Erica Orange

Templosion + The Transformation of the Global Economy:
Since 2008, what we’ve experienced was (and still is) a fundamental global economic transformation. Economic transformations are brought about by the convergences of new technologies that create efficiencies in existing businesses, create whole new ones, replace work and workers and open entirely new vistas. All of this is leading to a world of templosion. Templosion refers to the idea that the biggest of things/events are happening in shorter periods of time. Everything is becoming more abbreviated and compressed. What this underscores is the critical importance of long-term thinking and strategic foresight. Innovative capabilities will also have to be reengineered to not only respond, but thrive, in any future scenarios.

AI + The Impact on Human Labor
Artificial intelligence (AI), smart systems, robotics, and the rise of deep learning and the neural net will be responsible for disintermediating an increasing number of global human workers in the future. But it will not always signal technology’s complete displacement of humans from the equation. More likely, at least in the near-term, is that automated labor will work alongside human labor and the two will reinforce one another to make the combination more productive. This is a world characterized not just by automation, but augmentation. And not just about replacement, but enhancement. This also includes the ethical implementation of AI which will increasingly become a key part of internal mandates and operating principles. Increased automation will also require new management approaches, including the management of human and AI blended teams.

Generational Compression: Redefining Gen Z
Generations have long been grouped in birth year cohorts of 15-20 years. But generations are now seemingly refreshing every 2-3 years. Technology is changing so rapidly that kids only a few years apart struggle to have the same cultural and technological frames of reference. Today’s youth are not just digital natives, they are “Cybrids” – cyber hybrids – who have a symbiotic relationship with the digital world from an early age. Understanding what makes this generation tick from a values and attitudes perspective is critical for understanding retention & recruitment, talent management, advertising/marketing, and education/learning.

Influence as a Currency:
An economy built around capturing and maintaining consumer attention has long been building. Attention has been assigned monetary value, as has time. But what is beginning to shift is the way in which we assign financial value to people, and more specifically, to consumers. Going beyond attention, consumer influence is now being bought, traded, and sold much like stocks in the stock market. The growth of a Human Stock Exchange (HSE) is collapsing human traits, creations and personalities into a currency, exposing what we are willing to pay for, invest in and monetize.