Transformations – they are everywhere
For all of our approximately 200,000 year human history, change has been a constant. For most of that time though, change took place rather slowly and was not very perceptible within the boundaries of our short mortality. Therefore it did not seem that much changed in our lifetime. Of course, there have been exceptions to this when change was so dramatic that it could be classified as transformation witnessed in a single lifetime, for example:
- Black Death in Europe
- Renaissance
- Industrial Revolution
- War
So, if change is a constant, are we currently really living through a period of true transformation. The answer is a clear, yes. Seek and ye shall find, as the saying goes. It is very easy to find transformations taking place all around us. Here are just a few examples.
| Topic | Current | New |
| Vehicles | Combustion engine power | Electric power |
| Retail | Brick and mortar | Online |
| Concerts featuring artists who have passed away | Not possible | Holograms |
| Medical | One size fits all | Personalised |
| Nutrition | One size fits all | Personalised |
| Health | Doctors do the monitoring | Your technology monitors you |
| Data storage | Silicon | DNA |
| Drones | Toys | Commercial and military use |
| Cellular mobile network | Good enough (4G) | Massive potential increase (5G) |
| Computing | Silicon based | Quantum based |
| Wealth | Western dominance | Asian re-balancing |
| Entertainment delivery | TV and Cinema | Internet |
| Cannabis | Illegal | Legal |
| Transaction verification | Central counterparty | Distributed ledgers |
| Happiness | Ownership | Experiences |
| Gender | Binary | LGBT |
| Meat | Farmed from animals | Grown from cells |
| Money | Cash | Cashless |
| Education | Books | Videos |
| Learning | Centrally directed | Self-directed |
| Space | Government | Private sector |
| Shopping centres | Functional | Experience |
| Career | Climbing corporate ladder | Meaning and experience |
| Burial ashes | Cemetery | Compost and Space |
| Knowledge | Access by the few | Access by the many |
| Employee experience | Silicon Valley trendy | Mainstream |
| Workforce mix | Non digital citizens | Digital citizens |
| Management style | Command and control | Teal |
| Life | Three stage life | Five stage Life |
Like all good transformational eras, the impact of these changes does not focus upon one part of society but rather stretches across multiple areas.
Will this era continue? Again the answer is yes. We are seeing exponential growth of change building upon all human achievements that have gone before. This development curve is steepening. It means further disruptive and significant change is almost unstoppable. However, this is not always so obvious to main street as transformations do not necessarily fully replace what has gone before. For quite some time the old and new worlds co-exist, providing a sense of comfort and familiarity. This can create some doubt as to whether life is changing so dramatically.
Be under no illusion though, we are living through dramatic change. What transformations can you see happening?
