{"id":7391,"date":"2015-10-24T22:52:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-24T22:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidewaysthoughts.com\/blog\/?p=7391"},"modified":"2021-01-15T09:10:13","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T09:10:13","slug":"what-a-grade-11-student-thinks-of-your-disruptive-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidewaysthoughts.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/what-a-grade-11-student-thinks-of-your-disruptive-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Grade 11 student thinks of your \u201cdisruptive\u201d innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOver 5 million jobs face a high probability of being replaced in the next decade or two.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

~Nathan Taylor, CEDA Chief Economist<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The JOB<\/em><\/strong>: the foundation of corporate productivity, the goal of academic curriculum, and the basis for professional identity. Employment comes with a job description, school prepares us for a career made up of jobs, and more often than not people introduce themselves as what they are paid to do.<\/p>\n

The job, this lynchpin of our organisational psyche, is changing. Reports highlight the rapid replacement of jobs as we know them<\/a>\u00a0due to automation, disruptions, and the growing gig economy<\/a>. Most analysts say that technology has created more jobs than it has destroyed<\/a>. This can be little comfort to those who discover their 30-year career investment has been in a job that is deemed to be \u201cdangerous, dull, and boring\u201d.<\/p>\n

Smart grids and home energy battery storage are reducing demand on electrical transmission poles and wires that were built to last decades. Automation is replacing traditional manufacturing. Social media and bloggers are changing the role of the news journalist. As these jobs go away or are morphed into something new, entire supply chains are impacted as revenue streams shift.<\/p>\n

All of this results in sensational headlines and a predictable fear-based response. Terms such as \u201cdisruptive innovation\u201d are spoken of with either excitement (for those disrupting) or annoyance (to those being disrupted). A common sentiment I hear from professionals in their 50s and 60s is that:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy profession is ending a decade before my career. What do I do?<\/em>\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Insight into the 11th Grade perspective<\/h2>\n

\"Future<\/p>\n

I recently attended a Future Thinking presentation put on by the Queensland University of Technology Real World Futures program<\/a>\u00a0as part of the Vice-Chancellor\u2019s STEM camp for Year 11 students. The keynote speaker for the session was Roger Lawrence<\/a>, Chief Technologist, Innovation for HP, Asia Pacific & Japan and Chair of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).<\/p>\n

Roger shared his perspective on shifts in technology and jobs he believed would be required to support these shifts. One of the most interesting observations was the role of the ethicist, popularised in the questions as how a driverless car decides who lives or dies in a decision-making process<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Jobs<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What impacted me the most, however, was the Q&A time at the end of the session.\u00a0 My experience with the Q&A portion of many corporate presentations I attend is that there is usually a bit of hesitant silence interjected by well-crafted questions from a few industry experts. By comparison, the Q&A session with the Grade 11s in attendance was rapid-fire, relevant, articulate, and fearless.<\/p>\n

\"Questions<\/p>\n

In addition to the questions from the floor, the session incorporated technology using GoSoapBox<\/a>\u00a0that allowed the audience to submit questions via the app.\u00a0 The Real World Futures\u00a0facilitators<\/a> were kind enough to send me a copy of the questions submitted:<\/p>\n