How to practice pragmatic futurism? What are the most important emerging technologies? How to keep the company focused on the consumer of the future? To debate these issues, the 13th edition of ABES CONFERENCE, held in São Paulo on November 6, 2023, brought together important experts at the round table Corporate Foresight – pragmatic futurism as a corporate strategy. A hybrid and free event, the conference had as its central theme “The Digital Future and the Reinvention of Now and debated various topics, such as the innovation ecosystem, artificial intelligence, the future of work, fostering innovation and sustainability. It was sponsored by ApexBrasil, TOTVS, AWS, Prosper Tech Talents, Caesbra, NIC.br and SND Distribuidora.
Is choosing the wrong technological strategy as harmful as failing to carry out digital transformation? Is it possible to predict the future? How to avoid panic and the feeling that the company is falling behind? In the assessment of Ligia Zotini, Futurist, it is necessary to consider the level of awareness of the leadership (personal) and the company (organizational). Managers must understand what technological level the company needs at the current moment and have a technological planning map that shows where the company wants to reach in 24 months, in a double movement.
Catarina Papa, Futurist, pointed out that the issue is not predicting the future, as the foresight These are methodologies that help to prospect scenarios and, from there, taking into account the expertise of the company, services and products, define what can be better, what is the desirable future.
For Luiza Sarno, Counselor and Advisor for startups, it is essential not to get carried away by FOMO (Fear of missing out or fear of losing something), which can lead to hasty decisions. After all, every second something technological innovation is being created in the world. She advises that executives seek sources, participate in events and talk to experts to seek qualified information. The business strategy must define the company's technological strategy. Luiza also warned of a mistake that companies make, when an executive falls in love with a technology and tries to force it into a reality that eventually has nothing to do with either the maturity of the organization or the business itself.
Fernando Birman, IT executive and consultant, remembers that companies still have a lot of legacies, processes and outdated mentalities. “The fear of being left out can be taken advantage of, however, by managers in order to do what the company needs, especially when leaders are more backward and attached to the past”, he pointed out.
Understanding new technologies and understanding contexts that become more complex every day is one of the most important skills for leaders in the 21st century. It is essential to practice pragmatic futurism, staying up to date on the most important emerging technologies and anticipating the consumer needs of the future.
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