’t understand how right he was! •