Be Brave or Be Dead – A Futurist View of Supply Chains

There are two types of company left – brave or dead. Considering what’s coming in the next 15 years, now is definitely the time to be brave.

Increasingly, there are only two kinds of companies: brave and dead.

When world renowned speaker and author, Seth Godin, talks about the future of businesses, people listen. And when Godin warns of extinction if companies aren’t brave, then you certainly want to be in the first category.

Change is coming. Not only for procurement and supply chains, but for businesses as a whole. And businesses that choose to bury their heads in the sand on key issues aren’t going to survive long. But what are the key issues they need to be focusing on?

Respected futurist, entrepreneur, and author of global best-seller, ‘An Optimist’s Tour of the Future‘, Mark Stevenson, is one man who understands the key trends heading our way. An expert on global trends and innovation, he will be setting the scene with our opening keynote at the Big Ideas Summit 2017 in London.

A Futurist’s Perspective

We’re well aware of the technological changes coming our way in the next 10-15 years. Automation, AI, and 3D printing, amongst others, have all made headlines already given their impact on manufacturing, supply chains and business models.

Industry 4.0 has presented organisations with an immense opportunity to change the way they work. However, there are still too many companies with their heads in the sand, being left behind.

According to Stevenson, there are several technology waves coming in the next decade. With each one, industries will be disrupted, but new models and strategies will arise. Companies need to account for three key components – geo-politics; geo-economics; and geo-technology.

This isn’t an either/or situation – all three are crucial. But the companies that can take advantage of these waves will not only attract the best staff, they will seriously outperform all their rivals.

The Energy Race

One of the first waves will be in renewable energy, and a final step away from fossil fuels. Even oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia are planning for this future, advising they will be ‘getting out of oil’ in the next 20 years. Even now, organisations are generating their own energy, or are buying energy through co-operatives. The traditionally big players in the industry will increasingly be bypassed, as energy gets cheaper and more locally generated, something that can only be a benefit for individuals and organisations.

Financial Services Disruption

What will happen to the Financial Services industry? Can it survive this disruption? Yes, but it will need to evolve to survive. Stevenson uses the example of the blockchain as a key disruptor. He is on the board of a new bank which embraces blockchain and has about 50 staff.

This is a far cry from the enormous, staff heavy traditional models, who have thousands of staff praying that blockchain is just a bad dream, hampering their ability to innovate. As the novelist Upton Sinclair noted “It’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it”.

Manufacturing Revolution

An area where supply chains are already seeing major disruption is in manufacturing. Of this revolution, Stevenson highlights the potential for 3D Printing.

Organisations can bring much manufacturing in house. Designs can be downloaded and printed on site, at a fraction of the cost in some cases. One industry looking at this is pharmaceuticals – the first 3D printed drug is already FDA approved.

Unlocking the Genome

 Genetics and Bio-Technology represent a technological wave that many have yet to consider. Advancements in human longevity change the game for the medical industry, but leave organisations with decisions to make on staff. What do retirement, long-term strategy, even relationships look like if we might live healthily past 100? And, to loop back to the energy race, bio-technology is one disciipline that is already being leveraged to pull CO2 from the skyu and turn it into liquid fuel. Why shouldn’t procurement be at the heart of this revolution too?

Time to Be Brave

 Ultimately, Stevenson’s message boils down to one thing – if you don’t understand the questions technology is asking you, then you’re lost. It might seem brutal, but it’s the truth, and trying to ignore it, or pleading ignorance will mean your company may soon be obsolete.

However, the message here is not intended to be doom and gloom. Stevenson reminds us that one option is a future that we can make better for all. He’s keen to engage people on an emotional level, and get them thinking about their careers, and their children’s futures.

It’s time for leaders to engage their hearts, not just their minds. It’s time for us all to get our heads out of the sand and look up. And if we all listen carefully at the Big Ideas Summit 2017, we’ll certainly learn a great deal about our role in making the future sustainable, human, compassionate and just.

Join the conversation and register as a digital delegate for Big Ideas 2017.