Patrick Williams discusses the tech trends he expects to see over the next 12 months and offers his advice to professionals navigating change.
On reflection of the technology landscape, particularly across the previous year, Patrick Williams – a 40-year veteran of the tech ecosystem – has come to the firm conclusion that “we are on the cusp of redefining survival”.
He elaborated: “In work and as humans, we need meaning more than ever to be able to cope with the speed of change we are facing. In the year gone by, I have seen a worrying increase in apathy.
“I believe a powerful emergent counter-trend is the pursuit of Ikigai, that vital nexus of: what we love to do, what we are good at, what pays and what is seeking to change the world.”
In contrast to the “default facts before feelings mindset” he believes popular among those in leadership roles, Williams – who worked at Google for 21 years as a software engineer – said another emerging trend is the realisation that this old-fashioned model leads to a dead end of burnout and a lack of stability.
“The only way to optimise for efficiency is to work on the whole agile ecosystem. This means that we need more than just to be technically excellent; we need to be ‘self-aware and self-regulating,” he said.
This self-awareness has powered Williams’ own professional evolution over the course of the last 12 months, as he has moved away from the urge to constantly change his skin to fit the mould. Instead, he noted the importance of entering professional spaces with “a clear sense of purpose, proactively leading change”.
He said: “I believe this kind of sense of meaning and purpose is missing in the world right now, in fact, in three areas in particular.”
The first being “meaning as a survival skill”, as if you don’t have a strong sense of purpose in your work, you may well be an “island of technical capability, but you are not going to be resilient enough to make a long-term difference”.
Secondly, he highlighted the need for new types of leadership. He said there is a shift away from top-down and “poor at best” communications and management, moving towards the idea of open communications and high-trust partnerships where the understanding of the self and wider teams is a priority.
Thirdly, he discussed the use of AI as an ‘EQ agent’, which he said is possibly the most exciting new trend. “It is being used not just as an automation tool, but as a mirror to help people reflect on and remember what gives their lives meaning.”
And this is all pulled together by recognising the “self as an instrument”. Williams is of the opinion that among the most important developments of this year will be those that can bridge the disconnect between technically complex problem-solving and human meaning.
“As we struggle to grapple with a world where ‘doing it right’ is harder and harder to do and means more than just ‘speed of execution’ one thing is clear, it has to be work that can help the next generation be confident, resilient and emotionally intelligent in a world that is often designed to produce polar opposites,” he said.
A year of innovation
“The paradox for innovation as the 21st century unfolds,” explained Williams, “is a conflict between the short-term perspectives of an increasingly traditional corporate model driven by quarterly ‘Wall Street presence’, with its reactive ‘chameleon’-like tendencies for survival mode, versus the longer-term essential humanity-focus needed to drive sustainable change, particularly as innovation becomes more decentralised.”
To break free of the cycle, he is of the opinion that those powering the ecosystem must commit to double loop learning – the modification of goals or decision-making rules in the light of experience – that incorporates a more comprehensive review of an organisation’s challenges, goals and outcomes. He finds professionals should be encouraged to explore the fundamental need for meaning in their roles and should also have access to strategic consortia.
He said: “This complexity can be managed, tackled, only when it is attacked by a consortium of partnerships. Such ‘families’ give the collective and stable base necessary to innovate within the increasing chaos.
“This (empowered by digital transformation success) will bring into focus the most valuable innovators, the ‘change agents’ who are not merely technically correct, but are giving licence for a more empowered generation of people who value confidence, resilience and EQ, not just the technical IQ.”
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