The future, if you believe science fiction, will be filled with hover-cars and jetpacks.

 

Bah humbug. I was never really into sci-fi as a kid. I never got into Doctor Who (still don’t get it), and I preferred the idea of swords and dragons to spaceships. But I did love Tomorrow’s World.

 

That’s because Tomorrow’s World wasn’t actually sci-fi. It was science.

 

Those of you who didn’t grow up in the UK are probably now lost, so let me explain. Tomorrow’s World was a BBC TV programme that ran from the mid-sixties and concentrated on popularizing science and technology by predicting the future. It looked at how science and technology would advance for the betterment of society. It made amazing predictions such as the future of banking, the office of the future, and even mobile phones (watch it; it’s amazing!). But like any futurologists, the Tomorrow’s World boffins didn’t get everything spot on (floating bikes?).

 

So it is my turn to take a deep breath and jump head first into the risky world of predicting the future as we unveil Predictions 2014: The Year Of Digital Business. Unlike Tomorrow’s World, I’m not trying to predict the future of technology. Instead, I leverage insights from our latest digital and eBusiness panel surveys to look at how digital teams will evolve throughout the coming 12 months. So, what do we expect to see in 2014?

 

  • Digital disruption is the new reality. Consumers, employees, suppliers, products, cars, stores, banks — all these and more continue to become more and more digital. No industry is immune to digital disruption, and eBusiness executives must take a lead in driving digital business transformation in their firms.
  • Digital teams are growing in influence. Increasingly, the C-suite owns digital strategy. Digital teams are converging, and budgets are increasing. Digital leaders have never held more power within their organizations. 2014 will be the year to wield that power wisely to drive lasting digital transformation.
  • The throne of digital leadership is vacant. Digital is a board-level topic, but the role of the digital leader is ill-defined. eBusiness executives have a clear opportunity to step up and seize the mantle of digital leadership, but to do so, they must prove their strategic, transformational, and operational pedigree.

 

Predictions 2014: The Year Of Digital Business contains more insight into the key leadership, organizational, and budgetary trends we expect digital teams to see. Happily, despite axing Tomorrow’s World a decade ago, the BBC are still in the game of predicting the future. Enjoy, and have a great holiday season.