This Week's Herman Trend Alert Navigating the Next Year

The Herman Trend Alert October 29, 2008 Technologies Changing our Lives A new report from CSC's Leading Edge Forum (LEF) identifies an emerging wave of disruptive technologies that will reshape business, trigger new business models, and alter consumer and employee behaviors. CSC is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions. The LEF study identifies seven "digital disruptions" that 21st century businesses must understand to position themselves for success. The emerging economy places value predominantly in the production, enhancement and sharing of information, while cultural content demands our attention to this shifting landscape. (See our Herman Trend Alert archive for previous coverage.) In this alert, we will explore three of the areas identified. The first disruptive technology we highlight is "Living in a New Reality". This disruption focuses on our increasingly "blended" reality that combines physical and virtual reality, changing both. This enhanced reality helps businesses manage data centers virtually, students learn about weather patterns by "flying" through them, and consumers shop for clothes by building, and fitting, their virtual selves. Second, we are seeing what LEF calls "Platform Makeover". Virtualization and cloud computing are changing today's computing model, enabling anytime, anywhere accessibility for users and applications. Moreover, "nanotechnology, molecular computing, quantum computing, and optical computing will take us beyond silicon, providing greatly increased speed and bringing new applications, opportunities, and challenges." Finally, technology is becoming smarter, gradually approaching, and ultimately overtaking human ability to appreciate the meanings of patterns, proactively associate and correlate data, reason and make better decisions. In the future, we will have lifelike virtual assistants and semantic Web search, providing a richer understanding on the masses of online data. Enterprise applications will identify relationships across data and information technology (IT) systems and give end users the ability to define business processes. Additionally, predictive behavioral software is improving employee hiring, performance, safety, and productivity. Facilitated by the launch of the Internet, these disruptions will stimulate the formation of new industries, extend the significant gains in productivity brought about by digital communication, and challenge existing social, economic, political, and cultural norms. If we are to have the skilled workers to support these technologies, we must begin now to encourage emphasis on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects in education. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." RESOLVE TO ADDRESS EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN 2009 If you knew just how much money turnover is costing your company, you would have handled it ages ago! Turnover costs A LOT and it comes right off the bottom line. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 800-227-3566; international, call 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call. EMPLOYEE RETENTION BEGINS WITH GOOD SELECTION If you are not using pre-employment assessments, you are flying without radar---not very smart in today's highly competitive environment. Let us help you better understand your candidates and your employees. In less than 30 minutes, you will know if they can do the job (abilities); their work behaviors, even their personality and attitudes (like integrity & ethics), and those can't be trained. It's very cost effective, too! For more information, contact Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail assessments@hermangroup.com. Validated for many countries and cultures. We offer in-depth help with job descriptions, too! GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. To read this Herman Trend Alert on the web: http://www.hermangroup.com/alert/archive_9-24-2008.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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