Leg 9. From Newport to Cardiff (II). Digital Disruption Introduction.
Good afternoon!.
Hope you are on top of your week. We are in the middle of the last transatlantic ocean leg at the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-2018. Leg 9 started last Sunday, and during the last three days, we have seen two different strategic routes of the fleet. A group of us decided to go north directly after leaving Newport (Dongfeng, TTOP, Mapfre) and the rest decided to go some miles south trying to pursue better conditions of wind (Brunel, Akzo-Nobel, Vestas 11th and SHK-Scallywag). The weather conditions have been changing dramatically. Last Monday the fleet was sailing at 19-20 knots, and right now we are all in between 12-14 knots (Data from the Virtual Eye 3D Volvo Ocean Race).
Moreover, the leading teams have changed a couple of times since then, but at the moment the position of the fleet is as follows:
Positions of the Fleet. 23-05-2018
At this moment the teams who decided to go south have all decided to go north again in the same direction than the first group, and we don´t know which of the teams will lead in the next hours (if Dongfeng or Brunel).
Let´s go for our today´s first topic. Digital Disruption-Introduction and Concept. We have prepared the following slides. Please take a look at them. Thanks.
If you wish to see them in PDF file, do not hesitate to download them here: Eliescalante Leg 9 Digital Disruption Introduction.
A few observations about the last slides:
- Digital Disruption is a term which is part of another one: Disruptive Technologies. The first academic who showed us the disruptive technology facts and disruptive innovations was Clayton Christensen around 20 years ago.
- Digital Disruption is an “infant” or an embryo. Why? Simply because it is new. Consulting firms of highly respectable caliber started to show the “digital consulting” wings by the year 2012 (with Deloitte Digital, Australia). And 6 years have passed since then.
- The word Digital now is associated with something completely different than its initial purpose. Digital now is related to the aspiration of utilizing “information technology and communication (media) tools in order to engage in society, family, the private sector, politics, and governments”. Some experts agree that digital citizens are those who use the internet regularly and effectively.
The word disruption is what makes us a bit insane. Aren´t we? When we analyze just the word disruption, this term is related to the following synonyms: disorder, upset, trouble, dislocation, perturbation, rupture, breaking, breakdown, breakup, breach, etc. And certainly true, our businesses value propositions, business models, and decision making reflect historically that we have been pursuing disruption. Either some businesses are the original cause of the disruptions, or the competitors follow and deepen the disruption.- Whatever the innovation through digital or emerging technologies, let´s ask ourselves: Is the purpose of our businesses to cause disruption to humanity or to cause a balanced evolution?, What do we think about this?
We have been reading several articles available at each of the top consulting firms in the world (BCG, Bain, McKinsey, Deloitte, Price Waterhouse Coopers, etc.) and the digital transformation is one of their core business services now. Let´s ask ourselves if the speed of our digital innovations is the right one? Or, can we ask ourselves, for the first time during the last 100 years, do we want to do a digital balanced evolution on the planet? Can we slow down a bit, please? Even though developed countries have adopted many digital technologies, there are several societies where digital is still a work in progress.
Thank you.
San Salvador 15:51 pm (CST).
Disclaimer: All the presentation slides shown on this blog are prepared by Eleonora Escalante MBA-MEng. Nevertheless, all the pictures or videos shown on this blog are not mine. I do not own any of the lovely photos or images posted unless otherwise stated.
Eleonora Escalante Strategy 