Future Of Business With Game Changers, Presented By Sap

The buzz: Networks. Over the past 20 years, B2B, B2C, mobile technology, exchanges, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have changed how we interact personally and commercially with the world. This Network Economy, aka the next global economic revolution, is accelerated by the convergence of social connectivity, device-to-device connectivity, and business-to-business connectivity and collaboration. Have we just scratched the surface of leveraging networks to drive speed, volume, and value in electronic commerce? The experts speak. Vivek Bapat, SAP: “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore” (André Gide). Drew Hofler, SAP: “It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed” (attributed to Charles Darwin). Reuven Gorsht, SAP: “There are no old roads to new places.” Join us for Future of Networked Commerce: Changing How the World Interacts.

The buzz: Transformation. No longer just personal, “Reinvent yourself” is a mantra in business plans, driven by tech advancements, scarcity, B2B and B2C relationships. Whether you see business transformation as art, science or both, your survival depends on getting it right. The experts speak. Eric Lowitt, Nexus Global Advisors ““Be as uncomfortable as possible for as long as possible.” (College guidance counselor) Patrick Heffernan, TBR: ““Sometimes pumpkins look like oranges.” (Wisdom from a 3-year-old) Sunil Patel, SAP: “Many organizations today do not feel that they have the capability to become a Digital Enterprise. Their spend is mostly maintaining what they have, rather than innovating. With so many changes pushing them to this digital future – Internet of Things, Big Data, Changing Workforce – they need new strategies to modernize and innovate simultaneously. Join us for Future of Business Transformation: Insight-Driven Innovation.

The buzz: Individuality. Henry Ford is often credited with speeding the transition from a “Make for Me” economy to a mass-produced economy of “any color you want, as long as it’s black”. But consumers recently began demanding “Made for Me” products and services at lower prices and higher quality. Can technology help companies answer their cry and stay in business? The experts speak. Whitney Johnson, Disruptive Innovation Facilitator: “Winners know when to quit.” (whitneyjohnson.com/knowing-when-to-quit). Elizabeth Hedstrom Henlin, TBR: “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” (M. Twain) Reuven Gorscht, SAP: “’Where everybody knows your name…and they’re always glad you came.’ Business has been dehumanized. The bartender who knew you by name is replaced by big brands and barcodes. ‘Make for me’ economy brings back customer centricity in new, and arguably even better, ways.” Join us for Future of Make for Me: The Luxury of Customer Centricity.

The buzz: Customer data. Companies are collecting everything possible about customers: buying preferences, online habits, satisfaction, usage and reams of personal data. In fact, more data was created in the last five years than in all prior years combined. Are we making progress or simply data-hoarding without knowing what we really need to run the business? Will new technology make customer big data collection techniques obsolete? And what about privacy and security? The experts speak. Matt Healey, TBR: “Not all who wander are lost.” John Kreisa, Hortonworks: “Sometimes it’s smarter to be lucky, than lucky to be smart.” Greg Smith, SAP: “In the last 20 years, we have seen unbelievable advancements in computing capacity and a complete explosion in data, where customers see the amount of data they produce grow exponentially. But can we honestly say we have seen the business processes evolve to keep up with these advancements?” Join us for Future of Customer Big Data: When Is Enough?

The buzz: IT scarcity. We know there’s a limit to the world’s food, water and energy supplies. But as humanity grows increasingly dependent on technology, our IT resources may be next on the scarcity list. Can you even fathom running out of computing capacity, raw materials and other as-yet-unknown factors? Do we need to start optimizing IT resources now or is the Cloud the silver bullet we may soon need? The experts speak. Allan Krans, TBR: “It is more rewarding to be complicit with scarcity than excess.” (Will Oldham). Phil Hassey, capioIT: “Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun. Oh, but mama, that’s where the fun is.” (Bruce Springsteen). Jay Foard, SAP: “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” (Albert Einstein). Join us for Future of IT Scarcity: Will We Run out of Technology?

The buzz: Complexity. Since the dawn of time, humans have worked to solve complex problems through cumulative learning, imagination, technological advances, spirit and courage. Today, our ability to efficiently manipulate larger and larger volumes of data has the potential to propel civilization forward at undreamed-of speed. If we’re really equipped to untangle new quandries with ease, where can this take us next? The experts speak. Jason Sprunk, Rockwell Automation: “The pace of change is mind boggling and our ability to cope, adapt, and evolve as a species will likely be challenged. As von Goethe said, ‘By seeking and blundering, we learn...’” Jorge Garcia, TEC: “Complexity that works is built up out of modules that work perfectly, layered one over the other” (Kevin Kelly). Francesco Mari, SAP: “For every complex problem there is a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong” (H.L. Mencken). Join us for the Future of Simplifying Complexity: Insight-Driven Innovation.

The buzz: Marketers. Engaging, delighting, and earning the loyalty of your connected, empowered customers is a complex, evolving science. You need to learn what they like, how they shop, how they like to interact; master social media listening; respond quickly to market trends; and gain visibility into trends. Oh, my! The experts speak. David Raab, Raab Associates: “Marketers can’t buy software. Any company where the CMO has a bigger budget than the CIO is in serious trouble.” Gerry Brown, Ovum: “Winning companies will continually adjust to fast changing customer demand patterns and social comments, aggressive competitor actions, and media news items content.” Jeff Tanner, Professor: “The only sustainable competitive advantage is to learn faster than your competition, and to be able to act on that learning” (Jack Welch). Michelle Cooper, SAP: “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished” (Benjamin Franklin). Join us for Future of the Empowered Marketer: Science of Customer Centricity

Today’s buzz: Corporate learning. Pop quiz: Are you developing your workforce – millennials, boomers/zoomers, everyone in between – to their highest potential with employee-driven professional development plans, proven learning strategies, and rigorously evaluated educators? Time’s up! If you answered “No”, you’re ignoring a mission critical business enabler. Even worse, you may be setting up your staff to become frustrated, disloyal, and ineffective at their jobs. Can you afford to take such a risk? The experts speak. Patrick Heffernan, TBR: “Managers who count training against utilization – that is, consider time spent learning as time not being utilized – will be left without good people or good clients.” Jeff Losey, University of Farmers: “A rising tide lifts all boats (John F. Kennedy). Lori Williams, SAP: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” (Benjamin Franklin). Join us for Future of Corporate Learning: Leading Edge or Falling Behind?

The buzz: Work. Companies with engaged employees typically retain top talent, enjoy customer satisfaction, and earn best-in-class marks. Their secret sauce? Effective corporate learning programs. On the flip side, lack of funds or bandwidth for great training could result in frustrated, disloyal, ineffective employees. Management has dealer’s choice, but the stakes are only getting higher. The experts speak. Richard Edwards, Ovum: “Employee frustration and operational latency are increasing as the workforce tries to do today’s job with yesterday’s tools.” Kris Pederson, IBM: “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn” (Peter Drucker). Kerry Brown, SAP: “Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow” (William Grosvenor Pollard). Join us for The Future of Work: Ready to Unlock Human Potential?

The buzz: User experience. The past decade has seen an accelerated, pervasive evolution in the B2C and B2B user experience, with the introduction and adoption of mobile technology at its core. Consumers have come to expect–and demand– intuitive simplicity in apps, speed-to-satisfaction and personalized customer experiences. If this rapid pace of change continues with more technical advances in hardware and networks, how will we interact with our computers in the next five years? Put simply, will technology, business trends, and culture limit or knock the socks off of tomorrow’s buyers and users? The experts speak. Jeremy Cox, Ovum: “90 percent of firms are flying blind and at risk of becoming irrelevant.” Jaco Van Eeden, Deloitte: “Enterprise users should not need any training to use the enterprise systems.” Peter Spielvogel, SAP: “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.” (Steve Jobs, at worldwide developer conference in 1997). Join us for The Future of Customer