Trend Watching 2018 The Year of Convergence

2017 was a big year! We could say that 2017 was the year where all that was hidden or underground came to light.

Without question we are going to continue to see massive disruptions in all industries due to technology, automation, AI, robotics and more.

The disruption that we will see even more is to do with ‘people’ – how people are treated, how people are judged, how people are dealt with depending on their culture, their gender or their financial status.

In the past year light has been shone on topics that are typically avoided or uncomfortable (ie/ Weinstein, Lauer, etc.) now in 2018 we are going to see even more ‘outing’ of inappropriate, inexcusable and intolerant attitudes and behaviors.

What we are going to see for trends in 2018 has a theme which is ‘convergence’ the melding of science/health/technology at a higher level than we have seen as a human collective.

Here are the top business and leadership trends to watch for in 2018:

1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T – workers everywhere will be hyper sensitive to how they are being treated – leaders will need to be super alert and sensitive to people as human beings – the focus in 2018 will be on treating people with respect and honour.
2. More technology breakthroughs such as the Google Pixel in ear buds that can help listeners hear and translate up to 40 languages will completely transform peoples lives as well as have major implications on business.
3. Automation and robotics will increase and industries will be implementing technologies to allow for workers to be more productive.
4. Workers will leave current jobs in droves seeking work where they can have a life first and where their work fits into life – the competition for talent won’t be just another company but also the lure of freelancing and entrepreneurship.
5. Leaders will need to look at ways to engage employees beyond the standard approaches of the past – workers are looking for transformational leaders and in 2018 leaders who are stuck in the past methods of leadership will struggle in both attracting and retaining talent.
6. HR strategies will be completely overhauled – all aspects of ‘people’ will be put to the test in 2018 – from hiring, on boarding, communication, learning, performance reviews,  career growth all of these aspects of HR will be upgraded to match the reality of what employees want. Employees want real time feedback, transparent and honest leaders, clear steps to success, tech tools to do their jobs easily and more.
7. One company no silos – in 2018 companies will be looking at strategies to ‘converge’ all departments within the company – legal, HR, executive, accounting, marketing, sales will all leverage technology to increase communication and synergy so that the company can move forward as a unified unit of all departments.

Companies have an opportunity to be ahead of the curve and to be building on the trends shaping the future of work.

A primary focus on what’s next while focused on daily operations is the new normal of staying relevant in today’s fast changing business reality.