Next driver of global change
Today’s change driver is globalization and new technologies
Businesses across the world are still coping up with the changes triggered by globalization and explosive growth of information and communication technologies.
Businesses are still exploring the ways and mean of improving operational efficiencies through systematic deployment of IT infrastructure and automating the business processes along the supply chains spanning across the businesses and in many cases across the continents.
Economic liberalization in developing countries has opened new opportunities and challenges and national companies are transforming themselves into international firms to take the advantage of growth markets and low cost sourcing hubs all over the world. In the course of doing so, the firms are putting their might in tackling with the associated issues such as growing competition and M&A mania among other things.
Tomorrow’s change driver is environment protection
As the businesses are trying to come to terms with these complex issues, early warning signals of next driver of global change are already showing up. This change driver has the potential to change the way we look at business and for that matter the world around us.
This is climate change, which is subtly but surely making its impact on the businesses all over the world. It is only a matter of time before this dreaded aspect becomes an integral part of the business and concern shifts from doing well to doing good.
There is an urgent need for businesses to realize that environment is no longer a image building exercise with corporate social responsibility. There is a far greater need for the companies to discover the impact of carbon economy on their business. Impact on operational efficiencies may be quite obvious for many but the real challenge for the companies is unearth the strategic imperative of this change driver, so as to gain sustainable competitive advantage through eco-friendly processes and products.
The businesses must respond to the change proactively, as the luxury of reacting to the change, as has been the general trend with changes in the past, is not an option in this case. Such an attitude may prove too costly, not for the business or community in which the business operates but for the whole planet. The time to think creatively and act is now. This must be on the top of leadership agenda no matter where you operate, or which industry you belong to.
