On this, the final day of 2014, it’s time for us to lay down a handful of predictions for the coming year. It’s been an evolutionary twelve months, packed with new methods of innovation, exciting technological advancements, positive shifts in industry approaches and interactions, and a growing focus on culture, camaraderie, and collaboration.
2015 will present many unique challenges, and plenty that are unanticipated — but with the ever-growing connectivity across people and places, healthy market competition, and unprecedented tools for capturing and sharing data, best practices, and successes, it’s also sure to be a year of eye-opening, positive change and discovery.
And so, here are 6 predictions for the next year that we expect to take place all over the world, from the minds of individuals who innovate to fully-interconnected organizations that have mastered the art of global service.
1. An Emphasis on Human Creativity and Talent
Due to the extreme and exponential tech advancements we’ve witnessed over the last few decades, there have been many moments where the perfect solution seemed to exist solely within machinery, software, and automated systems. But as convenient as our many, many tools may be, they also lack some pretty important elements: human intelligence, intuition, and independent creative capabilities. The move back towards people-driven initiatives and the many talents available therein has been on the rise for awhile now, but this trend will become even more prominent in the next year as tools continue to encourage collaboration, innovation, and creativity, and businesses see tangible successes from this cultural revolution.
2. Top Tools: The Cloud and the Platform
…that said, tech solutions are by no means going away, and in fact, will only prove more robust and powerful as the balance between operators and operating systems levels out. At the top of the totem? Cloud services, followed very closely by platforms designed to mechanize processes that were previously believed to be un-automatable — such as innovation, emergency response activities, and social awareness. As for the Cloud? “Today we can utilize Cloud services in the areas of finance, creative collaboration, automated marketing, publishing, networking, lead generation, HR, analytics, our own CRM software, and many more,” said Nikolaus Kimla in a recent piece for Wired. The immediate future will see greater developments in these approaches, making us less reliant on physical storage or serendipity for success.
3. More Innovation for the Greater Good
Money is an important part of every business venture, and making as much of it as possible is often the ultimate goal for an organization. But more and more, solutions to worldwide issues like poverty, homelessness, hunger, access to health care, emergency aid, and the distribution of supplies are becoming a focus for innovators and software developers — whether for profit or not. Regardless of whether it’s creating something that will help humanitarian organizations provide better services, or developing programs that directly impact cultures around the world, this trend is not only likely to continue as organizations find new ways to get involved, but have much wider, positive influence over global social challenges as companies build altruism into the fabric of their business models.
4. Increased Adoption of Scalable Programs and Processes
Perhaps equally as important as adopting collaborative practices and well-planned methods of ideation over this next year will be the ability to execute initiatives and programs on a grand scale. Strategy is the forerunner of success, but unless those thoughtful tactics can be applied to the full breadth of a company and its many stakeholders, it’s basically guaranteed that somebody is missing out on something crucial or game-changing. That’s why transparent programs, employee training, and clear communications matter more than ever — with all of the wonderful tools and services available that make it simple to connect with every corner of a business, there’s no legitimate reason not to take advantage, and leaders will become (sometimes painfully) aware of that as these solutions flood the market.
5. Innovation Accelerators = Dramatic Uptick in Available Solutions
According to recent reports by the International Data Corporation, we’ve already entered the reign of the Third Platform, an era built around social applications, big data, the cloud, and mobile computing. Coupled with what they’ve deemed the six most crucial “innovation accelerators,” they believe 2015 is the year that this combination of developments and breakthroughs will drive quick and monumental change.
These accelerators include: cognitive systems, 3D printing, pervasive robotics, natural interfaces, optimized security solutions, and of course, the IoT. As industries adopt these mechanisms and work to integrate them, the IDC foresees a rapid onslaught of new solutions from every industry that will launch us into the next technological age.
6. Heavy Focus on Emerging Mobile Technology and Services
This is a big one, specifically in terms of the enterprise. As cloud computing, data services, and the Internet of Things continue to steal the limelight, mobile technology will all but eclipse its bedfellows with respect to accessibility, demand, security measures, and customization. From Philip Redman: “Users want to take what they do at work on laptops, and do something similar with handhelds,” he says. “While the science is there to support it (high speed, ubiquitous networks, supporting software and hardware), the art of mobilizing enterprise apps on mobile devices is still behind…However, demand is high, and apps are driving the next phase in enterprise mobility. We will see enterprises mobilizing and rolling out business apps at a much higher rate than ever before in the next 12-18 months.”
We look forward to a new year of brilliant ideas, never before seen solutions, and advancements for an ever-brighter future. Cheers to 2015!
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