Innovation acceleration

It can be invigorating to take a step back from the day-to-day demands of operating a business or looking after your customers to reflect on the game-changing trends shaping our industry.

We often adapt to change in incremental steps – whether it’s a new regulatory requirement or customer preference –  and we don’t always see the bigger picture and the new opportunities that emerge.

It took humans 300-odd years after the invention of the potter’s wheel to realise it could be applied to transportation. But it is barely a decade since Steve Jobs promised to “reinvent the phone” – and in doing so reinvented the whole world of work. (And it’s now possible to purchase a self-help book on how to ‘break up’ with your phone).

Bill Gates once said that “we always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.”

Innovation doesn’t just happen in a Silicon Valley garage or an inner-city start-up hub – it’s also the product of decisions made, directions set and aspirations articulated in meeting rooms and workplaces around Australia.

This week we highlight just some of the trends reshaping our industry through technology. Whether it is the ‘internet of everything’ driving smart homes, sustainable building practices that are increasingly embedded in our mainstream thinking or changes to how consumers and retailers interact, our industry continues to innovate.