Originally published at accenture.com. Accenture ranked No. 5 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2020.
Technology is the lifeblood of every business.
The global pandemic made that crystal clear, as businesses pivoted quickly to enable new ways of working, creating new interactions, experiences and opportunities.
Technology forever changed expectations and behaviors and created entirely new realities across every industry.
So, what did we learn—and what comes next?
Our 21st annual Technology Vision report, “Leaders Wanted: Masters of Change at a Moment of Truth,” outlines how the boldest, most visionary leaders—those who use technology to master change—will define the future.
Five technology trends to watch
Here’s what companies—and their people—need to address over the next three years to accelerate and master change.
1. Stack Strategically: Architecting a Better Future
A new era of industry competition is dawning—one where companies compete on their IT systems architecture. But building and wielding the most competitive technology stack means thinking about technology differently, making business and technology strategies indistinguishable.
2. Mirrored World: The Power of Massive, Intelligent, Digital Twins
Leaders are building intelligent digital twins to create living models of factories, supply chains, product lifecycles and more. Bringing together data and intelligence to represent the physical world in a digital space will unlock new opportunities to operate, collaborate and innovate.
3. I, Technologist: The Democratization of Technology
Powerful capabilities are now available to people across business functions, adding a grassroots layer to enterprises’ innovation strategies. Now, every employee can be an innovator, optimizing their work, fixing pain points and keeping the business in lockstep with new and changing needs.
4. Anywhere, Everywhere: Bring Your Own Environment
The single biggest workforce shift in living memory has positioned businesses to expand the boundaries of the enterprise. When people can “bring your own environment,” they have the freedom to seamlessly work from anywhere. This allows leaders to rethink the purpose of working at each location and lean into the opportunity to reimagine their business in this new world.
5. From Me to We: A Multiparty System’s Path Through Chaos
The demand for contact tracing, frictionless payments and new ways of building trust brought into sharp focus what had been left undone with enterprises’ existing ecosystems. Multiparty systems can help businesses gain greater resilience and adaptability; unlock new ways to approach the market; and set new, ecosystem-forward standards for their industries.
We’re harnessing the power of change and helping the world’s leading companies reinvent what’s next.
