Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: HR – There's an app for that. Just six years after first-generation iPhones debuted, smartphones pervade every corner of our work, personal, and emotional lives. As demand for corporate mobile apps escalates, HR is climbing aboard the mobility bandwagon. But with only a few developers offering mobile HCM – most limited to slim, basic process steps – HR is not finding the easy-to-use functionality and consumer-centric, gamified look-and-feel needed to engage younger employees. How soon will HR solution vendors put muscle into meeting this demand? The experts speak. Daniel Meszaros, Maersk Group: "Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." (Michael Jordan) N Ganapathy, Cogent Integrated Business Solutions Inc: "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change." (Charles Darwin) Ingrid Bernaudin, SuccessFactors: "If we don't disrupt ourselves by leveraging mobile, someone else will." Join us for Trends in HR Mobility: Apps on the Go.

The buzz: Banking. Triggered by the financial crisis and subsequent regulatory changes, banks are moving toward a new paradigm of simultaneously and proactively managing risk, return, liquidity, and capital. While technology is playing a transformative role in the industry, many regulators believe banks are moving too slowly to fully embrace it. Are they right? The experts speak. Richard Fleming, Bain & Company: "Change happens by listening to people and then starting a dialogue with people who are doing something they don't believe is right" (Jane Goodall). Michael Pinedo, New York University: "Future challenges for banking will involve determining the trade-offs between ease of use for the customer and how to maintain a high level of security and privacy." Don Trotta, SAP: "'If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough' (Mario Andretti). If regulators are now moving faster than banks ...a 'game changer'." Join us for Banks Embracing Technology: Fast Enough?

The buzz: Retail. Retailers: If you're not making each customer's experience more engaging, exciting and fulfilling than your competitors are, help is here. Hints: Find your own retail niche. Leverage that distinction across your business. Nurture a "Fan to Brand" loyalty that compels shoppers to engage far beyond the purchase…and more. The experts speak. BJ Bueno, The Cult Branding Company: "Some customers have a religious devotion to a particular brand. They may go so far as to permanently scorch their skin with the logo or image of the brand they love." Scott McKain, Expert on Distinction: "'I LOVE shopping there. They treat me EXACTLY like everyplace else!' said no customer ever. Create distinction!" Nancy Casey, SAP: "The latest major disruption in the retail world is Alibaba's IPO which broke all records. With a market cap of $230B (larger than Amazon or eBay), the global retail market will never be the same." Join us for Retail Relevancy: Distinction Trumps Differentiation.

The buzz: Retail. As NY Fashion Week ends, fashion retailers are under more competitive pressure than ever to deliver great "retail therapy" experiences that consistently meet or exceed customers' expectations. And because customers shop brands, not channels, retailers must deliver at all points along the shopping journey. But how? The experts speak. Scott McKain, Expert on Distinction: "The attributes that many retailers believe make their customer experience differentiated in the marketplace are precisely the same ones that competitors are promoting as their points of uniqueness." Vicki Cantrell, National Retail Federation: "Perfection is the enemy of the good. Don't worry, be crappy." (V. Cantrell, combining quotes). Andrea France, SAP: "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky; in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." (Coco Chanel). Join us for Retail: Winning the Hearts, Minds, Wallets of Fashionistas .

The buzz: Pharma. Populations are aging. Chronic diseases are increasing, with new strains emerging at an alarming rate. For these reasons and more, global healthcare costs are skyrocketing and pressure is mounting to develop innovative pharmaceutical drugs. How can pharma organizations accelerate R&D – without compromising quality – to deliver new therapies that effectively fight complex, life-threatening illnesses like cancer? Is technology the key to improving patient outcomes while reducing costs? The experts speak. Ashish Goel, Infosys: "We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them" (Albert Einstein). Alan S. Louie, Ph.D, IDC Health Insights: "May you live in interesting times" (Ancient Chinese curse). Joe Miles, SAP: "If it's not documented, it's just a rumor" (from a former FDA investigator). Join us for Pharma and Technology: Higher Outcomes, Lower Costs.

The buzz: Balance. Whether you call it work-life balance or integration, some days it seems impossible. How can you be calm, centered, productive, happy amid 24/7 work distractions and deadlines, family and sleep demands? The experts speak. Pamela Weiss, Appropriate Response: "In a real sense all life is inter-related. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly" (Dr. Martin Luther King). Marc Lesser, SIYLI.org: "There is scientific evidence that mindfulness practice can support leaders to cultivate more acceptance and openness, and reduce fear – necessary in supporting innovation." Peter Bostelmann, SAP: "Mindfulness is a Leading Edge Inner Technology–not at all about being esoteric or touchy feely. It is evidence-based, self-empowering mental trainings known by ancient wisdom traditions and today backed by modern science." Join us for Balance at Work: The Business Case for Health.

The buzz: Cloud and Marketing. Breaking news! The cloud brings one of the biggest opportunities for the future of marketing. But it comes with big challenges. Have you begun developing a digital marketing strategy and platform makeover? Are you prepared to shift into a totally customer-focused culture? Is the right talent on board yet? Before your marketing organization can play well and win big in this burgeoning arena, you need to know what future success will look like. The experts speak. Florian Brody, Brody and Partners: "Let's go back some 400 years. Hamlet: "Do you see yonder clouds that's almost in shape of a camel?" Polonius: "By the mass, and 'tis like a camel indeed" (William Shakespeare, Hamlet). Steven Bailey, Deloitte Digital: "In all things, be curious, courageous, confident, and caring." Bernard Chung, SAP: "It's not about digital marketing but marketing in a digital world" (Mayur Gupta). Join us for Up-Skilling for Marketing in the Cloud: Are You Ready?

The buzz: Fraud. As hard as you work to implement effective anti-fraud processes, voracious and savvy fraudsters are working even harder, and perhaps smarter, to thwart you. Good news! Predictive analytics technology can help you understand emerging fraud patterns and adapt against new types of attack, but only if you use the tools effectively. What will it take for your leadership to make this a priority? The experts speak. Derek Snaidauf, Deloitte: "The beginning is the most important part of the work" (Plato). Michael P Cangemi, Cangemi Company: "The uninspected (inevitably) deteriorates" (34th US President Dwight D. Eisenhower). Jérôme Pugnet, SAP: "Fraudulent actors often exhibit repetitive patterns. As we recognize these, we can apply heuristics to predict when they are about to occur again, and help stop them; but for complex, evolving fraud vectors, we turn to machine learning…" (Blog at Airbnb). Join us for Fighting Fraud: Predictive Technology to the Rescue? – Part 3.

Today's buzz: Insurance. Along its paper-to-digital journey, the insurance industry has attained sophistication in the use of some analytics tools. But the industry overall is still a laggard when it comes to adopting an integrated approach across the enterprise. The best way to catch up? Establishing a Business Intelligence Center of Excellence may be the key to creating a much-needed business-driven analytics strategy. The experts speak. Michael John Bernaski, Management Consultant: "...in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes" (H. A. Simon). Monique Hesseling, Strategy Meets Action: The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing (Socrates). Pat Saporito, SAP: "The Stone Age was marked by man's clever use of crude tools; the Information Age has been marked by man's crude use of clever tools" (Anonymous). Join us for Analytics in Insurance: Dinosaur or Dynamo? - Part 3

The buzz: SMEs. If you're the entrepreneurial founder or leader of a small-to-midsize company, your commitment is tested daily. After engaging investors and building a core team, your challenges can include scaling technology, opening sustainable distribution channels, engaging and delighting customers, mastering social media opportunities and more. Whew! How are today's successful businesses getting it all done? The experts speak. Brian Moran, Brian Moran & Associates: "Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do." (H. Jackson Brown Jr.) Andrew Sherman, Jones Day: "We spend most of our lives devoted to activities that diminish our fuel and then wonder why our tank is empty." Meaghan Sullivan, SAP: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." (Albert Schweitzer) Join us for Grow Your SME Business: Smart Tips for Entrepreneurs – Part 2.