The two fundamental elements of strategy amid COVID-19: Survival and Reinvention

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There is no business that has not been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some companies, in industries ranging from consumer staples to video-conferencing, are struggling to cope with soaring demand

Yet most are being slammed by factors including economic concerns, reduced spending, or simple inability of their customers to come to them.
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Reviewing the debate on balancing privacy and health in a pandemic

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The issues I raised in my recent blog post We can stop the pandemic in its tracks, we just need to lose all privacy. Are we prepared for that? are, fortunately, becoming very much a topic of public debate.

Here are some of the more interesting articles that have recently emerged framing this very important conversation.
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Content series on strategy for a post-pandemic world

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There is only one topic today: the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential trajectory.

The scope of the pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetimes, and given how interconnected and interdependent our world is compared to previous generations, it is in many ways unique in human history.

In the coming months and likely beyond I will be focusing my thinking, content development, and strategy work on the medium to long-term systemic impact of the pandemic, and the actions we can take today to create a better future for ourselves, our organizations, and everyone.
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We can stop the pandemic in its tracks, we just need to lose all privacy. Are we prepared for that?

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We can readily stop COVID-19 from spreading and reverse its path of devastation.

It just requires health authorities and the government to track our every movement and everyone we come into contact with, with no exceptions.

This is already happening to a substantial degree in a numnber of countries, and quite possibly has been a major factor in limiting the spread of the disease in some instances.
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Predictable pandemics and unpredictable demographics: the impact of COVID-19 and beyond

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At this point COVID-19 is easily the worst pandemic since the Hong Kong Influenza (H3N2) in 1968 and the 1957 Asian flu (H2N2), both of which are estimated to have killed at least one million people, far worse than the more recent SARS, MERS, Ebola, or avian flu.

An inevitable pandemic

Some people seem to think this has come out of the blue, but a pandemic of this nature has been long anticipated by experts. Despite Goldman Sachs and Sequoia Capital among others calling the spread of coronavirus a ‘Black Swan’ event, it is absolutely not, as well-explained by the Red Team Analysis Society
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5 powerful ideas that will shape the 2020s

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A little while ago I gave a keynote titled Powerful Ideas Shaping Our Future at the highly inspiring Supply Nation Conference, which had the theme The Power of an Idea.

The five powerful ideas I shared in my keynote covered some of the most important themes that will shape this decade. Ideas ripple out to create action and in turn change. Here are brief snapshots of these five deeply interrelated ideas.
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Earning a living: how the growing divergence between labor productivity and wages could tear society apart

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An article just out in The Age titled The changing face of earning a living looks at the current very low growth rate in wages and the resulting social impact.

The article ends by quoting me:
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The critical role of HR in helping leaders envisage and create the future of work

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I was recently interviewed by Anita Lettink for the 25 on HR 2025 Podcast series, speaking about the future of work and the role of HR in 2025 and beyond.

You can listen to the podcast on the site or below.


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Will AI help save the planet? The state of AI, AGI, and robots and making technology a force for good

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WWF, originally established in 1961 to preserve wildlife, has a long pedigree in its efforts to save nature and the planet. However it is also continually renewing itself, and in contrast to some other organizations in the space it now has a strong focus on the potential of technology to assist its mission.

Among other initiatives WWF has founded Panda Labs, a decentralized innovation ecosystem to experiment and create positive impact at scale. An example of its initiatives is OpenSC, which uses blockchain-style technologies to create transparent and ethical supply chains, built in collaboration with BCG Digital Ventures.
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In the future of work our avatars will collaborate in virtual worlds

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Whlie virtual reality is currently solidly in the trough of disillusionment, it has always been evident that in the long term entertainment and interaction in virtual worlds will become commonplace.

What has not been as evident to many is that much of that remote interaction will be between avatars of ourselves, with realistic representations of us conversing and engaging with others.
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