Looking Forward
Speed is of paramount importance when it comes to digital disruption . Network effects create a winner-take-most situation in many industries ; there likely will not be another Airbnb , for instance , that is as impactful in the hospitality market . The first mover advantage is a real , and unless the leading disrupting companies somehow give up their market position , they will lock others out .
On a more tactical level , enterprises do not need to be the first movers . Leveraging digital technology just to increase their efficiency , for example by automating a factory floor or tracking logistics using RFID , may be enough to change the game for them . There are many instances of these types of organizations doing their business better with digital approaches , and creating many times the value for a minimal investment .
Moving forward , we will see a very different economy . Take job displacement , for instance . Today , there are over 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the United States , making it one of the most popular jobs in the country . It is foreseeable that anybody who drives could be out of a job in 5-10 years , considering the efficiency and impact of self-driving technology . This appears detrimental for the millions who drive for a living around the world . But the cost of goods should drop , and the number of fatalities on the highways should drop as well . While new technology will displace many existing jobs , it will also create new opportunities for subsidiary services that will need a human operator .
Consumer Expectation
What is the most likely outcome of the digital disruption for consumers ? It is the expectation of automation . While we are perfectly happy with getting daily updates on the status of our product orders , in the future , we ’ ll expect updates by the minute . Moreover , we ’ ll expect issues to be dealt with automatically as well . For instance , we will expect our cars to report problems directly to the dealership , and even schedule service without human intervention .
Out of this will come the next wave of digital innovations , and thus disruptors , that will take advantage of the first wave . Cloud , IoT , machine learning and other disruptive technologies are making better use of digital innovations . For example the ability to monitor our health will soon get to a point where physicians can be much more proactive in preventing disease before it is diagnosed .
Transforming Enterprises
Technology is the single most transformative force in our lives today . Enterprises and humans alike will certainly feel the affect . However , none of this will be truly effective without a push to innovate around emerging technologies .
Enterprises are realizing that they can ’ t layer new technology onto their exist-
26 | THE DOPPLER | WINTER 2017