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“In 2030, the future will be very different.” – Jim Spohrer of IBM.
Last Friday, Jim Spohrer, IBM Director Global University Program and Founding Board Member of ISSIP (International Society for Service Innovation Professionals), led an interactive and disruptive CIO Roundtable on “Knowledge Platforms for Emerging Business Models.” The CIO Roundtable was a full house event with representatives from government, academia, and business including Wells Fargo, Rocketspace, Cisco, and Applied Materials (view guest list here). Spohrer sees that the future will be far different than what we have imagined; the rate, method, and mindset in which we are moving towards will take us to a new world.
Open Innovation. Alliance. Success.
As in Open Innovation, Jim Spohrer recognizes the importance of alliances between institutions for business success. A service science pioneer, Spohrer emphasizes the importance of big data and advancing technology. He believes that by 2030, data we have today will be nothing compared to the data in 2030, cars will not require drivers, machines will replace doctors during surgical procedures, and university dialogue will evolve from career preparation to business incubation. Roundtable participant PK Agarwal agrees: “Knowledge platforms will have a very revolutionary impact in the future. The business of education will undergo radical transformation. Universities will need to evolve accordingly.”
Value Proposition Through Knowledge Creation
Making a connection, Professor Solomon Darwin related value propositions to smart cities in India: “Smart cities create universities inside because that’s the magnet. Creating knowledge sustains [smart cities].” He elaborated that each smart city is unique and has a different culture, but the presence of an academic institution is what creates value proposition through knowledge creation.
Spohrer also discussed that technology is easily a concern for governance mechanisms; although technology advances rapidly, government regulations hinders speed to market and product development. What does it take for success in the market today and how can technology work with governance? When the stimulating dialogue concluded, attendees felt enthusiastic for the future of technological innovations using knowledge platforms. What type of mindset should an entrepreneur have? What innovative solutions can we use?
The Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation hosts Chief Innovation Officers (CIO) Roundtables to provide an invigorating and enlightening platform for key innovation leaders to come together and discuss upcoming innovation challenges such as practicality and public service issues.
By: Cindy Ma