ISSUE 136 MONTHLY FOCUS: FUTURE OF BUSINESS
WHAT LIES AHEAD
Happy employees are 12% more productive
Happiness is critical for productivity and employee benefits are rightly seen as key drivers for employee happiness. At Bupa Global, we offer cost-containment options across a tiered range of business health insurance plans to suit the needs of your business. So, you can help protect the people who protect your business.
To know more call our hotline 16816 or visit bupaglobal.com/egypt Bupa Egypt Insurance SAE, a company incorporated in Egypt (Commercial Registry No: 67829) whose head office and legal domicile is at Building 55, Street 18, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt, with issued capital of EGP 60 million. Bupa Egypt Insurance SAE is regulated under law no. 10 for year 1981 and its executive regulations hold Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (EFSA) license under number 20 for year 2004. Bupa Egypt Insurance SAE operates under the trading name of ‘Bupa Global’.
I NT RO D UC IN G
Welcome to SME Advisor's portal dedicated to the future. You know what fascinates us the most about the future? Everyone has their own way of perceiving it. So, what do you think the future will look like four years from today? 1
2 Exploring exciting perceptions of the future
3
Preparing strategies to seize opportunities of the future
Exploring businesses that have promising new ideas in VR, robotics, fintech and more.
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SME Advisor Middle East is aimed at business owners and senior executives across the GCC. Armed with practical advice, it has been highlighting key business issues for the small and medium enterprise segment since its launch in 2005. The magazine addresses real issues faced by business decision makers, without resorting to jargon. We understand that often, in small and medium enterprises, specialist business decisions are made by the owners and not by an army of c-level executives. At the same time, our content is equally relevant and useful for specialist, senior executives in mid-level enterprises. The magazine style is consumer, conversational and colourful.
From the web
The launch of Area 2071 With the aim to ‘create visions and technological solutions of the future’, Dubai’s leadership recently unveiled Area 2071. The revolutionary launch is in line with the UAE’s Centennial Plan 2071 and will focus on creating a better future for the country, where innovative ideas can come to life. The initiative will bring together some of the most brilliant minds from the public and private sector to create new solutions and leapfrog into the future.
For further information, please visit: http://www.area2071.ae Co Founder and CEO Nadeem Hood
Co Founder and COO Georgina Larsen
Editor in Chief Rushika Bhatia rushika@cpibusiness.net
Design Team Solomon Arthur solomon@cpibusiness.net Juzer Karbalai juzer@cpibusiness.net
Video Producer Murtaza Yousuf murtaza@cpibusiness.net Relationship Manager Freshia Mistry freshia@cpibusiness.net Web Developer Aneel Sarwar aneel@cpibusiness.net
Published By: CPI Business FZ LLC Office 111, Building 4 Dubai Media City Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Assistant Video Producer Farzan Akmal farzan@cpibusiness.net
Khalifa Fund unveils Pitch@Palace UAE
Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development recently unveiled its Pitch@Palace UAE initiative. This year’s theme is ‘Technology serving humans’. It is calling for applications from tech startups that are working towards improving healthcare, education and automation.The Duke of York has partnered with Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development to bring Pitch@Palace Global to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first Pitch@Palace UAE event will take place in October 2017.
Event Coordinator Zainab Murtaza zainab@cpibusiness.net Printed by Print Well Printing Press Contact Details: Tel: +971 4 433 2446 Email: info@cpibusiness.net Web: www.cpibusiness.net
SME Advisor ME
© Copyright 2017 CPI Business. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
To read more, please visit: http://pitchatpalaceuae.com/en/apply/.
The itch to fundraise
Has the buzz around funding created a distorted view of success? Are we living in an era that is obsessed with funding? You are newsworthy if you’ve raised a certain amount. Your business is considered in the league of successful start-ups if you manage to raise a round of VC funding. It’s like a pre-entry requirement to being recognised as a somebody in the start-up world. Has funding has become a vanity metric?
To read more, please visit: smeadvisor.com/finance/the-itch-to-fundraise/.
Editor’s Note
RUSHIKA BHATIA EDITOR
FLOURISHING IN THE FUTURE ECONOMY When businesses are asked to ‘prepare for the future’, what does that really mean? How do you prepare yourself for something that hasn’t even happened yet? The future is an exciting amalgamation of change, disruption and opportunities. The challenge for businesses is to efficiently navigate the change and prepare themselves for the opportunities. The question is: how? The obvious answer is by being proactive and far-sighted, but also by aligning current business strategies with technologies and risks of the future. In a world driven by constant uncertainty, the only way to move forward is by taking chances on promising opportunities and by building a skilled workforce to capitalise on them. But of course, it isn’t as simple as it sounds; it’s an ongoing process filled with complexities. To address these intricacies, we’ve decided to focus on strategies that can help owners ‘future-proof’ their businesses. Over the next few months, we will be putting out issues that share different perspectives of the future economy. In fact, this month’s edition is the first in our series of future-focussed editions. I’m also delighted to unveil our new platform SME 4X, which investigates how to plan for the future economy, identifies which technologies are set to change the way we live and highlights what cities will look like four years from today. Find out more about this initiative through the pages of SME Advisor, we promise to keep you updated with all the exciting developments. In the meantime, I’d like to shift the focus back on the stories we’ve featured in this month’s publication and highlight the three main areas that businesses need to consider while preparing for the future -
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Revamp the education system: Education is the foundation of everything we do; a strong educational framework is essential to creating the leaders of tomorrow. As we see workplaces evolving and job profiles rapidly changing, we will need to rethink the skills children are being taught. Are current curriculums aligned to jobs of the future? Do we need to shift to a more practical-based learning system? To what extent will online learning impact traditional schools? These are all burning questions that need to be addressed. Turn to page 68 for an expert opinion.
Intensify on-the-job training and close generational divides: Employers have a huge responsibility in terms of ensuring that their workforce is updated with the latest technological advancements and has the necessary skillset to survive in a climate of change. Moreover, companies need to also create an inclusive working environment in which employees of different demographics can thrive together. Indulge in our comprehensive take on the subject through pages 24-48.
Enjoy reading this issue of SME Advisor! Until next time‌
Align current business strategy with relevant technologies: There’s no doubt that technology plays the biggest role as businesses leapfrog into the future. As an entrepreneur, it is imperative to identify what technologies can enhance the capabilities of your business and boost productivity. Gaining a competitive edge is the only way to survive in the future economy. While this is a vast subject and the topics to be addressed are limitless, we start the conversation by exploring the world of Augmented Reality on page 82.
Contents
Businesses of the future 020 Top 4 game-changers
Future generations 024/ Generational transformation is the next big thing… 030
Millennials at work
036/ Number crunch: The millennial factor
Future of workplaces 038/ Sleep and work: nap your way to success 044/ Designing workplaces of the future 050/ Data-drive: what’s reshaping work?
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INSTANT SUCCESS IS A REALITY FOR A TINY MINORITY. MOST PEOPLE BUILD CAREERS OVER A LIFETIME AND FIND IT ALL THE MORE SATISFYING FOR DOING SO.
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NOW IS THE TIME TO FUTUREPROOF YOUR WORKFORCE AND PLAN OUT HOW YOU CAN LEVERAGE AR TO ENHANCE WORKER PRODUCTIVITY AND OPTIMISE EXISTING WORKFLOWS AND PROCESSES. Future of healthcare 052/ Digital healthcare: coming to a hospital near you 056/ Reshaping healthcare with AI
Future of education 062/ The future of learning 068/ Rethinking K-20 education
Future of technology 078/ Unveiling the new SAP Leonardo 082/ The impact of AR on workplaces
It’s no secret that these four trailblazers are leading us into the future with their vision and strategic foresight. Find out more here...
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Experts suggest that a good night’s sleep might be the key to enhancing employee productivity. Enjoy an in-depth analysis.
44 Are you ticking all the right boxes when it comes to designing an innovative, yet highly conducive, workplace?
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As hospitals and healthcare institutions race to the ‘digital’ finish line, there can be only one clear winner: the patient.
Is it time to look past the stereotypes and give millennials a chance to prove themselves in today’s workforce?
78 Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform the healthcare industry and reshape the way medical treatments are undertaken.
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C O N T E N T C U R ATO R S 018
CONTENT CURATORS
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Presenting this month’s portfolio of industry specialists and thought leaders, who played a critical role in producing the feature content of our magazine and ensuring that we were more topical than ever. RYAN PAMPLIN VP, META CO.
““ JEAN-LUC SCHERER FOUNDER AND CEO, INNOOPOLIS
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With the Fourth Industrial Revolution well under way, now is the time to futureproof your workforce and plan out how you can leverage AR to enhance worker productivity and optimise existing workflows and processes.
If organisations and leaders are really interested in innovation, they need to provide spaces that allow for more variations in our work environment and give us more options to work differently.
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““ KARIM IDILBY GENERAL MANAGER BUPA GLOBAL, AFRICA, INDIA & MIDDLE EAST
With today’s increasingly demanding work environment, alongside heightened social obligations, and a rise in the use of technology, it’s no wonder that it is increasingly hard for many to and time to relax, unwind or take a nap.
““ RAMI QAHWAJI PROFESSOR OF VISUAL COMPUTING, UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
A digital health system would have to be designed by medical practitioners and engineers working closely together to understand the complex healthcare challenges and their potential engineering solutions.
““ RICHARD N. FU STRATEGY MANAGER ACCENTURE STRATEGY
AI represents a significant opportunity for industry players to manage their bottom line in a new payment landscape, while capitalising on new growth potential. SME ADVISOR
FUTURE OF
Thanks to these four companies, we have a sense of where the future of business is headed. We take a look at how these innovative leaders are changing the way we work, live and play.
BUSIN
NESS
B usinesses of the future 022
FACEBOOK – MARK ZUCKERBERG
Challenges: The biggest challenge Mark Zuckerberg currently faces is keeping up with the likes of Apple, Google and Amazon in the augmented reality space. Moreover, it will also be interesting to see how Facebook sustains its fast-paced growth. It is in a strong position currently and will look to new avenues (such as video) to continue its momentum. Finally, as the fake news controversy dies down, there is still much work left to do for Facebook to remedy this problem. The good news is that the company is taking on the challenge seriously – it revealed a detailed four-step plan to reassure its users. Milestones: Facebook has introduced some interesting features. Its Instant Articles, for instance, has worked significantly well. Its users have also been highly receptive of its Facebook Live and Instagram Stories. To look at growth purely in terms of numbers, Facebook has grown in value by US$ 92 billion to US$ 424 billion this year. Next big move: It’s no secret that Facebook is eyeing expansion into the augmented reality space and Zuckerberg is pinning his future on its progress. At Facebook’s F8 conference, he unveiled the Facebook Camera Effects Platform, which takes a leap in that direction. Another interesting announcement was his idea of Facebook glasses that can project virtual objects on a blank space.
TESLA MOTORS, SPACEX AND MORE – ELON MUSK
Challenges: With SpaceX, Musk is trying to send humans to other planets. His biggest challenge is to continue the mission while ensuring safety and viability. In September 2016, one of the rockets caught fire during fuelling and left the company figuring out what went wrong. Meanwhile at Tesla Motors, Musk will need to find a way to meet the increasing demand for his electric cars and streamline production. Milestones: History of the automobile industry was rewritten when Tesla officially overtook General Motors in April this year to become the US car marker with the largest market capitalisation. If that isn’t a milestone, what is? Next big move: Elon Musk has always been unpredictable and full of surprises, so it’s hard to say what his ‘next big thing’ will be. But one of his most startling advances has been the introduction of car tunnels. He recently revealed that one of his ventures, The Boring Company, is working on creating underground tunnels for cars to travel, beating traffic. Work has already started at the SpaceX office parking lot! How will the technology work? And more importantly, how will this fit into the current regulatory frameworks? Well, it’s something we will have to wait and find out.
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AMAZON – JEFF BEZOS
Challenges: Amazon’s biggest challenge is its digital assistant Alexa. The market is flooded with rival concepts and most competitors have introduced their take of what it should look like. As competition intensifies, Amazon will need to ensure that its continually evolving Alexa and improving the user experience. Milestones: If we had to describe Jeff Bezos – the man at the helm of one of the world’s fastest-growing business – in two words, they would be: bold and audacious. Amazon’s promise is to transform the way the world shops and it is leaving no stone unturned to achieve this goal. The company’s biggest strength has been its ability to constantly innovate and surprise people. Amazon’s most recent surprise has been Prime Wardrobe, which ships any 20 items of clothes, shoes or accessories to customers for them to try and return those that they don’t want. Next big move: With Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods for US$ 13.7 billion, all eyes are on how the e-commerce giant will revamp grocery shopping. Although its plan to revamp the future of grocery stores isn’t fully clear, it did drop a hint last year when it unveiled the concept of Amazon Go. It remains to be seen how it implements the concept.
UBER – TRAVIS KALANICK
Challenges: It is safe to say that this year has been quite challenging for Uber. The culture crisis has been it’s biggest hurdle till date, costing it a fortune (and it’s CEO). The company started 2017 fighting several allegations and a lawsuit - all of which detracted it from its sole purpose of innovating the transportation industry as we know it. Milestones: Earlier in 2016, Uber was on track to achieving its mission of upending the global taxi industry. Prolific investors from all over the world were rushing to get behind Kalanick’s vision. At one point, things were looking extremely good as Uber was said to have been the most valuable start-up in the world. Next big move: The burning question on everyone’s mind is: who will take the reins of the company next? Uber’s future depends on how quickly its new leader can turn things around and give it a new cultural identity. A herculean task indeed, given that most of the company’s senior management has stepped down. Until then, Uber continues to face its biggest existential crisis ever.
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After Digital transformation, Generational transformation should be
THE NEXT THING on your agenda.
In the MENA region alone, more than 28 per cent of the population is between the ages of 15 and 29. And, the way that they behave is disrupting traditional workplaces, business models and even how brands sell themselves. ​Generational transformation is probably one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today. From a business point of view, the challenge is two-fold. On one hand, businesses need to build a more purposeful culture to attract millennial talent as employees. On the other hand, they need to find a way to connect with this new generation as consumers. So, how can businesses adapt to stay responsive to this demographic? Here are some key areas to consider –
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ADDRESSING A NEW GENERATION OF CONSUMERS Over the last decade, consumer behaviour has rapidly shifted as millennials have become the most influential customers. Goldman Sachs predicts that this demographic contributes to 25 per cent of all spending dollars. One of the most prominent change has been the transition from in-store to online purchases. Digital native millennials want easy and quick access to products on-demand. The challenge for retail businesses is to revamp their systems to be able to cater to their customers in real-time and stay aligned with consumption patterns. This means correctly using customer data to create an enhanced buying experience, with personalised content. Using mobile technology for payment and e-checkout is also important.
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As millennials spend significantly more time online – particularly on mobile devices, they tend to prefer buying online as well. But, it’s not just important to see how they are spending, it’s equally critical to note what they are spending on. Another research points out that 81 per cent of millennials are more likely to spend on travel, 65 per cent on dining and 55 per cent on fitness rather than saving for their financial future.
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As millennials spend significantly more time online – particularly on mobile devices, they tend to prefer buying online as well.
F uture generations 027
2
ASSESSING THE FUTURE OF BRANDS
According to the Aspect Consumer Experience Index Study, more than 50 per cent of millennials abandon brands every year. In fact, 25 per cent of millennials abandon a brand after one bad experience and 82 per cent do so after three unsatisfactory experiences. As a business, the way you earn and maintain brand loyalty is crucial. Millennials are seeking brand intimacy, where experiences and products are tailor-made. Moreover, brands will also need to embrace social issues and sustainability. A report by A.T. Kearney remarked: “Of the 149 Millennial survey respondents who cited a most important sustainability practice, only 21 per cent specified social responsibility. This is less than half the number who said that the
“inherent sustainability” of the product (that is, the product directly helps consumers live sustainable lives) matters most. Millennials’ demand for sustainable products, not just socially responsible companies, represents an important shift in consumer priorities.”
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As a business, the way you earn and maintain brand loyalty is crucial. Millennials are seeking brand intimacy, where experiences and products are tailormade.
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3
THEY ARE RESHAPING THE WORKPLACE
If there were three words that describe the transformation of the workplace, they would be purpose, drive and transparency. Millennials want to be part of something meaningful; something that works towards a larger objective. In fact, they have often been called the ‘purpose-driven’ generation, and have been known to prefer making a difference over a higher pay check. Companies that help employees find their sense of purpose and make them feel like their work matters have a larger chance of retaining good talent. Transparency is another area that businesses need to focus on, and this is where building communication channels becomes crucial. Millennials want to feel included and informed. Contribution to environmental and social issues as well as social responsibility is important for a millennial. Let’s look at some of the statistics –
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To retain talent and to bridge the generational divide, a Deloitte report suggests three key actions – • Identify, understand and align with millennials’ values • Satisfy the demands millennials have of employers • Support millennials’ ambition and professional development There has been a lot said and written about millennials and their impact on how we work, consume and live, and there’s no doubt that businesses need to act. As a business owner, it’s imperative to not see this new demographic as a challenge, but to engage them in the right way to create a powerful impact.
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Millennials want to be part of something meaningful; something that works towards a larger objective.
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MILLENNIALS AT WORK – IDENTIFYING THE PAIN POINTS Whether they are emotionally-driven and hard working or privileged and disconnected, the millennials are the most talked about generation ever. As a business, how do you get past the stereotypes and find a way to move forward? Keith Breene of Formative Content takes a hardened look and proposes solutions...
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. With millennials being more connected than any previous generation, opportunities to compare levels of success are ubiquitous, creating anxiety and insecurity. 02. It seems that much of the stress and anxiety reported by twenty-somethings is caused by something else: ruthless comparison with peers.
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illennials face numerous challenges, from record levels of debt to a rapidly evolving employment market. But it seems that much of the stress and anxiety reported by twenty-somethings is caused by something else: ruthless comparison with peers. In a study published in the Harvard Business Review, which involved hundreds of interviews with young people in the UK, Emerson Csorba, found the same story emerging again and again. Csorba, Director of the consultancy Gen Y and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, reported one millennial describing the challenge like this, “If we are not doing something exceptional or don’t feel important and fulfilled for what we are doing, we have a hard time.”
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Instant success is a reality for a tiny minority. Most people build careers over a lifetime and find it all the more satisfying for doing so.
Where is the pressure coming from? With millennials being more connected than any previous generation, opportunities to compare levels of success are ubiquitous, creating anxiety and insecurity. Csorba identified three major factors putting pressure on millennials –
KEITH BREENE WRITER AND JOURNALIST, FORMATIVE CONTENT
1. Misrepresenting achievements on social networks. The accomplishments of peers, shown on social media, are a constant prompt to examine millennials’ own successes or failures. The problem is made much worse by the fact that only positive achievements are posted – you only ever see the good stuff. Even though everyone knows that social media is a kind of PR feed of people’s lives, when you spend so much time online, these messages can easily become overpowering. 2. Media stories of hyper-successful millennials. We all love success stories.
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There is a human fascination with extraordinarily successful people. The growth of tech companies like Facebook makes it seem possible for young people to become billionaires overnight. Csorba notes the prevalence of lists which highlight the most successful young people in their field. While meteoric rises do, of course, happen, they are the exception. Hard work and failures are rarely mentioned. 3. The number of possible career paths and constant striving to achieve potential. The number of options open to millennials is liberating, but it can also
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60% 54%
SHARE OF RESPONDENTS
50% 41%
40%
39%
39%
30% 20% 11%
10% 0%
SNAPCHAT
be overwhelming. The research found that the growth of entrepreneurship as an accepted “mainstream” career choice meant that young people were always exploring alternative options and wondering, “what if?” Career advice, from TED Talks to online articles, also often seem to suggest that by taking apparently simple steps, anyone can be successful. Interviewees remarked that thinking about hypothetical future selves busily pursuing an alternative career made them dissatisfied, as they believed that the door was always open to fulfil their potential to a greater degree elsewhere. Social media again plays a role in making these self-
help articles ever-present in millennials’ lives. With research showing how few millennials are not on social media, the effect is perhaps not that surprising. The chart above shows the share of millennials in the United States without an account on selected social media networks as of August 2015:
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For millennials especially, peer comparison is intense, it is immediate and it is constant.
How can we combat the problem? Csorba suggests three ways to address the problem. 1. Identify the ‘Golden Threads’: These are the things that connect our own
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hobbies and activities. Identifying what engages us, rather than looking at other people’s lives, helps to focus on what drives us. As Csorba puts it: “The threads help us cultivate values and a sense of groundedness in an uncertain world.” 2. Take the long view: Instead of focussing on where you are right now, look to the future. Instant success is a reality for a tiny minority. Most people build careers over a lifetime and find it all the more satisfying for doing so. Csorba says this applies to millennials more than any previous generation. “Lengthening lifespans means that millennials should think strategically about their long-term careers and life goals and what it will take to achieve them over 30 to 50 years rather than three to five years.” 3. Embrace solitude: Interviewees in the study often commented that having a 24/7 connection to mobile devices and laptops was psychologically exhausting. We all need time offline to contemplate our lives and our wellbeing. One study found that in the United States 58 per cent of smartphone users checked their device every hour. That figure rose to 68 per cent for millennials. For millennials especially, peer comparison is intense, it is immediate and it is constant. As Csorba concludes: “Millennials can be proactive in approaching these challenges by reflecting on what motivates them, thinking about the long term, and setting aside time for solitude — steps that together reinforce strong internal standards of success and bring focus to a person’s work life.” THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM AGENDA.
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036
THE
M I L L E N NF AICAT OLR 75%
of the workforce will consist of millennials by 2025.
72% of millennials said they have made compromises to get into work. SME ADVISOR
71% want an overseas assignment during their career.
38% are always on the lookout for new opportunities and job offers.
66%
want some sort of international experience to progress in their careers.
60%
are open to new job opportunities.
037
5% want flexibility in their job.
59% chose to work with employers who have CSR values aligned to their personal values.
60% consider ownership as a major retention factor.
TOP THREE RETENTION FACTORS:
44%
Flexible working
believe they will be more engaged at work if their managers interact with them regularly.
38%
are willing to move to another country for a better opportunity.
Scope for travel Parental leave
29%
of millennials are engaged at work. SOURCES: PWC, EY, GALLUP SME ADVISOR
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S L E E P AN D W OR K: N A P YOUR W AY TO
SUCCESS The following feature sheds light on regional sleep trends witnessed over the period of 2016-2017 and the importance of good quality sleep as a key ingredient of a healthy lifestyle, benefiting the body and mind. Authored by Karim Idilby, General Manager for Bupa Global, Africa, India & Middle East.
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. Many people ignore how important it is to get a good, uninterrupted night’s sleep for the recommended amount of time, on a regular basis. 02. Sleep deprivation leads to unhealthy habits, such as consuming more caffeine than recommended, to undesired work outcomes, such as decreased employee productivity and quality of work due to ensuing memory and attention problems, as well as general fatigue and lack of energy. 03. Bupa Global and Oman Insurance Company hope to see an increase in awareness around employee health and wellness from SMEs in the region, with subsequent initiatives and mechanisms put in place to encourage not only better sleep, but also better work life balance, and health and wellness practices in general.
KARIM IDILBY GENERAL MANAGER BUPA GLOBAL, AFRICA, INDIA & MIDDLE EAST
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eople across the globe are becoming more mindful of their health and have a better understanding of how to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This is reflected in the increased sharing of health and wellness information seen online, particularly on social media platforms. Health information is now more readily accessible to more people than ever before, but despite an increasing awareness and interest in health and wellness, some topics, such as the importance of sleep, remain unheeded. Many people ignore how important it is to get a good, uninterrupted night’s sleep for the recommended amount of time, on a regular basis. The existence of various external stress factors tends to lead individuals to prioritise other parts of their lives over sleep in a bid to try to get everything done. Getting good quality sleep can help boost and protect mental and physical health, improve quality of life, and is equally as important as diet and exercise. It is not an option – good sleep is a necessity. A recently conducted survey by Bupa Global in the UAE and Egypt shows the lack of importance placed on a good night’s sleep by most individuals in the region. With just 12% of respondents in the UAE and 19% in Egypt getting the recommended eight hours of sleep each night, the need to address the drivers of poor quality sleep is highly evident. When asked about the main reason behind getting little and/ or poor quality sleep, one quarter of the UAE and Egyptian residents claim that work related stress is the root of the problem. Work related stress is made worse by hyper connectivity – the feeling that you need to be constantly switched on – that has now become a social norm and an expectation in many workplaces. Technology
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When asked about the main reason behind getting little and/or poor quality sleep, one quarter of the UAE and Egyptian residents claim that work related stress is the root of the problem.
has become such a big part of our daily lives that it is often hard to put our mobile devices down. People are regularly checking their e-mails and refreshing their social media news feeds whether they are at home, out for dinner or even in bed. In Egypt, a shocking 90% of respondents state that they check their emails before going to bed, with 64% doing so on a regular basis. In the UAE, 60% of residents say they check their emails regularly before going to bed. The constant use of technology affects sleep in more ways than people realise. Ana Noia, Senior Clinical Physiologist in Neurophysiology and Sleep at Bupa Cromwell Hospital, one of Bupa’s leading providers within its UK network, strongly
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recommends turning off technology before going to bed. Reason being that, in addition to adding stress before bedtime - which keeps us awake longer – , when we do eventually drift off to sleep, we are still affected by our tablets and phones. This is because these devices emit a blue light that stops the body from producing melatonin, which is the sleep hormone that is essential for good sleep. According to the survey results, there are additional external stress factors, which also have a knock-on effect when it comes to quality and duration of sleep. After work related stress, the second most common
reason why residents in the UAE are not getting a good night’s sleep is financial stress (21%), whilst in Egypt home and family worries (20%) are the secondary issues keeping people up at night. Many other existing factors may also affect the quality of sleep, such as what day of the week it is. A study conducted by SleepCycle reveals that the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait sleep best on a Thursday night (the first night of the weekend), averaging between 6 hours 49 minutes and 7 hours 11 minutes of sleep and therefore people in the region revealed they wake up in the best mood on Friday mornings.. This is due
to a decrease in work related stress and the incidence of people being with family and friends and thus the shrunken likeliness of need to be ‘connected’. With today’s increasingly demanding work environment, alongside heightened social obligations, and a rise in the use of technology, it’s no wonder that it is increasingly hard for many to find time to relax, unwind or take a nap. An online survey about napping conducted in the Gulf region, shows that 84% of people would benefit from a post-lunch nap to boost their performance and concentration.
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Many companies do not recognise that sleep deprivation can have detrimental effects on the performance of the organisation in the long term.
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Many companies do not recognise that sleep deprivation can have detrimental effects on the performance of the organisation in the long term. Sleep deprivation leads to unhealthy habits, such as consuming more caffeine than recommended, to undesired work outcomes, such as decreased employee productivity and quality of work due to ensuing memory and attention problems, as well as general fatigue and lack of energy. In addition to this, sleep deprivation affects memory and concentration, affecting performance as well as immune deficiency and increased cardiovascular problems, which could result in more sick days taken.
Asking the question of why individuals aren’t spending more time looking after their health sheds light on the role that the workplace plays in the health of its employees. An earlier survey conducted by Bupa Global and Oman Insurance Company found that two fifths of participants claim they do not have time to manage their wellbeing, with over half stating that work commitments are getting in the way of improving their health and wellbeing . People becoming more health-conscious are likely to demand more of their workplace to support their health objectives. Employees are now more than ever seeking a balanced working environment, which provides them with recognition, growth, development and a good work-life balance. A workplace that encourages its employees to take breaks away from their desks and instills health and wellness initiatives will naturally benefit from more productive and happier employees, which in turn benefits the performance. We hope to see an increase in awareness around employee health and wellness from SMEs in the region, with subsequent initiatives and mechanisms put in place to encourage not only better sleep, but also better work life balance, and health and wellness practices in general. When it comes to attracting and retaining top talent, employers should look to provide benefits beyond complying with mandatory health insurance regulations in play today. Top talent are increasingly looking for employers that stand out through added health and wellness benefits, and those that support their goals of living longer, healthier, happier lives. It is safe to say that investing in the health and wellbeing of employees financially benefits SMEs bottom lines. A healthy workforce is a happy workforce!
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DESIGNING WORKPLACES OF THE FUTURE Jean-Luc Scherer, Founder and CEO, Innoopolis, points out the urgent need to redesign traditional workplaces and highlights key elements that businesses need to take into consideration…
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. How do you engage employees and how do you create an environment that sparks creativity and innovation? 02. Corporate department boundaries easily vanish when playing and new connections, new perspectives can lead to new sparks in the innovation process. 03. To change a company’s culture you need to seed changes in the workplace itself.
JEAN-LUC SCHERER FOUNDER AND CEO INNOOPOLIS
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n today’s fast paced economy innovation is a word that starts to have a regular seat in the board room as companies fight for competitiveness. CEOs understand that their companies need to transform or die, but how to you change the culture of company? This is tough, and as you might know culture tends to eat strategy for breakfast. For a company to successfully transform seeding the culture changes is equally important as outlining the initial vision and strategy. At times where the fear of losing your job is high, and the tolerance for failure is low, the paradox is that many companies do resist the change they ultimately will have to go through. So how do you foster innovation in a company that has its roots in manufacturing or retail? How do you change the culture of a company to embrace innovation when management is used to rule by numbers or worse rule by fear? How do you engage employees and how do you create an environment that sparks creativity and innovation? Besides the skills, processes and tools that must be put in place to make innovation more sustainable, one of the key ingredients is to design a proper workplace that sparks creativity and innovation, a workplace that gets full leverage of the diversity of the organisation. Here are a few organisations and designs that have proven to be successful, they form a set of golden rules you can follow when thinking about your own workplace, when thinking about inspiring your organisation and igniting that creativity and innovation fire we all have deeply rooted in ourselves since childhood. 1. 1. Force (cross-disciplinary) communication Innovation often happens when we gain new perspectives, when we throw in
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If organisations and leaders are really interested in innovation, they need to provide spaces that allow for more variations in our work environment and give us more options to work differently.
new insights. What better way to do this than to increase the amount of crossdisciplinary interactions in company, and in particular to do this by design. BMW has perfectly done this when defining the architecture of their innovation and R&D centre in Germany, the “BMW Project House”. To foster cross-disciplinary interactions they have designed a circular workplace where different departments gather at the centre of the structure to exchange perspectives, to explore new ideas, to update each other on projects. The glass structure gives also visibility into progress done by different teams increasing hence the natural flow of communication between project teams. 2. Design your workplace to be adaptive (to the task) If organisations and leaders are really interested in innovation, they need to provide spaces that allow for more variations in our work environment and give us more options to work differently. One way to do this is by designing workplaces to serve multiple functions from the start. For instance, your office amphitheatre can be used for staff
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meetings and lectures, as well as it can be used as a library where employees can read in a relaxed setup. Another way is to design a truly adaptive workplace. This is a workplace where things can easily be rearranged to better suit the task at hand, but also to get around boredom that can easily creep in. An example of an adaptive workplace is, where furniture pieces can be rearranged. Skullcandy, an international office from Zurich, Switzerland, created these innovative desks so that employees can use this to work either individually or collaboratively. These desks fit together like puzzle pieces and employees can decide how they want
the table to look like – whatever fits their work needs. 3. Awaken the inner child in employees and customers alike In many companies, play is introduced as a way to provide a break from real break, and by management it is often considered a necessary distraction, or sometimes worse it is seen as a waste of paid employee time. But integrating play in the workplace can have many positive benefits when done properly. Play can increase employee engagement, it can increase cooperation and increase a healthy level of competition in the company.
Play is also a way to reintroduce the type of experimentation and risk that was kind of natural when we were children, the kind of approach that is needed to innovate. Corporate department boundaries easily vanish when playing and new connections, new perspectives can lead to new sparks in the innovation process. And this does not need to be limited to employees, but the approach we can also be expanded to customers alike. IDEO is one of the companies that has understood this very well and for a long time, a good example of such playground approach is the way they use play to develop new Toys as part of their IDEA Toy Lab.
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Play can increase employee engagement, it can increase cooperation and increase a healthy level of competition in the company.
4. Introduce natural elements in the workplace Although we might all have different viewpoints on this, it is proven that introducing natural elements in the workplace increases not only wellbeing of employees, but also boosts their productivity and even more their creativity. Researchers at Cardiff University compared the productivity levels in two offices, one with live plants and one without. They found that the offices with the natural elements had a 15 per cent rise in output amongst employees within three months of implementing this into the design. 5. Design the workplace to energise your employees When I mention workplace, what would come to most people’s mind? Probably
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a cubicle, a hot desk, a static place where you sit for eight hours a day. A space that is optimised to squeeze the maximum of people in the minimum of space. This type of working environment tends to drain our energy and it is difficult to be creative and innovative when you are constantly running on spare power. But there are ways you can reload your batteries while at work, but the workplace needs to provide you some good alternatives on the spot. It starts with the desks and meeting rooms. Standing meeting rooms and standing desks can for instance be introduced to increase productivity. An in-house coffee shop and relaxation area might be a better investment than what you think. It allows people to take a break, but will also increase communication among employees. Some companies even introduce Yoga classes to relax. Yoga can help alleviate back pain, but can also help in lowering hostility and aggressive behaviours. In the start-up world, we usually see these high-energy infrastructures as part of the eco-system. This is indeed often the type of design you will see in a business incubator or accelerator. But why can corporate workplaces not be designed in the same way? There is no good reason that comes to my mind... Redesigning the workplace to foster innovation To sum-up, I believe that to change a company’s culture you need to seed changes in the workplace itself. You need to get everybody on-board, you need to have everybody energised and wanting to collaborate. You also need to create these safe zones that are meant for creativity and prototyping. Once management starts to see the workplace as a reflection of the company’s culture and not as piece of real estate, then the company transformation will be well on its way.
Pitch@Palace Global aims to help entrepreneurs gain access and build connectivity around the world. Pitch@Palace is an initiative that serves as a global platform for entrepreneurs seeking new markets, partners and investors. It enables growth, expansion and creation of new opportunities. Established by The Duke of York, in less than three years Pitch@ Palace has helped over 350 businesses grow. In fact, some are now enjoying global success. The Duke of York has partnered with Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development to bring Pitch@Palace Global to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first Pitch@Palace UAE event will take place in October 2017. The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development aims to create a new generation of Emirati entrepreneurs by instilling and enriching the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in the country. It also looks to support the development of small and medium enterprises. For more information, please visit www.khalifafund.ae.
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Future of workplaces CEO POINT OF VIEW 78%
97%
of global CEOs are implementing changes to their talent strategies.
of employees want to be recognised and rewarded by their employers for their contributions.
17% By 2020, businesses will cut down their office spaces by 17%.
3/10 3 out of 10 employees are happy to give employers access to their data.
SOURCES: CITRIX WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE REPORT, PWC, SODEXO, MERCER, DELOITTE, BCG) SME ADVISOR
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FLEXIBLE WORKING 50%
46%
growth in mobile employees by 2020.
of HR professionals foresee temporary workers making up 20% of their workforce by 2022.
50%
77%
of the workforce will constitute of freelancers by 2020.
believe that flexible working hours makes them more productive at work.
46% already have a formal flexibility policy in place.
AUTOMATION IN THE WORKPLACE 2MN Robots in the workplace will create 2 million jobs over the next eight years.
45% of human-led activities can be automated. SME ADVISOR
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DIGITAL HEALTHCARE: COMING TO A HOSPITAL
NEAR YOU Digital innovations are enhancing the quality of healthcare and revamping the way hospitals operate. Rami Qahwaji presents his expert opinion.
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. Digital healthcare must be designed to exploit recent advances in computing technology. 02. Digital healthcare must make better use of big data analytics and the ability of machine learning algorithms to mine that data and make sense of it, drawing out connections and patterns that are difficult if not impossible to see except at enormous scale.
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magine a day where you don’t have to wait weeks to see your GP, followed by a further wait for medical test results and then still more waiting before being seen by a specialist. We know that changing demographic trends, an ageing population and rising rates of chronic illnesses are creating huge demand for health care and social care services. Given the sophistication of 21stcentury technology, how could our health care system be changed to better cope with the population it serves? An efficient healthcare system of the future should empower medical practitioners and patients. It should be able to detect early warning signs that may indicate illness or behaviour that is likely to lead to poor health. For example, reduced physical activity, missed medication or appointments, social isolation, trips and falls at home. Systems could be designed to contact and alert clinicians or careers without further human intervention. While a meeting with a GP for most people these days is fleeting and lasts only a few minutes, even that short time could be more meaningful. Armed with data gathered from sensors in your home, your wearable devices
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and mobile phone, the doctor could, with the push of a button, run advanced data analytics designed to make sense of this information about lifestyle, physical activities, social habits, adherence to medication regimes or sleep patterns and their health implications. The decisions they make would then be based on far more data than would otherwise be available – all within the limited time available for consultation. More informed decisions that involve the patient could lead to a better outcome for all. To get to this position, a digital health system would have to be designed by medical practitioners and engineers working closely together to understand the complex healthcare challenges and their potential engineering solutions. There have been considerable advances in wearable sensors
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There have been considerable advances in wearable sensors in recent years – and the arrival of the 5G wireless spectrum will provide the capacity for new sensor platforms and devices to capture and share data autonomously between devices and doctors.
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RAMI QAHWAJI PROFESSOR OF VISUAL COMPUTING, UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD
in recent years – and the arrival of the 5G wireless spectrum will provide the capacity for new sensor platforms and devices to capture and share data autonomously between devices and doctors. For example, researchers from Swansea University are planning trials of smart, 3D-printed bandages that will use 5G wireless data and nano-sized sensors to transmit information about a patient’s wounds, location and activity. Similar innovations could pave the way for better patient monitoring and engagement, especially in remote or deprived areas. Better use of data Digital healthcare must be designed to exploit recent advances in computing technology. Smartphones could become advanced tools in the hands of thousands of patients and practitioners. Equipped with the right software, they could provide easily to use, out-of-the-box solutions to major medical challenges – preventing the over-prescription of medication, promoting patient self-care, introducing positive lifestyle changes and warning of the early signs of health problems. In 2016, 36 devices and medical apps received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration. These include apps to help people with heart conditions, to help diagnose and treat ADHD in children, apps to help patients manage Type 2 diabetes, and smartphone-based ultrasound scanners and mobile blood glucose monitors.
Researchers from New York University’s Langone Medical Centre and SRI International recently developed a new smartphone app that uses machine learning to identify vocal patterns that might signal posttraumatic stress disorder, or even heart disease. Such developments could provide hospital clinicians with new tools to make better diagnoses. Digital healthcare must make better use of big data analytics and the ability of machine learning algorithms to mine that data and make sense of it, drawing out connections and patterns that are difficult if not impossible to see except at enormous scale. Through analysing the data of many thousands, or hundreds of thousands of individuals, digital healthcare systems will identify emerging social changes and lifestyle trends in their communities. Being forewarned of patterns of change will give health authorities time to respond. New technologies could also provide significant savings in healthcare costs through identifying inefficient and wasteful practices. Understanding the challenge Many digital healthcare developments are already underway – for example, in West Yorkshire the work of the Digital Health Enterprise Zone and Digital Catapult Centre Yorkshire. These organisations held a data innovation challenge focusing on type 2 diabetes, in which entrants were encouraged to explore a number of publicly available
datasets, leading to the discovery of new ways to use data that offers better insights into the disease. In another example, the Bradford Bright Ideas event held in collaboration with regional NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, Medipex, DHEZ and Digital Catapult Centre Yorkshire, invited companies to submit bids to address the key healthcare challenges facing the region. The winner from 25 submissions was myCOPD, an app to help patients manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, reducing unplanned A&E visits and helping reduce unnecessary referrals. These are limited examples, but to develop digital technologies for a nationwide healthcare system is no easy task. It will require considerable cooperation between the NHS, software developers, researchers, companies and other public bodies. Substantially different working cultures must be brought together and, most importantly, there are many privacy issues related to the handling of patients’ data that will prove tricky in the absence of internationally agreed privacy rules and governance frameworks. Intellectual property may also be a hurdle through clashes with existing patents or copyrights. Tackling these issues could be a lengthy process, but the rewards will be worth it. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CONVERSATION
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RESHAPING HEALTHCARE WITH AI Growth opportunities are hard to come by without significant investment, but one major opportunity is a self-running engine for growth in healthcare: artificial intelligence (AI).
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. AI represents a significant opportunity for industry players to manage their bottom line in a new payment landscape, while capitalising on new growth potential 02. As AI delivers benefits of greater efficiency, transparency and interoperability, organisations must maintain a clear focus on informational security.
MATTHEW COLLIER SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACCENTURE STRATEGY - HEALTH
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RICHARD N. FU STRATEGY MANAGER, ACCENTURE STRATEGY
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ccording to Accenture analysis, when combined, key clinical health AI applications can potentially create US$150 billion in annual savings for the United States healthcare economy by 2026. At hyper-speed, AI is rewiring our modern conception of healthcare delivery. AI in health represents a collection of multiple technologies enabling machines to sense, comprehend, act and learn, so they can perform administrative and clinical healthcare functions. Unlike legacy technologies that are only algorithms/ tools that complement a human, health AI today can truly augment human activity— taking over tasks that range from medical imaging to risk analysis to diagnosing health conditions. With immense power to unleash improvements in cost, quality and access, AI is exploding in popularity. Growth in the AI health market is expected to reach US$6.6 billion by 2021—that’s a compound annual growth rate of 40 per cent. In just the next five years, the health AI market will grow more than 10x. Growth is already accelerating, as the number of healthcarefocused AI deals went up from less than 20 in 2012, to nearly 70 by mid-2016. Growth is perhaps no surprise as AI delivers what many healthcare organisations today need, especially as companies weather the financial and operational turbulence of rising labour costs, digital expectations from consumers and increasing demand for interoperability, among other challenges. Exemplified by the flurry of new entrants and explosion of data—which, combined with analytics—is leading to smarter systems, the case for AI adoption is stronger than ever. Health AI presents opportunities across a diverse set of therapy areas, including wellness and lifestyle
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management, diagnostics, wearables and virtual assistants. To fully comprehend the opportunity, healthcare organisations must understand the full taxonomy of AI applications— and the potential value each delivers financially, but also by way of organisational and workflow improvements. AI thinks and pays for itself AI represents a significant opportunity for industry players to manage their bottom line in a new payment landscape, while capitalising on new growth potential. To better understand the savings potential of AI, Accenture analysed a comprehensive taxonomy of 10 AI applications with the greatest near-term impact in healthcare. The assessment defined the impact of each application, likelihood of adoption and
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value to the health economy. The top three applications that represent the greatest near-term value are robot-assisted surgery (US$40 billion), virtual nursing assistants (US$20 billion) and administrative workflow assistance (US$18 billion). As these, and other AI applications gain more experience in the field, their ability to learn and act will continually lead to improvements in precision, efficiency and outcomes. Robot-assisted surgery leads the AI pack in terms of value potential. Cognitive robotics can integrate information from preop medical records with real-time operating metrics to physically guide and enhance the physician’s instrument precision. The technology incorporates data from actual surgical experiences to inform new, improved techniques and insights. Such
improvements enhance overall outcomes and consumer trust for AI applicability across surgical areas of practice. Robotics outcomes include a 21 per cent reduction in length of stay, according to Accenture analysis. The value will only increase with the development of robotic solutions for a greater diversity of surgeries. Virtual nursing assistants are another frontrunner of AI value. When AI solutions remotely assess a patient’s symptoms and deliver alerts to clinicians only when patient care is needed, it reduces unnecessary hospital visits. It can also lessen the burden on medical professionals. In the case of nurses, AI can save 20 per cent of RN time through avoided unnecessary visits. As virtual nursing assistants become accustomed to patient diagnoses and conditions, their abilities will grow beyond effective triage into expertise and recommendations around patient treatment. Timesaving administrative workflow assistant capabilities—such as voice-to-text transcription— eliminate nonpatient care activities including writing chart notes, prescriptions and ordering tests. This equates to a work time savings of 17 per cent for doctors, and 51 per cent for registered nurses based on Accenture analysis. AI is becoming the new OS in health As AI continues to become more prevalent and adoption flourishes, healthcare organisations must enhance their underlying structure to be positioned to take full advantage of new AI capabilities. According to Accenture’s analysis, there are four areas to focus on: 1. WORKFORCE. The nature of work and employment is rapidly changing and will continue to evolve to make the best use of both humans and AI talent. For example, AI offers a way
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The nature of work and employment is rapidly changing and will continue to evolve to make the best use of both humans and AI talent.
to fill in gaps amid the rising labour shortage in healthcare. According to Accenture analysis, the physician shortage alone is expected to double in the next nine years. AI has the power to alleviate burden on clinicians and give workers tools to do their jobs better. For instance, AI voice-enabled symptom checkers triage patients to lower-cost retail or urgent care settings and direct patients to the emergency department only when emergency care is necessary. AI can address an estimated 20 per cent of unmet clinical demand. 2. INSTITUTIONAL READINESS. To realise greater value from AI, healthcare players can incorporate AI expertise in their organisation’s structure and governance. For instance, assigning a lead who is tasked with keeping apprised of AI adoption within the organisation. Governance and the operating model should also be revamped to align with an AI-enabled organisation. Furthermore, healthcare organisations should build an AI-smart workforce and culture that will use AI to enhance efficiency, quality and outcomes for patients.
PHILIP CHRISTIANSEN SENIOR ANALYST, ACCENTURE
US$6.6 billion Growth in the AI health market is expected to reach US$6.6 billion by 2021.
3. CARE REACH. Consumers want AI. In fact, they are six times more likely to view AI as having a positive impact6 on society. AI can magnify care reach by integrating health data across platforms. However, as new technology is introduced, various data sources must be connected to enable a seamless experience for patients. 4. SECURITY. Parties in the ecosystem will need to work together in an
ethical way, and be secure in how they manage critical information on patients. On average, every breached health record will cost US$355. And not only do healthcare organisations lose money when data is compromised, they lose consumer trust. As AI delivers benefits of greater efficiency, transparency and interoperability, organisations must maintain a clear focus on informational security. Lead the future AI is not an innovation coming down the pike – it’s here. It’s in our call centres, our homes and now, in our healthcare. Those who seize the AI opportunity and embrace these applications to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care will be the ones to leapfrog competitors. References Accenture; “Why Artificial Intelligence Is the Future of Growth,” https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insightartificial-intelligence-future-growth Frost & Sullivan, http://ww2.frost.com/news/pressrelease/600-m-6-billion-artificial-intelligencesystems-poised-dramatic-market-expansionhealthcare CB Insights; “From Virtual Nurses To Drug Discovery: 106 Artificial Intelligence Startups In Healthcare;” posted February 3, 2017 at https://www.cbinsights. com/blog/artificial-intelligence-startups-healthcare/ Sense.ly, www.sensely.com Weber Shandwick, “AI-Ready or Not: Artificial Intelligence Here We Come!,” https://www. webershandwick.com/news/article/ai-ready-or-notartificial-intelligence-here-we-come Healthcare IT News, “Cost of data breaches climbs to $4 million as healthcare incidents are most expensive, Ponemon finds,” posted June 20, 2016 at http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cost-databreaches-climbs-4-million-healthcare-events-mostexpensive-ponemon-finds Accenture; “Are You One Breach Away From Losing a Healthcare Consumer?,” https://www.accenture.com/ us-en/insight-accenture-health-2017-consumersurvey
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T H E FUTURE O F L E A RNI NG Make no mistake. Education is currently one of the smartest investments anyone can make. In fact, a new generation of tech-savvy teachers, increasing government spending and evolving skillsets are fuelling the growth of the edtech market. Traditional classrooms are being transformed by technologies as educational institutes are seen taking a more pragmatic approach to learning. So, what’s changed and what’s next?
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. As technology evolves, classroom infrastructure will be revamped. 02. Digital libraries are also gaining traction as several schools encourage students and teachers to store their resources on the cloud. 03. It is imperative for parents, teachers and students to quickly get on board with the idea of a revolutionised educational structure, in order to survive the rapidly changing markets.
1. Looking to virtual classrooms: Can you imagine a classroom that uses Internet of Things to create an intelligent environment for students? As technology evolves, classroom infrastructure will be revamped. Physical environments have traditionally played a major role in the way students learn, and experts suggest that new technologies will help create a more optimal learning environment. One of the biggest advances will be the ability to accommodate several combinations of teaching techniques. Depending on the unique capabilities of each student, classrooms will be able to deploy different learning mechanisms. Many experts are also predicting that 3D printing will be an integral part of future classrooms as it gives students the chance to create practical prototypes and experiment new ideas. It brings learning to life and is one of the most hands-on approaches available to challenge students. 2. The advent of artificial intelligence: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to be the next big thing for classrooms; this doesn’t mean that robots will replace human teachers. It means that AI will play a vital role in helping teachers improve their teaching techniques. For instance, if a student is unable to understand a concept or if the teacher skipped an important aspect of a topic, AI could bring this to the attention of the teacher straightaway. Moreover, AI can help enhance out-of-classroom learning by assisting students with problem areas. The most fascinating part of AI is that it can provide learning analytics telling students their weak areas and giving them valuable feedback to improve. Of course, the use
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Depending on the unique capabilities of each student, classrooms will be able to deploy different learning mechanisms.
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of AI in the education sector has its fair share of downsides as well. Many experts argue that AI can’t replace the all-essential ‘human factor’ that teachers provide. After all, learning in school goes beyond just books and theory. It requires the development of soft-skills as well. Human teachers prove to be role-models for students as they are growing up and have an impact on children in a way that technology cannot. 3. The era of social networking: A large proportion of the children today are exposed to Facebook, Instagram,
Snapchat and so on. They only know to survive in a highly-interactive and collaborative environment. How can educational institutes use this to their benefit to create an opportunity for students? In his article on Huffingtonpost.com, Suren Ramasubbu, Co-founder and CEO of Mobicip.com, explains: “Educators are not unaware of the potential of social networking in education. Even as early as 2010, a national survey of 1,200 principals, teachers and librarians found that most agreed that social networking sites can help educators share information and resources, create professional learning
communities and improve school wide communications with students and staff. There are inspiring examples of teachers having used social media to make classes more educational and interesting for students. One teacher encouraged students to create Facebook pages for characters from literature. Another taught probability through Twitter. Another creative teacher used GPS treasure hunting games with educational clues. Learning management systems such as Moodle and Blackboard are being increasingly used by educators to distribute lecture notes, to serve as a portal for
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Online learning tools are appealing for two reasons: they allow personalised learning and give access to one-on-one interactions.
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group and individual assignments and as a chat forum for discussions and doubts.”There’s no doubt that social networking is a double-edged sword, but the challenge for educators lies in being able to transform this potential distraction into a productive opportunity for students. 4. The role of VR in education: Experts suggest that students will be able to experience concepts first-hand with all the sensory information like touch, feel, sound, etc. For instance, a history class won’t just be theoretical, it will create a life-like environment making students feel like they are physically there.
5. Saying good-bye to textbooks: Another obvious shift is from paper to digital. Study materials are increasingly going online and students will be seen trading backpacks for laptops. Digital libraries are also gaining traction as several schools encourage students and teachers to store their resources on the cloud. Not only does this reduce the physical load for students, but it also means that they can access the materials from anywhere. 6. Integration of technology and learning tools: Online learning tools are appealing for two reasons: they allow personalised learning and give access to one-on-
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one interactions. Students that aren’t comfortable asking questions in class, for example, can do so digitally. They can also customise their learning preferences and go through materials at a faster or slower pace than their peers. Using online education portals, students can connect with a wide network of teachers – outside just their local institutions. Moreover, the number of skills, languages and subjects they can learn are limitless. There has also been a lot of discussion about the clever integration of technology into everyday objects rather than the use of additional devices. This can be demonstrated with the example of a digital desk. What if traditional wooden classroom
desks were replaced with interactive display desks, where students have the option to access materials, collaborate with one another and ask questions? While this kind of development would be extremely beneficial, the biggest problem is the cost of implementing such technology. 7. Gaming could be a real thing: Believe it or not gamification techniques are becoming a popular tool in higher education schools due to their immersive nature. Teachers are using video games as an alternative teaching method to enable reward-based learning and boost engagement. Games provide a real-life environment where
students are competing with others; this ultimately teaches them that failure is an option and they need to go through several hurdles to advance to the next level. Looking to the future All in all, the education sector will need to reshape itself in line with the fourth industrial revolution and come to terms with the ‘man meets machine’ analogy to create new possibilities. The challenge for educators lies in creating a balance between traditional techniques and digital innovations to create learning experiences that keep pace with market changes. So, is it time to bid adieu to blackboards and chalk dust? Well, we’ll have to wait and see. SME ADVISOR
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RETHINKING K 20 EDUCATION
Over the past 25 years, the world has changed faster and with more complexity than ever before. The most significant force is the advent of the Internet and the rapid advancement of technology. Such a radical global transformation has required people to learn new theories and knowledge that did not exist even two decades ago, new skills that now have a prominent role in our daily lives, and new technological competencies. However, our education systems, particularly K–20, have not kept pace. Sumitra Pasupathy, Country Director of Ashoka Singapore and Malaysia and Southeast Asia representative, and Pei Yun Teng, Global Director Social Impact, A.T. Kearney share a comprehensive overview‌ SME ADVISOR
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. Stuck in the industrial age, our schools continue to teach content that is no longer relevant, using pedagogical methods that no longer benefit young people’s evolved minds. 02. The continuous revolution in technology, in particular big data and artificial intelligence, begs the question of whether education institutions are delivering the right technological competencies.
SUMITRA PASUPATHY COUNTRY DIRECTOR OF ASHOKA SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA REPRESENTATIVE
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PEI YUN TENG GLOBAL DIRECTOR SOCIAL IMPACT, A.T. KEARNEY
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tuck in the industrial age, our schools continue to teach content that is no longer relevant, using pedagogical methods that no longer benefit young people’s evolved minds. In many ways, the skills of a secondary-school graduate today are similar to the skills of a graduate 20 to 40 years ago, making education one of the few industries in the world where significant evolution has yet to occur. Most K–20 institutions have adapted their curricula over the years, adding courses pertaining to 21stcentury skills, such as entrepreneurship and computer studies. Others have incorporated technology into the classroom, creating course websites or providing students with laptops. However, this does not qualify as a significant evolution. A significant evolution is a radical transformation of educational institutions’ operating models in direct response to environmental changes, whether it be a shift in consumer behaviours, a launch of new technologies, or the development of new regulatory policies. We need to transform the idea of education systems so they are understood as engines not only for employment and economic growth but also for empowering students to take control of their environments. Around the world, the measures used to assess students do not account for contemporary ideas of what constitutes a quality education, nor do they look at the whole learner. Instead, national policies and international standards are encouraging educators to take a narrow view of human development and, in the process, restricting the impact of education. If education is to become the most powerful engine of social change, we must put the development of learners as whole human beings at the core of teaching and schooling. In the private sector, business leaders constantly rethink their operating models, fighting to stay relevant with customers. This has not happened in education. K–20 institutions are stuck in an ecosystem that makes significant evolution extraordinarily difficult, and the inertia has had an impact
on an array of societal and macroeconomic issues around the world: Insufficient improvements in fundamental skills. According to the European Commission’s Rethinking Education initiative, 73 million adults have only a low level of education, and nearly 20 per cent of 15-year-olds lack sufficient reading skills. The world has become more complex and interconnected while our educational system has remained stuck in the industrial age. Younger generations need to be equipped with a new learning framework that is aligned with the transformed strategic environment that awaits them. “(Public education) systems were developed in large part to meet the labour needs of the Industrial Revolution, and they are organised on the principles of mass production,” said Sir Ken Robinson, author, speaker, and international advisor on education. “The problem is that these systems are inherently unsuited to the wholly different circumstances of the 21st century.” More unemployed youth. Young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, and almost 73 million of them worldwide are looking for work. Furthermore, job vacancies are staying unfilled much longer today than they did before the global financial crisis—an average of 25 business days versus 14 days. Although these findings are primarily attributed to macroeconomic factors that deter hiring, they also indicate a potential mismatch between the new-age skills that employers need and the obsolete, industrial-age knowledge acquired through formal education. According to the US Bureau of Labour and Statistics, 19 million jobs in the United States will be replaced by artificial intelligence by 2024. The new education paradigm needs to consider the profound change taking place across the 21st-century landscape.
ϭϭ Dropout rates. While the overall dropout rate has declined (in the United States alone, it decreased from 12 per cent in 1990 to 6.5 per cent in 2014), the
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numbers vary dramatically by race and ethnicity, gender, and income level. ϭϭ Lack of progress in encouraging earlychildhood education. Better earlychildhood education can shape the success of the entire education system. Nobel Prize-winning economist and University of Chicago professor James Heckman, who has dedicated much time to researching early childhood, found that children of mothers who graduate from college score much higher on cognitive tests at age three than those whose mothers drop out of high school—proof of the advantage for young children who live in rich, stimulating environments. Interest in education at an early age encourages lifelong learning, which is another key policy objective in many countries. Early childhood programmes are also valuable resources for encouraging parents to re-enter the workforce, thereby activating a key resource in the
population needed to stimulate economic growth. There are many other education issues, of course. But these four are compelling enough to support the call for a new vision. This paper examines some ideas for this new vision and the implications for the major stakeholders in the education ecosystem. We especially focus on one overarching question: is education in its traditional form still relevant? Defining a New Vision As popularised by Daniel Pink’s best-selling book, A Whole New Mind: Why RightBrainers Will Rule the Future, we know that the world is at a turning point—between a digital age where knowledge, logic, and analysis thrived and a conceptual age where creativity, innovation, and design skills are more strongly valued. “The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers— creative and holistic ‘right-brain’ thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line
between who gets ahead and who doesn’t,” Pink contends. As a result, today’s focus should be not only on closing the skills gap of the digital age, but also on ensuring that students acquire the skills to succeed in the conceptual age. In this paper, we discuss the following factors for achieving this goal: 1. Curriculum. What should we teach? 2. Measurement. How do we effectively measure and compare the quality, efficiency, and results of education systems throughout the world? 3. Technology enablers. How do we adapt to the technology-induced “rupture” in the way education is delivered? How can we take advantage of the possibilities offered by new technologies to build a better education model for the greater good? 4. Funding. How do we ensure proper funding for education? What is the ideal economic equation? SME ADVISOR
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Stuck in the industrial age, our schools continue to teach content that is no longer relevant, using pedagogical methods that no longer benefit young people’s evolved minds.
5. Ecosystem. Who plays a role in education at all levels, from defining the curriculum to deploying infrastructure and funding?
ϭϭ Curriculum: Evolving what – and how — we teach We define curriculum as a set of organised courses and modules with intended learning outcomes. A curriculum has three closely connected components: theory and knowledge, skills and competencies, and values and character. Some components are isolated, but most overlap. For example, students understand geography via theory and knowledge skills, but there is an overlap when they practice cultural awareness—a skill needed to thrive in today’s world—as they draw from what they have learned in a geography course.
• Theory and knowledge In the simplest terms, theory and knowledge are what you know, for example literacy and numeracy. Traditionally, learning institutions have taught this deductively, using information that already exists. Education has focused on this component SME ADVISOR
with the belief that students who acquire and retain more knowledge are better able to succeed in the world. However, in the digital age, knowledge is a commodity: information is ubiquitous and accessible at the touch of a button. Students do need some retained knowledge to draw connections and conclusions, but concentrating on this component is no longer practical; a broader curriculum is needed. The main challenge that schools and education systems will face is deciding which core bases of knowledge to prioritise and which ones to eliminate to accommodate other skills and competencies. In recent years, technological competency— the ability to use technology to apply knowledge— has become a fundamental skill. This includes basics such as writing an essay on a word processor to more advanced uses such as iterative product development and manufacturing by programming Python algorithms for 3-D design and printing. These skills are the foundation of success in our technology-driven society. The continuous revolution in technology, in particular big data and artificial intelligence, begs the question of whether education institutions are delivering the right technological
competencies. Microsoft recently announced an ambitious undertaking, vowing to “solve” cancer within the next 10 years by reprogramming diseased cells. According to Microsoft, humans have published enough cancer research; the cure now lies in coding and directing complex problem-solving algorithms that can mine this information to find the causal links to cancer and use pattern recognition to identify effective methods to treat cancer. In this world as described by Microsoft, will there be enough people with the relevant technological skills? Microsoft has established an allencompassing education transformation framework, dependent on the adoption of several Microsoft tools that aim to support its vision. • Skills and competencies Continuously evolving skills and competencies are essential to survive and thrive in a constantly changing world. They are represented by the direct application of theory and knowledge in the real world—the capacity to translate information into insights and ideas that are relevant to the environment. Many
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skills and competencies are needed today, including leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, empathy, design thinking, flexibility, creativity, diplomacy, listening, teamwork, public speaking, cultural awareness, entrepreneurialism, conflict resolution, and facilitation. In the digital age, skills and competencies have enormous importance. Creativity is a good example. Pink describes right-brain creativity as “the ability to synthesize knowledge and develop inventive solutions to complex challenges.” Synthesis is paramount to innovating in the digital age. Without it, we lack the ability to connect the dots from our repository of knowledge to the phenomena of the real world. Take computer programming as an example. Schools can teach the basic concept of writing code (theory and knowledge) and allow students to try their knowledge on a computer (technological competency). But it is only when a student creates something, such as a mobile phone app, that society benefits. The World Economic Forum’s New Vision on Education: Fostering Social and Emotional Learning through Technology report also highlights the importance of
social and emotional learning and the way technology enables those skills: “To thrive in the 21st century, students need more than traditional academic learning. They must be adept at collaboration, communication and problem solving, which are some of the skills developed through social and emotional learning.” A handful of institutions have adopted innovative models in isolation. For example, the Reggio Emilia Approach is a collaborative educational philosophy that places teachers, parents, and students as active contributors to the learning process—the outcome often being significant improvements in social and emotional proficiencies. United World College is another example of an institution offering an all-encompassing, value-based education through its unique community participation and outdoor learning program. The Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation has also innovated in this field by using various art forms to build understanding and learning ability in curriculum subjects. Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs and institutional change leaders, believes the challenges of
the planet can be overcome if everyone can become a change-maker— someone who is taking creative action to solve a social problem. Change-making requires empathy, thoughtfulness, creativity, action, and collaborative leadership. Although these skills are essential to our thriving, they are almost entirely absent from the educational experience of most young people, with often a narrowing focus on reading, math, and academic grades. Ashoka’s vision and mission is to catalyse the transformation of education systems so that every child and adolescent is provided with educational environments and experiences designed to ensure they become change-makers. The development of values and character in educational institutions is inherently linked to a discussion on ethics and morals. In the digital age, we have seen more situations that have required ethical decision making. For example, in work that A.T. Kearney and the World Economic Forum collaborated on from 2013 to 2014, the topic of ethics in the use of personal data was studied with governments, the private sector, civil society, and nongovernmental organisations. The ethics of data refers to attributes such as fairness, agency, consent, social justice, and participation. By embracing ethical practices, individuals can more effectively engage in how, where, and for what purposes their personal information is used. With a focus on ethics (as opposed to privacy, which can be limiting), both the short- and long-term effects of how data is being used to impact the overall lives of individuals and communities can be better understood. Complex decisions about the use of personal data cannot be made with technocratic solutions alone. Analysis of the issues requires leadership, critical problem solving, and a sense of what is right and how we ought to behave. Similarly, values-based education is needed in conjunction with theory and knowledge along with skills and competencies. The enduring beliefs of what individuals or communities want and how SME ADVISOR
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they ascribe worth to those requirements is something that can begin in kindergarten and progress through secondary school and university. A good example is the value that different countries and communities place on the sustainability of the planet. Some believe the ecological issues are a hoax. Others demonstrate almost paranoid behavior: investing in science to colonise other planets because they believe that our world cannot sustain population growth and that environmental catastrophe will inevitably follow.
ϭϭ Measurement: Rethinking Standards
and Metrics Policy makers and practitioners often ask how we should measure education’s effectiveness. The challenge with this question is with the use of the term “education.” Stakeholders across regions and fields have diverse definitions of education and its inherent purpose. While this poses no issues when measuring education on an isolated basis—for example, in a distinctive field or region where the purpose is more commonly agreed upon—it can cause discrepancies when used comparatively. We
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have defined four components of measuring the effectiveness of education. The first is the input, or the curriculum and content being delivered. The second is the desired outcome. The input’s effectiveness can only be measured once the outcome has been identified. From a global perspective, the standards and metrics used to measure education’s effectiveness must be derived from key stakeholder groups’ agreement on a general purpose of education. The third component is measurement, or the criteria used to evaluate the desired outcome. The final component is the assessment used to evaluate the measurement metric. For measurement to be effective, these four elements must be aligned. • Current measurement tools and limitations Various international education league studies exist, the largest and most recognised being PISA. Nearly 500,000 15-year-olds across 65 nations take this two-hour test, the purpose of which is to understand if they are “well-prepared to participate in society.” (The age was chosen because most of these students are on the verge of
completing compulsory education and can thus provide a representative measure of K–12 educational effectiveness.) The test focuses on three domains: math, science, and reading. Results are used in significant policy decisions and educational reforms, including the Common Core standards in the United States. However, questions arise about the importance and relevance of the results, given the asynchronous nature between the test’s purpose and the domains being tested. A.T. Kearney’s education framework is built on three components in a school’s curriculum: theory and knowledge, skills and competencies, and values and character. The PISA measurement framework tests the first component but not the other two— the components that prepare students to participate in society. • New measurement variables The Pearson Learning Curve is the latest innovation in education league tables. However, the analysis only draws on data from cognitive-focused assessments, such as PISA, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. If the aim is to measure education’s effectiveness and a student’s employability, all three components of the curriculum should be studied. As mentioned, most studies focus on fundamental skills such as theory and knowledge but miss areas such as entrepreneurial aptitude, creativity, and empathy. In terms of measuring technological competencies, the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICIL) by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement is the first international comparative study that emphasizes students’ acquisition of computer skills. “The purpose of the ICIL is to investigate the computer and information literacy amongst young people to support their capacity to participate in the digital age,” according to a recent ICIL publication. “It also addresses the necessity for policymakers and education systems to
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have a better understanding of the contexts and outcomes of ICT-related education programmes in their countries.” ϭϭ Technology: A New Way to Teach Emerging technologies and trends We are in an era of unprecedented innovation in education technology. Experts have their eyes on several emerging technologies to support teaching, learning, and creative enquiry. In the next year, cloud computing and mobile apps are expected to reach mainstream use across much of the world. In Asia, several international schools are already using cloud-based services such as Google Apps and Skype while also establishing their own cloud networks to increase access to content from mobile devices, according to a New Media Consortium Horizon Project Regional Report. However, learning analytics are still two to three years away from widespread adoption as individual schools are primarily still in the pilot phase. Many believe that virtual and remote laboratories will be more broadly adopted in five or more years. The availability of technology can significantly improve the delivery of education, but affordability is essential. In several developing nations, affording technology for education is a major hurdle. One noteworthy company that is providing low-cost technology is One Laptop per Child, a non-profit organisation that aims to empower the world’s poorest children through education. The project provides low-cost computers, called the XO laptop, to nearly two million children and teachers in Latin America and another 500,000 in Africa and the rest of the world. The cost was kept low by first rationalising software and hardware resources and then mass-producing units to achieve economies of scale. Central to the project’s strategy was its partnerships with Advanced Micro Devices, Chi Mei, eBay, Google, Marvell Technology Group, News Corporation, Nortel, Red Hat, and Quanta. Despite the tremendous progress, gaps still exist in technology-enabled education models. Ideally, technology should be
deployed to support the delivery of theory and knowledge, skills and competencies, and values and character. However, existing educational technologies are largely focused only on theory and knowledge. What’s missing are technology-enabled tools that focus on values and character or other competencies. Learners are becoming more digitally connected and are continuously exposed to information and knowledge. In fact, teenagers spend about nine hours a day on screen media. Learning needs to reflect this highly mobile and connected reality of today’s world. Education models must also reconcile with the variety of ways students learn and ensure teaching methods are dynamic enough to impart factual knowledge while also developing procedural knowledge and motivational engagement. Hence, there is a tremendous potential for technology to play a more prominent role in shaping learning and education.
ϭϭ Funding: More Actors Are Playing a Role New K–20 funding models are emerging beyond the traditional use of taxpayer funds. More actors are playing vital roles in these emerging models, particularly
where government investment in education is relatively low. The first emerging model is a partnership between independent institutions, such as private schools and charter schools, and industry partners for funding support and curriculum development.
ϭϭ The Education Ecosystem
Education is changing as the curriculum shifts toward right-brained and technological learning outcomes. New measurement standards are gaining traction around the world. Technology is being used in both privileged urban schools in developed markets and underprivileged rural schools in emerging markets, and more actors are financing education. What used to be a slow-moving, predictable sector is quickly becoming fast-paced, innovative, and complex. However, this added complexity makes it difficult for stakeholders— particularly those relatively established in education—to know where they stand, how they are affected, how to navigate the sector, and how to stay relevant. Shaping the education agenda is no longer limited to policy makers and educators. To SME ADVISOR
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remain relevant, the transformation must be led by continuous engagement and dialogue among policy makers, educators and students, technology and content providers, organisations, and employers. Forward-thinking stakeholders have their eye on how the sector will unfold and which strategies will create a long-term competitive advantage.
• Technology companies, such as
Google and Apple, are aware of the technology tipping point happening in education. Hardware, for example, has become much more affordable. Google is selling devices in schools, saying its Chromebooks can achieve savings of more than US$5,200 per device over three years. Apple, which has been distributing its products to educational institutions for decades, has tens of thousands of MacBooks and iPads in schools around the world. However, schools are not usually technology savvy and are often budget-constrained. Technology providers must offer a full suite of products and services—including managed infrastructure services, data security, and access permissions—so schools can focus on what they do
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best: teaching. Similarly, software such as educational gamification and digital textbooks has become function- ally rich enough for teachers and students to prefer it over traditional textbooks. Google Play for Education is a good example. This app store gives teachers access to approved apps that help them meet both curriculum requirements and students’ individual needs. However, as experts in serving adults, technology leaders will need to customise their products and services to meet the unique needs of diverse education consumers ranging from age four to the late teens. Digital control mechanisms are also needed to filter out low-quality applications, support sharing and collaboration, and ensure students are downloading only school-sanctioned materials. Those that take advantage of data tracking and analytics—in collaboration with schools and districts—will be able to identify consumer trends and behaviours early on and adapt accordingly.
• Content providers have massive
opportunities ahead to disrupt the
traditional education market, similar to the impact digital had on the traditional media industry. Paperbased publishers are downsizing because of falling profits but at the same time are being forced to innovate—with fewer resources—to compete with digital and technology companies. As the media sector has demonstrated, people want information in a variety of formats: some want only digital, some want only paper, and some want varying degrees of both. Forward-thinking content providers will learn from their customers: the students themselves and the teaching environment. For students, content providers can use the growing prominence of big data in education to segment learning styles, identify the learning and results, and understand how these will shift over time. For the teaching environment, they will need to balance the urge to beta test new forms of content delivery with soliciting educator feedback about what works in the classroom. An understanding of these diverse perspectives will be crucial to adapting content strategies. However, unlike the media industry,
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The continuous revolution in technology, in particular big data and artificial intelligence, begs the question of whether education institutions are delivering the right technological competencies.
education often doesn’t let students choose their consumption platform, nor does it allow educators to choose a delivery model. Content providers will have to educate decision makers about student preferences so the decisions benefit all K–20 stakeholders.
• Investors will see new market
opportunities open up. Between 1995 and 2011, the education sector made up a mere one per cent of all venture capital deals. In comparison, technology accounted for 38 per cent and healthcare 19 per cent. Whether it is an education technology start-up or for-profit schools, this one per cent will become a much larger piece of the pie over the next five to 10 years. New investors in education will need to identify niche but scalable opportunities that aren’t overvalued by a herd mentality. Coursera, for example, received US$63 million in funding in 2013 and another US$60 million in 2015. Its higher education courses
reach millions of students across the globe, yet with an estimated burn rate of US$10 million annually and an unclear monetisation strategy, potential investors should consider other options with less risk, a better portfolio fit, and stronger short-term return-generating potential.
• Teachers and administrators are the
first to understand how challenging it is to achieve change in their schools, let alone implement it consistently and across an entire district, state, and country. But transformative change—the type that schools will need for the conceptual age— rarely happens top down in education: it happens from the bottom up, through teachers. The challenge they will face is grasping new technologies, learning new methods, and testing new approaches. But if we start training young teachers who understand and appreciate technology, while at the same time collaborating with universities to ensure these materials are embedded into teacher education programmes, this change will occur naturally and across the board. The challenge is much more difficult for school administrators. Because schools are being run more like businesses, school business models will start to incorporate commercial best practices to help improve operational efficiency and the student experience. Should we insource or outsource back-office functions, student administration, and career services? Should our IT infrastructure, student data, and customer relationship management solutions be onsite or offsite? Should our sales channels be digital, traditional, or a mix of both? These are all new questions for school
leaders—and ones that will have unique responses depending on the location, student demographic, budget, and organisational mission.
• Government bodies face three issues.
The first is testing. As mentioned, PISA is a one-dimensional view of a country’s global competitiveness through education. New assessments such as ICIL must be quickly adopted to measure the other dimensions. The accreditation process also needs to change.
• Employers need to acknowledge they
can no longer rely on the current educational system to produce employees with the right skills. They must take an active part in the education revolution. Today’s system is not creating job-ready employees, and a college education has become an expensive check box for human resources. “We learn, and after this, we do,” said David Edwards, a Harvard professor. “We go to school, and then we go to work.” However, today’s employers need employees who can learn how to discover to be able to face complex and unprecedented challenges of the 21st century. Employers will need to get involved— for example, by helping educators build programmes that encourage the right skills, developing mentorship programmes, hiring high school students for projects in the office, letting them use real tools. Company leaders and hiring managers have a stake in addressing this issue and undertaking various initiatives.
The Way Forward Education is a thousand-year-old industry on the cusp of profound change. Now is the time to jointly design an ecosystem that can take us into the next hundred years. SME ADVISOR
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UNVEILING THE NEW SAP LEONARDO At SAP’s annual conference SAPPHIRE NOW, which took place in Orlando, FL, USA, earlier this year, its CEO Bill McDermott made a revolutionary announcement: the repositioning of SAP Leonardo.
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. By using SAP Leonardo, businesses can innovate more rapidly and scale that innovation, embedding it into all their applications and business processes. 02. The new platform promises to offer customers: Solution Ideation & Vision; Rapid Prototyping; Business Case Development; and Technology Blueprint.
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AP Leonardo offers bespoke “digital innovation services” to companies, focusing on technologies such as IoT, Blockchain and Machine Learning.
Here’s a snapshot of its offering: ϭϭ Internet of Things: Use IoT technology to connect things with people and processes, and take advantage of the Industrial IoT and Internet of Everything (IoE).
ϭϭ Machine Learning: Embed easy-
to-consume machine learning capabilities into your business – and take advantage of AI-based insights.
ϭϭ Analytics: Deploy analytics
across your business to uncover better insights – and develop new processes and apps based on intelligence.
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ϭϭ Big Data: Connect to, process, manage, and store a wider range of data than ever before – from any source, structured or unstructured.
ϭϭ Design Thinking: Get expert help
with design thinking services such as solution ideation, rapid prototyping, and business case development.
ϭϭ Blockchain: Embed blockchain services into your applications to speed up transactions and increase trust, visibility, and security.
ϭϭ Data Intelligence: Extract insights
from a large network of anonymised data. Find ways to solve your business problems, monetise data, and more.
Speaking at the launch, Mala Anand, Executive Vice President and President of SAP Leonardo, Data & Insights at SAP, said: “Digital businesses require many
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Industry accelerator packages for SAP Leonardo will focus on use cases for specific industries that are a powerful differentiator for SAP. Customers will not have to assemble pieces and parts to solve a business problem. new technologies and capabilities working seamlessly together, so we are bringing together machine learning, IoT, analytics, and Big Data on SAP Cloud Platform using design thinking services. With dozens of industry awards and recognitions, each of these areas of SAP’s portfolio can add tremendous value for our customers on their digital journey, but the real power is when they all work together.”
The business advantage By using SAP Leonardo, businesses can innovate more rapidly and scale that innovation, embedding it into all their applications and business processes. SAP will bring our expertise in design thinking services to help customers solve the complex problems of becoming digital through SAP Leonardo Innovation Services – aligned to specific use cases, by industry. These services are designed to quickly move from innovative ideas to a blueprint for implementation at scale, with a compelling business case. She added: “Industry accelerator packages for SAP Leonardo will focus on use cases for specific industries that are a powerful differentiator for SAP. Customers will not have to assemble pieces and parts to solve a business problem. We will use included services that tailor predefined software elements for the specific customer implementation. Everything will come at a predefined price and our engagement is time-bound, so every customer has an accelerated time-to-value.”
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IS AUGMENTED REALITY REALLY GOING TO IMPACT WORKPLACES OF THE FUTURE? Ryan Pamplin of Meta Co. argues that Augmented Reality (AR) will soon transform conventional workplaces - making them far more productive, data-driven and efficient.
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EDITOR’S PICKS 01. Factory floors arguably became the first places where AR was used daily to enhance worker productivity and streamline supply chains. 02. Not only does Analytics AR make data analysis and visualisation more compelling, but it allows people to literally dive and dig into their data.
RYAN PAMPLIN VICE PRESIDENT META CO.
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or the past 50 years, computers have been add-ons to our lives, evolving from complex, room-sized machines to simplified, but powerful, pocket-sized assistants embedded in every facet of our lives. Augmented reality (AR) is set to be the next step in the evolution of computing, and will arguably be the most intuitive and collaborative computing experience. In fact, much ink has been spilled on AR’s limitless potential, while countless hours of screen time have been dedicated to imagining how AR can better our lives. Even among our customers, we’ve noticed that both application developers and business decision-makers see AR as a tool for enhancing productivity. However, there’s no need to continue imagining AR’s potential for improving the way we work – AR is already enhancing productivity at the workplace. Here are some of the ways AR is being used today: Maintenance and assembly Like most solutions, AR’s entrance into the workplace was conceived out of a challenge a company faced. In 1990, factory workers at Boeing had to rely on painstakingly complex airplane wiring instructions that were displayed on large plywood boards. At each step of the manufacturing process, workers had to manually rewire each board – no easy task given the deadlines, complexities, and inefficiencies. Two Boeing researchers, Tom Caudell and David Mizell, introduced AR and AR headsets to the factory floor (and subsequently coined the term augmented reality). Factory floors arguably became the first places where AR was used daily to enhance worker productivity and streamline supply chains. Fast forward to today, companies like General Electric (GE) have increasingly
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Both application developers and business decisionmakers see AR as a tool for enhancing productivity.
incorporated AR (through both mobile devices and headsets) as part of their factories’ workflows and processes. And it’s no surprise given that numerous studies have shown that the use of 3D instructions, i.e., the kind displayed through AR, can amplify people’s efficiency and ability to focus on tasks. 3D information wasn’t meant for 2D screens While factory workers, technicians, and maintenance workers have used AR for decades, you’ll rarely find AR being used by office workers. After all, why would office workers need to wear headsets that display holographic information? And coupled with the fact that the computers and corresponding software applications office workers have been using seem rather intuitive, it doesn’t really make sense to use AR in the office – or does it?
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Now is the time to futureproof your workforce and plan out how you can leverage AR to enhance worker productivity and optimise existing workflows and processes.
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Architects and designers have been turning to AR to overcome some of the productivity limitations inherent to working with 3D models and designs in 2D (our brains have evolved to become finely attuned to navigating the 3D world around us). And while powerful CAD and modeling software like SolidWorks and Revit (along with more traditional tools like pencils and paper) continue to help architects and designers, AR architectural applications like Schema – which enable users to quickly concept, prototype, and build 3D structures in the first stage of the architectural design process – are further streamlining architects’ existing workflows.
that help people better understand the data they’re interpreting. That’s a consideration that Great Wave, a professional services firm with extensive experience in developing business and productivity apps, has taken into account as part of their work on data visualisation for AR. They recently built an application, Analytics AR, that takes organisations’ Salesforce sales data and visualises the data in AR so that users can do what they’ve always wanted to do: touch and directly manipulate the data they’re analysing. Not only does Analytics AR make data analysis and visualisation more compelling, but it allows people to literally dive and dig into their data.
What does data visualisation look like in AR? It’s one thing to analyse rows of data across several Excel sheets. It’s another thing creating charts and graphs that clearly communicate what the data means. And while it’s considered best practice to refrain from displaying 3D bar charts or lines on a 2D surface such as papers and screens, those 3D bar charts and lines become useful and add an extra layer of informational cues
Futureproofing your workforce With the Fourth Industrial Revolution well under way, now is the time to futureproof your workforce and plan out how you can leverage AR to enhance worker productivity and optimise existing workflows and processes. With tech luminaries like Apple and Google developing AR headsets and platforms, AR is undoubtedly shaping to be the next computing platform – so why wait to incorporate it into your workforce?
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