TWC Session 4

In session 4 the class started with drivers of world change. One driver that I found to be particularly interesting was the environmental factor. “If everyone consumed as much energy as the average Singaporean and U.S. resident, the world’s oil reserves would be depleted in 9 years”. It's a scary thought but nonetheless a realistic one. The class has been focusing on sustainable development recently so I did a little digging on my own. I found out that our resources are running out fast. At today's rate of consumption, oil will be depleted in 46 years, gas and copper years in 60, tin and lead years in 40, zinc in 46 years. There's plenty of coal, enough to last about 180 years, but we'll probably all choke out before we finish burning them all. The point here is: We're running out of stuff. The dawning of this realization has sparked the “green” revolution where we saw the advent of many “green” technology and a shifting of focus towards more clean and renewable sources of energy and resources.

Next we moved on to “Change Management and Change Leadership”. A interesting video on leadership was shown where a lone guy dancing could actually spark off a movement. This got me thinking if it can be applied to the technology adoption graph from the first half of the session. Much of the world change is brought on by innovative, brave people who dared to boldly go where no man has gone before. People like Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Steve Ballmer are the innovators and technology enthusiasts. But all the brilliance of the Steves are for naught if not for the early adopters of the technology, the first Macintosh users who dared go against the conventional Windows. These people proves that what the Steves are doing is right and affirms them by adopting the new technology. Then comes the tipping point, the number of users explodes with the early majority pragmatists who wants to join into the growing Apple fanbase and subsequently the late majority conservatives and finally the laggards and skeptics. And now the question is: Which group do you think you are? And which group do you want to be in?

I rate this lesson 8/10. The session provides a nice overview on the adoption of technological progress and an interesting view on leadership.