Once in a while I come across an article that just says all there is to say on a topic. This one, by Klaus Schwab does exactly that for the Forth Industrial Revolution that we are living in now. I quote:

“There are three reasons why today’s transformations represent not merely a prolongation of the Third Industrial Revolution but rather the arrival of a Fourth and distinct one: velocity, scope, and systems impact. The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance.”

Today’s decision makers are too often trapped in linear thinking

…and in terms of organisations and the people within them:

“Today’s decision-makers, however, are too often trapped in traditional, linear thinking, or too absorbed by the multiple crises demanding their attention, to think strategically about the forces of disruption and innovation shaping our future.”

That we are in a new paradigm hardly seems adequate to describe what we are facing. And yet what I am seeing is managers and leaders clinging steadfastly to old thinking and behaviours in the belief that just pushing a little harder will see us through. It won’t.

The good news is that we have the answers already. Some people and some organisations are proving it by adapting with incredible pace, agility and apparent ease. We can all do this, but we just need to get out of our own way for long enough to see clearly what we already know.

Applied Change: Unlocking human potential to achieve the extraordinary

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