WIN WORLD INSIGHTS | ISSUE 10 | YEAR 02

Issue 10 | Year 02 | September | 2014

Driveless cars, wearables, drones, 3D printers, virtual reality goggles.

Perhaps you have seen these words on the news throughout the last year. You probably read that Facebook bought Oculus VR, a virtual reality technology, or that Google has acquired drone maker Titan Aerospace. But why is technology invading the news? In this issue of WIN World Insights, we bring you the basics of the latest technological trends. Because, when you begin to understand them, you realize how they will hugely impact our businesses, our lives and our future.

Technology is enabling a new economic paradigm. They call it Sharing Economy and it presents a new way of exchanging products and services characterized by a peer-to-peer exchange and a collaborative consumption model. Do you have any goods that you are not using? Perhaps you could rent them. Do you want to share your time, skills and artistry? The Sharing Economy is all about that. It saves consumers time, energy and money. It promotes trust, closeness and humanizes our relationships. Airbnb and Uber are good examples of companies that translated this trend into a business.

The sharing economy

The Internet of Things is about systems and networks of low-cost sensors and actuators for data collection and analysis. It means connecting and embedding intelligence in billions of objects and devices all around the world.

In fact, these new networks are linking data from products and consumers and are generating better information to facilitate the process of decision making for consumers. Wearables are an integral part of this trend nowadays, as they gather an enormous amount of information about individuals’ habits and routines. These data will be very useful for businesses, in order for them to develop truly tailored products and services..

The Internet of Things

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Nowadays, robots are gaining enhanced senses and intelligence - there’s major upgrades such as machine vision, artificial intelligence, machine-to-machine communication, sensors and actuators. Intelligent software systems are now able to perform knowledge work tasks involving unstructured commands and subtle judgments while robots will be more and more equipped with enhanced senses, dexterity, and intelligence used to automate tasks or augment humans. In the future, robots will be able to perform surgeries, to combat, to execute skillful jobs, distribute and deliver goods, among other tasks. The implications for the workforce will be huge.

Robotics

Perhaps in the past this was a theme of interest for science fiction fans only - but not anymore. Virtual reality, the digital simulation of a three-dimensional environment, will have extraordinary implications for both businesses and people’s lives. These computer-simulated environments are expected to transform key industries such as health sciences, financial services, and manufacturing in new and imaginative ways that experts say will improve our lives and the choices we make.Medicine students will be able to develop tremendously realistic simulations of surgical procedures, for instance. Companies will be able to train their employees through virtual reality devices, hold meetings with people who are based in different locations or entirely change the way of delivering their products and services to customers.

Virtual Reality

Inspiring thought

Garry kasparov

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We still underestimate the importance of technology.

You want technology to adapt to your business? What we should be doing instead is wondering how our business model should change so it can properly make the best out of technology.

That’s how important it is.

I'm a firm believer that we will not end up living in some simulated world. At least not in the next few decades, which is as far as anyone can wish to plan their strategies for. Things like food, relationships, travel, entertainment, these all will have their premium experience in the physical world.

But that's the point. The premium experience in the real world will be a consequence from the virtual, technology driven world. It’s technology that will help us travel to the perfect city, take us to our favourite restaurant with our best match from a dating site, driving in the car that best suits our income while listening to the music we adore.

There’s a very literal name for this: Information technology. “How old school!”, you’ll scream. The thing is, though: how much information about your business are you gathering through technology today? How can you change your business model and workflows to find new ways of automating processes and gathering information about your employees, users and customers?

The cost of not doing so is clear. Some trendy, artsy, overpaid and financially over-the-top-risky startup will eventually find a way to do it better than you. It will reinvent your industry by fully exploring the potential of technology.

“Sure” you’ll mumble, “but most of those startups fail”. Right you are. Most of them fail. But if you've ever been around a startup incubator (check out Startup Lisboa, Beta-i and their Lisbon Challenge, or a Seedcamp Lisbon session), you will recognise failing won’t stop them. All they need is one to succeed. And it takes just one successful start up to completely leapfrog your business technologically.

So let it be yours. You have to invest in a startup-like culture. Inside and outside of your business. Start scouting for talent and ideas, hire the best, invest in ideas relevant to your industry. Most will fail, but when one of them succeeds it will do so within your company, transforming it from within. That’s how important technology really is.

Leo XavierCTO, Observador

Leo Xavier’s column

The New York Times describes it as “a grand conclave of the tech industry’s high priests, who came from all over the world” while Bloomberg calls it the Davos for Geeks. Within three years, it became the most influential tech event in Europe. We are talking about Web Summit. And the good news is that WIN World will be there!

We are proud of having been selected, among thousands of companies from all over the world, to be at the Web Summit next November 4-6 in Dublin. We believe that technology can empower knowledge and networking experiences at a larger scale. We want to be close to the geeks, who are creating the future, and learn how we can take our mission further. Together, with the right technological partners, we will be able to revolutionize the way of delivering training and inspiring experiences worldwide.

WIN World at the Web Summit

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Book of the month

Abundance:The Future Is Better Than You Think

Authors:Peter Diamandis & Steven Kotler

DAILY SCHEDULE | How History’s Most Brilliant People Scheduled Their Days

Post of the month

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BECAUSE YOU CARE AND IT MATTERS

Ideas for Good is an original teambuilding format, with a strong social component - there is a cause, a challenge and a team. The involvement is huge and the results that can be achieved by participants are both surprising and very useful. A flexible activity which allows to be tailored, according to the briefing, the number of participants and the preferred length. This program can also be coordinated with other projects already integrated in the social responsibility activities of the company.

In-company programs

Tailor-made projects

WIN World Insights

Partnering with companies on making their way for growth, WIN World provides a world-class integrated service creating and developing impactful tailor-made projects to align people and reinforce bonds among stakeholders in order to outdo business goals and achieve far better results. Bring us your challenge: we will embrace it and together create the best customized training and inspiration program from you. From learning board meetings to corporate annual conventions, leadership retreats, igniting workshops, companies’ public forums, among other business-for-growth get-togethers, in Portugal or across borders, the possibilities for your company are endless.

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