Session 4

The two topics, Drivers of World Change and Change Management and Change Leadership, were covered in the 4^th Session. Some of the various Drivers of World Change were covered in part 1 and these included factors such as the environment, competition, scientific discovery and technological innovation just to name a few. We also discussed how the plague in the Dark Ages led to Europe being more open to new ideas. In part 2, Change Management and Change Leadership, several models such as the Pessimism Time Curve and Geoffrey Moore's “Crossing the Chasm” were introduced to us.

The “Crossing the Chasm” model I felt was particularly interesting. Geoffrey Moore describes in his model that there is a chasm between the enthusiasts and the mainstream consumers for high tech products. Whenever such products are released in the market, the enthusiasts would be the first to purchase the product which is a relatively small number compared to the mainstream consumers. The manufacturers would then have to come up with ways to market or modify the product such that it would “cross the chasm” and attract the mainstream consumers. I feel the iPad is a good example here. The concept of a Tablet PC has been around for years but it has failed to attract the mainstream consumers due to its practicality. However Apple took this concept, made it more user-friendly and practical for the mainstream consumers.

Based on the presentation of consumer expectations as a driver of world change, I agree that, with forums and other related websites, consumers now would be able to make a more informed decision. They would also be able to make convenient purchases on the internet and products would be delivered right to their doorstep. However, with this in mind, what would the society and the world be like in 20-30 years time? In embracing changes and improvements in technology, is there a line that should be drawn to hinder society's increasing addiction to technology? These are a few questions that I thought could be discussed further in class. Also, the movie “Surrogates” provides us with an interesting insight as to how society would be like in the future if there were an over reliance on technology.

Here's a link to the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwkkB2aDQM4

Personal Rating: 7/10