Future, Strategy and the Tower of Babel Effect

Do you know about the 70-20-10 model for education? I’m sure, at least you’ve heard of it. I paraphrased it a bit and would like to ask you a simple question: what will be with your business in 10-20-70 years?

Recently I had a discussion about the current state of the university & corporate education business model?and how to improve it for the future. During that search and talks with experts & scientists and doing a movie marathon of high-quality sci-fi, like the masterpiece from J. Michael Straczynski ?Babylon 5“, Gene Roddenberry ?Star Trek“, George Lucas ?Star Wars: The Clone Wars“ (it has better insights into the saga), and others. We ended up with some disturbing thoughts. I’m not sure they are totally authentic and nobody before said about it, but now they are more real than 20 years before.

There are many similarities that could be found in every single sci-fi:

• conflict or a common enemy,
• human race evolve into walking among the stars,
• trade and cross-cultural relations with other extraterrestrial races,
• behind-the-scene political galactic games…

Of course, humans are cool or key to peace in all universe. The problem is,?we haven't met E.T., yet. I mean officially I haven’t been introduced.

What it has to do with our personal, corporate and government strategy?

The current situation is:

• The Huge trend in robotization and automation: Amazon warehouses using robots, Amazon drone delivery project; one guy in Ireland even tend a herd with a drone.
• Some Toyota factories manufacture Lexus using robots for nearly all operations.
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is employing ?Nao“, a multi-lingual 5.4-kg robot, who’s begun work in a branch in April.
• Online banking works by itself.
• The?Mercedes-Benz?Future?Truck?2025, Google self-driving car, aeroplanes, trains – using auto-pilot.
• Medical research with A.I. and Big Data.
• Machine learning.
• Seeding, growing and harvesting are also performed by machines.

Robots help with cost reduction, are people-friendly, have no harassment behaviour, stress-free working environment, don’t need flexible hours and visiting parents – are more profitable, and only need electricity.

What will be left aside from 6 – 6.5 billion people? It might happen within the next 15-20 years. Guy Kawasaki usually tells us to multiply time assumption by two, ok, 30-40 years.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m for the further development of robotisation and 3D printers, mass-customization of fashion, Big Data, MOOCs, etc. Although all these competitions in business and diversity have no vector whatsoever, especially for humankind's future.

I want to accentuate: corporates strategic plans usually have nothing to do with the real future of the human race. It is all about how to kill Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Samsung, eBay, Sony, and next door café. A politically correct version is: ?leadership, innovation, and partnership synergies“, which is literally the same thing.

So what will be next?

I’m not sure we will fight a Sith Lord with an Apprentice or?some hostile aliens:

• There are much more ?rare-Earth“ metals, minerals, diamonds and resources?out there, than on Earth itself.
• If they can reach us, they can reach similar inhabited planets without a need to fight anyone.
• If they have the technology to build spaceships that can travel through space a long distance – they don’t need ineffective slaves, which needed to be fed and kept in order.
• Probably, they have different biology and DNA, even Silicium form of life instead of Carbon – so mating is also not an option.
• Enhance their ?DNA“. What exactly do they need to enhance? You need only several species to extract DNA, and Dolphins would be a more interesting proposition for them.
• Entertainment, Gladiators' fight… puny and time-consuming for an advanced civilisation, but might be an option.?

We should start changing our way of?looking at things. We don’t have enough time for little na?ve hybrid military games. We won’t have lots of things left to do after robotization will free most of us from our jobs. People bored to death with nothing to do will start to become either aggressive or too passive without something to do.

From a strategic perspective and opportunities for business, we have a huge problem (of course if no one would like to pull up these trends or start a world war).

Some signs of a new order have already appeared, look at the Millennials: lots and lots of people started to travel/hitchhike a lot, following their dreams and passion, going into social projects, arts, design, fashion, craftsmanship, etc. Money started to matter less, and the meaning of a job mattered more. Others?are passionate about technology and natural science.?People instinctively started to change before the main shock of the society quake appeared.

We should start preparing for changes, and at least make some steps:

• Bring education to all people, instead of ?bombing for democracy“.
• Self-reliance and Self-discipline training should be in the curriculum.
• Ethical & Humble (as a true Jedi), consuming and better distribution of goods, resources and knowledge around the globe.
• Lean production.
• Elimination of patents.
• ?Guild“ model of manufacturing with industrial clusters around the globe.
• Think in terms of ?one“?country called Earth with regions having major & minor production specialisations plus local traditions (electives).
• United Nations might have a second chance, after re-organisation into ?the United Federation of Planets“ (Star Trek).?

Otherwise, soon enough we will have wars for resources, wars for land, and wars for better citizenship (people sail and swim to U.S.A. and EU).

I’d like to expand?on some of these?points?with a little explanation

?Manners maketh wo/man“ – people who obtained a high level of education and trained in ?good manners“ in childhood are less aggressive towards others, could find how to entertain themselves, be creative, have more interest in arts, culture, development something new, etc. Less educated people can easily fall under a bad influence. Educated and aggressive is also a case, but when there is nobody to support your point of evil view, what are you going to do, become Stewie Griffin?

Google, Apple, Samsung and others are throwing away a shed load of money on patent fights. How many people can live on that amount of money? How many start-ups could build their products for the future? Corporate and Personal ambition should be: to develop something unique and useful instead of ?taking over the world“ as Pinky and the Brain (they never succeed).

Samsung and Apple were partners, now they are fighting, because of the market and customers. Where will be their market in 30 years? Billions of people will be without jobs and means to pay for rivals’ “market”. When no one can buy, no reason to sell (in the current paradigm), the banking credit system won't help – no money to pay back.

Allocation of food and goods is important because if a family has food and clothes and where to live and what to eat, envy and aggression have less opportunity to rise among different nations.

Self-reliance & Self-discipline are the key factors. In a recent event with the passing away of brilliant mathematician Dr John Nash, I’d like to remind you that it is not a ?beautiful mind“ that helped him overcome his problems, dealt with some extent with paranoid schizophrenia and hearing voices, but self-discipline and will.

The good news so far: Entertainment, Travel, and DIY industries will rise above all.?

Unfortunately,?the main problem of everything right now – the Tower of Babel is still here, but in our minds, customs,?traditions and laws.

P.S. I wouldn’t like to come true one particular joke that I saw: ?Probably, we haven’t seen visitors from the future because humankind won’t have one“

Disclaimer: I'm not discussing the situation when the financial system will collapse soon, some countries start a war on a full scale, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction will be used. At least, I'm trying to be more positive about our common future.