Become a Technology Apostle - How to Successfully Discover, Nurture, and Implement Emerging Technology

Emerging Technology in and of itself is not necessarily disruptive nor paradigm shifting technology. However, when emerging technology is combined with the right application, it almost always is paradigm shifting and usually disruptive. Disruptive technologies have a specific definition, whereby less capable and lower cost technology solutions eventually displace more capable and costly technology solutions from market dominance. Paradigm shifting technologies on the other hand possess a broader definition and literally change the ways and standards by which things are done to provide greater benefit or utility. Paradigm shifting technologies are not required to be less capable or lower cost. They just need to offer significantly more utility (qualitatively an order of magnitude more) than existing technologies. For those interested in being technological change agents, two key emerging technology discovery criteria exist. First, a gaping capability void must be present in an application space in a market. This void may not be readily apparent to most people. Second, the technology chosen to emerge must be nascent, overlooked, or in the past have been mis-applied. Again, these technological attributes may be latent to most people. By asking ‘what if’, and mapping the technology to the void, the change agent ‘discovers’ the potential for the technology to become emergent. Many people fail to grasp a technology’s potential to be emergent and often discount it out of hand, so once discovered, the change agent must ‘nurture’ the technology to protect it during its incubation and initial development for application. At some point in time, the nurturer deems the technology ready for implementation and actively inserts it into the market to fill the void. This is perhaps the most dangerous stage in the emergent technology lifecycle, since it’s a technological trial by fire – either the technology proves it’s emergence, or it fails.

To illustrate these concepts, three use-case studies, which all represent different stages of the emerging technology lifecycle, are explored.

• Completed lifecycle – The computer graphics revolution dominating traditional cell animation and visual effects.
• Mid-Lifecycle – The incorporation of Blockchain into the wine supply chain to combat wine fraud.
• Early-Lifecycle – The ability to reconfigure domestic manufacturing lines within 24 hours to produce almost any product.