Week 4

"If everyone consumed as much energy as the average Singaporean and US Resident, the world's oil reserves would be depleted in 9 years"
Jeffries, B. WWF International, (2011). The energy report: 100% renewable energy by 2050 (ISBN 978-2-940443-26-0). Retrieved from World Wide Fund For Nature website: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/101223_energy_report_final_print_2.pdf

Our lesson started with this quote shared by Professor Shahi. While most of the world are quick to blame excessive US consumption and materialism for unsustainable growth, most of us do not see ourselves on the same level of consumption and wastage as our US counterparts. Yet, we Singaporeans also contribute significantly per capita. This was a key take-away point for me.

Moving along, we went through the key drivers of change in the world as well as several behavioural models, and then change management and leadership. Below I will touch on the issues that were of particular interest to me.

Disruptive Innovation
Disruptive innovation refers to an innovation that overtakes an existing market. This can be seen in the future when African countries start to advance and industrialise, they are able to leapfrog for example: directly to mobile networks without investing much in traditional landlines.

 In South Africa, cellphones provide virtual addresses for carpenters, painters and other laborers who post their number on handwritten signs advertising their skills
Hadebe, T. (Photographer). (2007, January 27). Cellphones fuel growth in developing world [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-01-27-cellphones_x.htm

Crossing the Chasm

Fishburne, T. (Artist). (2007). Crossing the chasm has a new meaning in today's world [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://philmckinney.com/archives/2011/08/crossing-the-chasm-has-a-new-meaning-in-todays-world.html

We were next introduced to Geoffrey Moore's model from his book of Crossing the Chasm, showing a model of how new products are adopted by different groups of the population. 

I wished we had stayed further on this topic as I noticed that there were quite a number of models (satire or not) related to it. It is also interesting to see where we stood with regards to this model. I can also infer that people of different age groups, or perhaps even upbringing and income level will find themselves on different positions on the spectra. It is a model worth considering.

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory" 

~ W. Edwards Deming

Professor Shahi shared with us this subtle yet powerful quote. It has a sarcastic undertone, since people or organisations that are resistant to change have no obligation to do so, yet their survival will inevitably be threatened.

This quote immediately made me think about the USA in the globalised, competitive world of today. The USA, without a doubt still the richest country in the world, is at a risk as manufacturing is shifted to countries with cheaper labour. Yet the USA still has many internal problems, one of them being its public education system. Many would agree that USA would need to reinvent itself to keep up with such an ever-changing world.

Concluding Thoughts
Today was an interesting session which I would rate a 7 out of 10. Issues of interest were heartily discussed though I wished we had more time to spend on discussing Eric Sim's review of the young Chinese generation, social media and how it is transforming the Chinese society. Having traveled to China and being able to interact with the youth there, I can draw many parallels to my own life as well.