How will fast paced technology innovation impact businesses and technology leaders I work with on a daily basis? To answer that question, the concept of the Disruptive Technology Leadership Forum was formed.
In The Beginning
Three years ago, I met with a friend and CIO of a prestigious publishing company and recall him explaining the significant challenge his industry and thus his company was facing. Simply stated, the advent of digital content has disrupted how publishing companies are functioning.
The challenge they face has been the advent of a variety of new ways of publishing digital content to a wide base of consumers via the world wide web. Why then, would authors choose to publish their content through a publishing company? 10 years ago, this answer was an easy one to answer; publishers put content to print and distributed in a book, magazine or newspaper. In today’s world, this publishing company understood the need to rethink the business model, existing technology landscape, and consider innovative ideas to remain relevant. I recall saying to him, I do not envy your position to which his response, “neither do I.”
To the credit of the executive leadership team and their ability to recognize change was necessary, they accomplished the critical thinking to redefine their market position, future of publishing and consumer relationship, business model, and technology landscape. In doing so, they made many innovative steps to change. Since that conversation, this publishing company is thriving due to a variety of business process changes and technical innovation!
Current Day
In October 2017, my wife and I traveled to Washington, D.C to visit our daughter in college. Anyone who has visited D.C knows it’s a walking city, however, her college is not in urban D.C, so it was necessary to get there via car and since we flew into D.C, our options were limited to cab or Uber.
Admittedly at the time, I was an Uber-virgin. I live in the suburbs of Boston and drive wherever I need to go. But Uber was fascinating to me given I can do everything from an app on my phone – and do so quite simply. Uber technology-enabled innovation forever changed a market segment.
IMHO, the Uber app is a vast improvement over the cab experience because:
- user experience is intuitive and easy to navigate
- fares are calculated up front and paid electronically including tip
- maps within the Uber app display where the driver is located, when they will arrive, name, license plate, car model & color
- includes user reviews with a star rating system
I recall each time leaving our hotel, my wife would point to the line of cabs and ask why we were not taking a taxi. The answer was simple, I already ordered the Uber and the driver is 5 minutes away.
How It Began
Considering these two events, I thought, how does technology disrupt the customers and friends I work with in my business community – thus the dawn of the Disruptive Technology Leadership Forum series.
Simply put, the DTLF is a peer-facilitated, peer-group discussion comprised of local technology and business leaders; assembled to discuss disruptive technologies in a facilitated manner. Selected technology concepts are pre-chosen driving the session’s discussion.
Technology was the genesis of the forum series, however, it is much more than just technology driving innovation. For the most current learnings, themes, and publications regarding the DTLF, read more about it here.
