Are we using too much phone?

Gertz talks of passive Nihilism - Our lives, we are told, are no longer real: they have become media-facilitated concoctions. We no longer have real friends or honest conversations. We are forced to make do with media facsimiles. We no longer know who we are. Our very goals and values have been determined for us by hidden algorithms, without our knowledge or consent. The fact that most of us feel that technology has made our lives better merely demonstrates how effective and dangerous is the illusion that technology generates. We are becoming, or have already become, computer-driven zombies that are no longer truly human.

There is a horrifying rise of a technological mass culture which is now apparently enslaving us. 

Are we  victims  of  “techno-hypnosis.”??

 

This is a problem and has nothing to do with agile - “technology and your phone” can be a drug - and we need to be careful to ensure that we continue to remind ourselves  what it means to be human.”

According to Gertz, “we” spend it on meaningless “orgies of clicking” - finding ‘new ways to indulge our ecstatic urges”, such as when technologies allow us to “post anonymous comments, form flash mobs, and become cybervigilantes.” Leading us from  a self-destruction of guilt to a destruction of shame.”

This is scary 

Technology has massive positives it enables us to 

 

• save us time and money
• instantly find knowledge, get books
• buy an infinite array of goods at low prices
• watch most of the world’s movies or listen to all of the world’s music on our phones
• text and video conferencing enabling us to have a much richer and emotionally fulfilling relationship with our loved ones scattered around the planet 
• get more done working from home
• get to and stay at amazing places using Airbnb and Uber 

 

We need to have  a balanced approach to technology and balance  both the benefits and risks of technology in our lives. 

Do as I write not do as I do!!

Do not discount the dangers of technology! 

See also https://australianinnovation.blogspot.com/2020/07/are-we-becoming-bots.html

Are we becoming bots ?

David Michaelis article written in 2015  was visionary.... 

http://anewdomain.net/david-michaelis-moral-drones-apologetic-zuck-enough/

Here are some extracts that hit me between the eyes 

Has Facebook, google and amazon colonised the globe?

Is the 4th revolution and the giant disruption that is coming going to make the Internet age look like a Lotus 1-2-3 decimal upgrade?

We want that toy. It’s shiny! Can’t wait for autonomous flying cars! Like the Jetsons! Whoo-whee.

The phone and related tech has made us selfish and greedy and  denial and blame and sneakiness is prevalent!

We have become automated bots and faceless avatars - bearing to the drum of subliminal messages!

We were born - but are beings have become “made”

Tech is taking  away some of our humanity, or at least what’s left after the Industrial Age,  the Information Age and now the age of robotics, AI and the IoT where we are becoming the things .

See also https://australianinnovation.blogspot.com/2020/07/are-we-using-too-much-phone.html

The one minute Covid Breathalyser that could be a game changer

A one-minute coronavirus breathalyser test has been invested in Israel - that if approved from the US FDA could be a game changer! 

If validated  - this breathalyser could be a game changer - and could soon be installed at places such as at ports, workplaces and cruise ships, with each device processing breath from about 4,000 people every day.

The invention of an instant COVID-19 breathalyser could have enormous implications for air travel and the economy. 

How it works 

The clever contraption, which uses frequency to detect the deadly SARS-CoV-2, was designed by a team based at an Israeli university and has a success rate of more than 90 percent in trials to-date.

Current tests for the new coronavirus use throat or nose swabs and look for particles but the team led by Professor Gabby Sarusi at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev thought outside the box in terms of detection.

“We asked ourselves, since this virus is just like a nano-particle or a quantum dot with a diameter between 100nm to 140nm in terms of its size and electrical properties, can we detect it using methods from the worlds of physics, photonics and electrical engineering?

“We discovered that the answer is yes, this virus resonates in the THz frequency, and spectroscopy in these frequencies reveals it promptly.”

The hand held device contains a chip with densely packed sensors to capture tiny particles from the breath, including any viruses.

The chip is then read through a THz spectroscopy, which takes about 20 seconds. 

Scientists look for the tell-tale changes in resonance in the THz spectral range caused by the coronavirus. Within a minute they can tell if someone is carrying the virus, even though they may be completely without symptoms.

Where to from here? 

The next steps are to conclude the validation process then get Food and Drug Administration approval, for which there is a COVID-19 fast-tracking system in-place, meaning that the tests could be seen in public as soon as September.

Source :- 

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/ajn.timesofisrael.com/israel-invents-one-minute-coronavirus-breath-test/amp/

The Great Reset - Gary Bolles - The Nexttech Revolution - BBG and the Future of Work

Our Nexttech Transformational Forum launched last week with Gary Bolles - Chair of Future of Work at Singularity University - sharing his insites on the great reset

The Players

Framing the Forum 

About Gary Bolles

Gary Bolles Firestarters 

1. Making an Impact 

Country - 

Community - is there a better Way?

Organisation - teams - D&I 

Individual  - Automation 

2. What Happenned?

Aaaaaargh - has this been normal - there’s gotta be another way .... traffic, assembly lines, rows of cubicles if people looking at computer screens!!!

How can you leverage the power of freelancers - where there is no permanent commitment to work for you? People will work because it’s a win win win! 

Distributed workforce - the way of the future 

How can you engage a workforce to “work above the line” 

3. Teams

Team - a group of people who bind together to solve problems! 

Find the root cause of the problem - find out what really matters -  and then how do they coordinate to solve that problem 

“Out of conflict comes clarity”

 Read the book “the 5 temptations of a CEO” - “feel safe to” confront the 800 kg gorilla in the room - 

• How can we be more inclusive ?
• Empower vs instruct 
• Diversity and Inclusion is key - psychological diversity and psychological safety

“Diversity is inviting them into the room...... Inclusion is inviting them to dance with you “

• Leverage the smarts of teams

4. Technology 

What is work 

Problem to be solved

Set of Tasks by Human skills 

 - can these be done by AI or robots 

Future of work 

Machine - repetitive task solving repetitive problems 

Human - How do we strive to focus on spending time creating unique tasks solving unique problems 

If tasks done by AI - will free up human beings - is that a bad thing? 

• Universal income
• abundance
• A better way? 

Unpacking the ThinkTank

Group 1 - Rob Nankervis 

Group 2 - Emma Sidney 

Group 3 - Cassandra Parton

Group 4 - Bill Mclellan 

How to Empower your team to Lead the Change and Disrupt

Disruption in the world of work is here to stay. It will continually alter workplaces, workforces, workspaces, workflows and workloads.

Making change is a difficult thing to do where  70% of corporate change initiatives fail (Gallup).

Only leaders who respond to this new norm by disrupting their own philosophies and strategies about change can position the heart of their organisation  -- their people -- to continuously adapt and excel.

Gallup suggests we flip the script and enable employees to create and lead the change themselves.”

The difference between a manager and a leaders mindset on change 

A manager.                                     A leader 

Drives Change                               Inspires Change 

Focuses on 

Structural aspect     Behavioural and Cultural Aspects 

Informs                                            Empowers

To prepare their people to help lead change, leaders need a workplace culture that lives and breathes adaptability and have agility in its DNA. 

It needs a work environment that energizes people to get ahead of change and push the organization forward.

In our BBG Sydney Superforum last week, Tony Surtees identified a massive gap for consultants to help with managing change in Enterprises after “the great reset” - because one thing that we can be sure of - is that there will be massive change!

The leader  needs to understand human emotional dynamics -- including mindsets, behaviors and cultural norms 

Gallup in an article by MARA HOOGERHUIS AND JILLIAN ANDERSON identifies 4 ways of how to navigate a succesful programme of change and encourage its people to create and own the change

1. Involve, trust and empower your people. 

Develop employees into agents of change by consistently demonstrating that employees' ideas and contributions matter. Involve them in decision making, empower them to perform - and trust them. They may do things differently to you - but they will achieve the desired result their way

2. Prioritise manager development 

When managers serve as coaches, not bosses, they fuel engagement and inspire employees to move away from their routines and adopt new mindsets and behaviours

. 

Create a culture of learning and collaboration. Invest in ongoing manager development -- and most importantly, give managers the freedom to coach their team members.

Support managers with the right tools and kpis  to strengthen employee awareness, adoption and accountability.

3. Use analytics to get ahead of employees' perceptions and emotions.

Emotions primarily drive decision-making, not rational thinking. In fact, 70% of decision-making is based on emotion and 30% on rational thought.

Leaders should use multiple channels to understand employees' emotions and perspectives, including ongoing dialogue, employee analytics, feedback mechanisms, Conversations and BBG Forums 

With in-depth insights, leaders can adjust their strategies, grow employee buy-in and disseminate best practices.

Through conversations with key stakeholders, leaders can glean success strategies from early adopters and early resisters. 

With qualitative and quantitative data on their people's change readiness, leaders can discover ways to unify employees behind a change initiative. Leaders should involve managers in feedback collection and give them access to real-time employee analytics.

4. Create a culture of learning.

A disruption-ready organisation  never stops learning and growing. 

To lead change, employees must repeatedly adapt to new discoveries and shifting demands.

Leaders should create processes and cultural norms that propagate rapid experimentation, adaptation and collaboration. 

Leaders must ensure their people are aligned and working together to drive success.

There should be ongoing communication, learning, training and coaching between managers and their teams. This will keep employees "in the know," manage role expectations and inspire desired behaviours

For detailed article see 

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/268991/adapt-constant-change-create.aspx

It’s all about CX - having a great product at the right price just gets you a seat at the table

“Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Brilliant Customer Service wins the game.”

How you make customers feel when they interact with your business influences their loyalty.

Jeffrey Gitomer – It’s a Long-Term Process - Consistency

It’s all about relationships - and strong relationships take a significant investment of time and effort. 

The aim is to build klt - know like and trust”

“You don’t earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day-by-day,” he says.

Customer loyalty comes as a result of meeting or exceeding a consistent standard.

Shep Hyken – how to wow

“What’s the difference between a satisfied customer and an advocate? “

A satisfied customer is one who received your service and got what they expected.

An advocate is one who sees that you go above and beyond whenever you provide your service. 

That’s a customer who’s going to come back for more

.

Virgin founder Richard Branson agrees  “The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them — preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.”

It’s all about CX - show that you care

JC Penney – Be Your Customer’s Friend

“Friendly service creates a personal connection that encourages people to come back. Every great business is built on friendship,”.

It’s the personal experience that really counts. 

“Customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care “

“Give them what you want and you will get what you want! “

Personal service will be a key differentiator. People don’t want to have to talk to a machine! People like to talk with people!  

Picking up  the phone can be a great way to show customers that you care.