We are surrounded by billions of everything; bombarded with million ideas, enticed with zillions of options constantly doubling in real time. We are in the age of abundance and drowning in all kinds of stuff.
Good or bad, never in the history of mankind have we had so much so easily available to so many around the globe; simultaneously, instantly and effortlessly. The arrival of the age of abundance is now a mainstream challenge for all creators and producers of goods and services around the world. On one side we are witnessing the transformation from the ‘age of scarcity’ to the ‘age of abundance’ on the other we are drowning in a massive global flood of mediocrity, old style thinking and execution. The age of abundance is now a global phenomenon forcing the best of the best to come to the surface, while the rest to disappear.
Why is this so critical for the survival of any organization, any size, any where?
Firstly, it all started out with the “age of curiosity” where in the earlier days of the darker ages, whatever shined, the masses of the period gleamed and glued. Followed by the “age of scarcity” where any novel concept created by anyone created instant local or global demands and paved secure paths to massive successes. Now we are in the “age of abundance” where for every great idea there are millions of better ones. Only the very best gets a chance.
Overly duplicated concepts lost in massive copycat clutter, making the survival of the fittest measured not by being the first or the very big in the marketplace but for being absolutely unique and thoughtful all the way. Not an easy game.
Hence 99% of so called great things being offered today are barely capable of survival.
A quick study of any vertical market anywhere in the world will provide all the required proof
The world has changed, the global perception has advanced, the old business models have failed and the old style management and execution is now become a major certified burden.
Why ‘innovation’ has become such a driving force world over?
Creating innovative excellence in our convoluted and overly diluted world of the age of abundance is no children’s play but a major challenge befitting the best teams with right vision innovative minds focused on pure excellence, execution and image supremacy
Dangers of falling into ‘Innovation Lalalands’ v/s ‘Innovation Battlefields’
An innovation lalaland is a place where basically the ‘word’ innovation becomes the dominate force; a mandatory term to be recited with every big or small announcement of every project, recited in synch several times daily where plastering and tagging of multi-color ‘post it’ notes creating colorful collages on whiteboards becomes new benchmarks. Ferociously, majority of organizations around the world are currently engaged in some sort of major transformation towards becoming innovative but based on quick research most are stuck exactly where they started from and have landed in come kind of innovation lalaland. Such exercises are great starting points but the proof of achieving innovative excellence must be presented.
FACTS:
To be engaged in ‘innovation’ is not that easy otherwise becoming the likes of Apple (AAPL) or Tesla (TSLA) would become child’s play. Discovery of rules of innovative excellence are essential.
An innovation battlefield is a place where the ‘term’ innovation is hardly plastered on any wall but deeply understood in the mindset, where all actions and reactions are based on innovative excellence under a master strategy. Where battlefields setting engage and sort out micro details for rapid fire execution with meticulous planning under the brilliance and clarity of vision.
Only best of the best offerings can be in the game and only best image and global mindshare to such offerings can ensure being in the race and chance to get global spotlight towards victory…otherwise the fog of confusion will keep the organization stranded and invisible.
Coping with Age of Abundance
The digitization of organizational structures is compressing competency levels and squeezing out all the mediocrity. Survival is not hidden in being overly busy paddling but very cognizant of the global age changes and selecting the right lanes.
Organizational leadership is being challenged, on how to demonstrate skills and educational prowess when all innovative and incubative processes, being fertilized in the same old syllabuses and stacked binders and only churning the same old results. Organizations are faced to prove their global soft power asset management skills to enable their claim to image supremacy and shred old strategies and campaigns based on cut and paste dog and pony shows of the same old struggling concepts. How can organizations stand up to the ‘age of abundance?’ How can bold and authoritative dialogue reflect on the demands of this special age? How fast can teams re-train their thinking and shun mediocrity?
Unfortunately, the ‘do not rock the boat’ model blended with ‘political correctness’ does not allow any serious debate on such matters. For these reasons the polite, prolonged management meetings pre-occupied with fancy charts showing lack of funds, pending job-cuts and decline in market share, while timid nods along the way secure the status quo. It’s time to stop all this, open the bold dialogue, argue and decide…as it’s time change.
Organization can be liberated, the collision of the 15 monster trends colliding with 15 mega opportunities are creating new frontiers.
How can you liberate yourself? How can you survive in the age of abundance? How can you find your own image supremacy of innovative excellence?
The Origins of the “Age of Abundance”
The concept of the “age of abundance” and its linkage to historic perspective was popularized in 2005; when ‘irrational exuberance’ was reaching its peaks before the global financial meltdown. A decade later the notion of ‘age of abundance’ has become a very hot issue in every sector.
More amazing readings….
2005:
The Age of Abundance Requires Innovation – by Naseem Javed
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/43467.html
The original article was published in 2005 and was picked up by many other publications
2007:
The concept of the “Age of Abundance” was later picked up by Brink Lindsey in his book by the same name “Age of Abundance” published by Harper Press , he even had chapters entitled “Climbing Maslow’s Pyramid” “Howl” “Learning to Fly”
2011:
Dr. Michio Kaku - Feature Video - Are We Ready For the Coming 'Age of Abundance?' -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceEog1XS5OI
2012:
Peter Diamandis, published Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think with Steven Kotler, who recently also published “The Rise of Superman’ etc
2013:
Michael Reardon - First World Problems in an Age of Abundance
http://www.tmglobalist.org/index.php?module=article&view=detail&cid=88
Seth Godin - Scarcity and abundance in the digital age
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/02/scarcity-and-abundance-in-the-digital-age.html
2014:
Feng Wang of Brookings China’s Age of Abundance
http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2014/04/15-china-age-of-abundance-wf
2015:
Today, the concept of the ‘age of abundance’ is everywhere
Are We Ready For the Coming 'Age of Abundance?'
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/are-we-ready-for-the-coming-age-of-abundance
The Future of Retail in the Age of Abundance
http://www.retailprophet.com/blog/the-future-of-retail-in-the-age-of-abundance/
James Burke on the coming age of scarce scarcity and abundant abundance
http://boingboing.net/2015/03/03/james-burke-on-the-coming-age.html
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