Insights

The lightning speed at which industry is innovating is threatening to leave the world’s workforce behind. Those who wish to keep pace will do well to mirror technology’s insatiable desire for advancement and agility by continually investing in upskilling, so that they are prepared to lead, rather than follow, or fall off  the wave of inevitable disruption.

If boardroom walls could, talk they would share chatter of the growing threat of digitisation and its disruption of nearly all economic sectors. The ultimate question always stems from: how should they respond? Bend, bow or fight?

The digitisation of our world cannot be reversed. In fact, it is speeding up. We have entered an era of exponential growth, and traditional organisations must come to terms with the shifting of power underfoot and start implementing their own digital transformation strategies if they are to remain in the game.

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR), is upon us and affecting almost every industry globally, transforming how organisations operate and shaping a world where consumers are enabled and empowered by digital technologies, platforms and processes. But is Australia and its business community well placed to succeed in an environment of transformative technologies, automation and human-machine interaction?

The dual forces of digital transformation and technological innovation are the new normal in business. This means that all workers, not just those orchestrating these endeavours, need to accrue an arsenal of skills to remain relevant in their roles and competitive in their careers.

By 2025, it is estimated the population will generate half a zettabyte every single day – that’s 100 times a trillion gigabytes. By understanding the amount of data humanity produces and how to leverage it effectively, businesses will have the ability to find more success in the modern age.

Remote working has been steadily growing worldwide over the last decade, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world’s hand and made this method of work mainstream. When businesses have the majority of their workforce working from home, what are the implications for cyber security and threat management?

It’s true, the robots are coming, and the computers that are already here are getting smarter by the day, but how much should workers really be worrying about tech taking their livelihoods?

As businesses undergo increasing digital transformation, an innovative data-driven approach to organisational improvement — process mining — is being adopted by organisations around the world.

The digital transformation of business is rapidly changing the role of CTOs, CIOs and broader technology management. As I.T. executives embrace forward facing challenges, how will their key responsibilities evolve and what does the future look like?

There are many qualities that define good leadership in typical times. These can vary from consistency in identifying, assessing and overcoming challenges, to interpersonal excellence and the ability to inspire. But there are some traits which hold particular relevance in times of uncertainty, when information is fractured and the time for decision making is shortened. In these circumstances ‘normal’ ways of working are compromised and these latter leadership skills become imperative in the workplace.

In this opinion piece, Dr Marian Mahat, Senior Research Fellow at Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), considers what Australia’s education system need to do to respond to the realities of a new post-pandemic world.

Innovation in the context of the fourth industrial revolution has become about more than ideation and invention – it’s really to do with adding unique value quicker and more frequently than the competition.

In the post-truth world, where society and social media in particular are awash with fake news, false rumours and out-of-context conversations, public opinion is increasingly shaped more by emotion and personal belief than objective fact. So how worried should brands and businesses be about the influence of this trend on their industries and operations? And what role does authenticity play in mitigating and managing both the threat and the fallout?

As careers and ways of working adapt to our social and economic needs, new ways of accessing and experiencing learning are also evolving. From microcredentials and degrees, to podcasts and TED talks, the diversification of education has made it easier for professionals to find what suits their needs best. Extra knowledge, deeper understanding and adaptable abilities can all help enhance professional resilience in the face of rapid change. But where to start when deciding on the most appropriate options for acquiring new and deepening skills and knowledge?

In the new normal, the virtual world has joined the real one. As we move our work lives online, it’s time to reimagine the way we interact to ensure positive workplace culture and productivity.

In the past decade, we have seen an unprecedented acceleration in our willingness to consider new ways of living and working. Technology continues to expand our horizons, sparking our inherent human ambition to craft our own careers. New generations are pivoting towards a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ approach to professional pursuits because of the thrill of flexibility, dynamism, and opportunity it provides.

The 100-year life has been steadily approaching for some time. Due to scientific advances, such as tackling infant mortality, cardiovascular disease and the reduction of smoking rates, around half of those aged 20 today are expected to live to 100 (Deloitte, 2018).

In this opinion piece, Simon Bell, Head of School for MSPACE at The University of Melbourne, reflects on the true value of extending education and how new ways to acquire new skills are unlocking payoffs both professional and personal.

The value of lifelong learning and upskilling has been amplified through a rapid change in macro forces such as technological breakthroughs, urbanisation, resource scarcity and climate change. As a result, the main question for many people is no longer should they undertake further education, but what the focus of their studies should be.

As recent events have shown, to most, diversity matters. But can it really contribute to the bottom line of a business and its operational strength, as well as to long overdue shifts in how we learn from and engage with one another? In short, yes.

Associate Professor in Organisational Studies, Management and Marketing Susan Ainsworth, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of The Policy Lab, Leah Ruppanner, and Dr Andi Pekarek, Lecturer in Human Resource Management (HRM) in the Department of Management and Marketing, share their expertise to help us understand where the world of work is heading and what needs to happen to ensure it benefits everyone.

Remote working was already on the rise in the pre-pandemic landscape. But with social distancing forcing the hand of management across the board, it has become THE ways-of-working trend of 2020, and appears to be well on the way to greater mainstream penetration for the foreseeable future.

Even if widespread recovery from COVID-19 exceeds expectations, reference to ‘pre-’ and ‘post-’ pandemic ways-of-working is becoming part of the vernacular of our industries and the organisations that make them up.

In this opinion piece, Associate Professor Kate Tregloan, Director of the Built Environments Learning + Teaching (BEL+T) group in The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, considers the value of design thinking in these topsy-turvy times and beyond.

The ethical judgement of a business has always been important in guiding its approaches and shaping the perceptions of the people who engage with it, be that employees, customers or communities. However, in recent times, ethics has been pushed to the forefront of corporate and communications strategies to combat the rise of cancel or call-out culture.

There’s no denying that strong soft skills are increasingly attractive to employers looking to support more technical operations with more humanistic qualities.  But as well as being highly transferable and adaptable across industries digitally and socially transforming, can these types of skills actually improve individual productivity and with that career trajectory?

Dr Jeanne Marie Iorio and Dr Jayson Cooper of the University of Melbourne share why we need to re-think early childhood teaching in Australia to foreground and value Indigenous Worldviews – both for the benefit of all children and as a responsibility of living in contemporary Australia. (Dr Jeanne Marie Iorio and Dr Jayson Cooper are both non-Indigenous scholars).

Sometimes businesses evolve due to desire – to diversify, to improve or to innovate in search of success or greater levels of it – other times through necessity – when the forces of consumption or competition, supply or demand make change essential, to prosper or survive.  The velocity of technological change society is experiencing has already deemed foresight and flexibility core capabilities for the modern organisation, who need to be willing and able to apply both in preparing for what they suspect will be next.But what about their response when caught unsuspecting and unawares by the speed, scale or severity of a challenge?  Are they ready or could they never have been, not enough anyway?

In this opinion piece, Dr Victor Sojo of The University of Melbourne’s renowned Centre for Workplace Leadership within the Faculty of Business and Economics explores how and why business leaders should be fostering empathetic thinking and related soft skills in the name of growing and managing a diverse team for business success.

In the past there were those people, teams, functions and companies that were dependent on creativity and those that were based on knowledge.  The age old tussle between art and science.  In the modern world, art and science must co-exist. By bringing the two together, businesses can offer a competitive advantage.

In today’s rapidly evolving modern world, an ability to define, develop and deploy fresh, flexible thinking and doing is perhaps more important than ever. With technological advancement and automation at play, we strive to maintain our own sense of self and wellbeing on one hand and enhance relevance through resourcefulness on the other.Hence, the positive effects of creativity for individuals and industries, plus the nature of the relationship between its presence in and out of work, have received growing interest in recent years. It seems the more we understand its inherent problem-solving and psychological benefits, the more we can move to harness these across the board to build creative capability.

One of the biggest issues facing developed nations in the 21st century is the dramatic shift in demographics to an ageing population. The Australian Treasury’s 2015 Intergenerational Report confirmed that if projections are correct, the number of Australians aged 65 and over will close to double by the middle of the century. What implications does this have for the workforce, and how can businesses respond?

Choosing the right university and course is important. The University of Melbourne offers a wide range of community services courses, with unique opportunities to progress your career.

What's in and what's out for the future of teaching and training.

Positive psychology in schools is exploring how best to apply the science of wellbeing in key learning environments - helping students develop skills for life.

The cost of going to university can be a real obstacle. For some it’s simply a matter of lacking family resources to fund their studies, while for others the worry of getting into debt is a disincentive to enrol in the first instance.

Tech giants like Google and Facebook are increasingly coming under scrutiny from competition authorities and governments around the world. From Europe to the US, there are investigations looking into the impact of digital platforms and the possible use and effects of market power.

As the 21st century’s most formidable and far-reaching threat to our planet and people, climate change has already begun to impact and influence a broad range of corporate interests in a number of ways. But while it’s fair to say certain industries will bear the brunt of its inconvenient truths, it’s also true that opportunities to overperform exist for those able to act swiftly and strategically.

The effects of human-induced climate change are becoming increasingly apparent with each passing year. Recent extremes of temperature, flooding and fire have reinforced that there is a vast amount of work to do in harnessing carbon emissions and reducing their impact on our own backyard and far beyond.

As companies become increasingly aware of the number and nature of risks and opportunities presented by a greener future, the ways in which sustainability influences their decision-making and directs their operations is shifting from sporadic and sometimes token to strategic and fundamental.

By 2050, Melbourne aims to have the most extensive urban forest in the world. A school at the University of Melbourne is helping to build the expertise so this plan can become a reality.

Evaluation is a field that can open doors across the world – just ask University of Melbourne graduate Marion Cabanes, who has a resume that spans multiple continents.