Change is all around us. The difference is that today the pace of change is changing.
The pace of change is accelerating. Never in human history has this been so apparent. Former stalwart axioms, like Moore’s Law, are on the verge of needing to be changed or otherwise updated because they aren’t fast enough.
This is not all a bad thing. It’s just the nature of the beast. Humans has always want to explore, experiment and now as a race humans are working on evolving too. Humans 2.0 is more than just a science fiction title and thought experiment to be carried out by men wearing Nehru Jackets and smoking a meerschaum pipe. Now we are seeing the pace of change in everything from electronics, automobiles and even the way we interact with our fellow humans changing on a monthly (sometimes weekly) basis.
What does this all mean?
It means we need to be ready to adapt. By adapt I mean train, educate and seek to understand what the implications are within the context of the change we will all be seeing. Some will rebel. Some will say it doesn’t fit their worldview. Some will opt-out and “go off the grid” as a way to bypass the changes. The fact is that change is inevitable. Whether it doesn’t fit a particular worldview is irrelevant. Change is coming. Be ready.
There are a lot of changes coming at us from every direction. Medicine, Media and Mechanical devices are being updated on a very regular and dizzying basis. While it’s true that many traditional models of understanding, delivering and being treated by medicine will never change much. For example, treating a wound or caring for individuals, the technology behind each of these is advancing at a rapid rate. The understanding of the biology behind the healing process makes injury management as much about the science as it is about the art. The ability to care for patients is also improving at a rapid rate. Everything from how beds are designed to how the room is optimized for efficiency and efficacy.
That’s just medicine. The transportation industry is being changed at a rapid pace too. Some of the more obvious examples include ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft. Other less obvious, but perhaps more impactful, examples include long haul truckers and the rise of automation for all aspects of their business. The initial elements will be seen in automated trucks that form platoons on the highways to get from city to city with maximum efficiency. Humans will still be involved, for now. Helping these drivers and all the people that support the shipping, logistics and packaging industry aspects of the business will be a job for change management.
Entire industries will be disrupted. Understanding the goals of these disruptions will be just as important as understanding the implications.
Change is inevitable.
Change Management is a Coping Mechanism.
Helping people understand what is coming will be critical to getting their approval to continue disrupting their lives, their business, and their livelihoods. Much like The Terminator in the classic 1984 movie … change will never stop.
Are you ready for the wave of changes that are coming your way?
Image Credit: The Terminator
Tweet him @jshuey or connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+ He is active in the Microsoft Partner Community and is the co-founder and President of the IAMCP Seattle chapter.
He is a contributing author to Entrepreneur, Elite Daily, Yahoo, US News and to the Personal Branding Blog.
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