Coulson-Thomas, Colin (2019) Enabling or Disruptive Technologies: Lessons, Risks and Issues. In: Global Information Technology Summit, 13th June 2019, London, UK.

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Abstract

Xerox PARC developed and used promising AI environments in the 1980s. Their wider adoption has been agonisingly slow. Innovation is often more talked about than practiced. In relation to more recent developments and possibilities, boards, governance arrangements and collective decision making struggle to cope and Governments and regulators play catch up. Individuals and entrepreneurs often move much more quickly than large and established organisations. Limited understanding of IT is often found in corporate boardrooms. Insecure directors do not know to whom to turn for independent and objective advice. Many boards are also risk averse and influenced by vested interests. They protect existing activities rather than enable new business models. Information technologies are neutral and whether they help us or harm us depends upon who uses them, how they are used and for what purpose. Many inter-related challenges and opportunities are not addressed because CEOs and boards do not have a single department or an objective and trusted adviser to refer them to, and/or a collective or collaborative response is needed. IT governance and decision making needs to improve. We must think longer-term and be more flexible, responsible and practical. Given the challenges faced by mankind, there are many opportunities that can be pursued without exploiting insecurity and/or ignorance. We need lifestyle changes and innovative and sustainable IT applications that address environmental and climate change challenges. Many people, especially young people, are increasingly worried about the implications of our use of finite resources, including certain rare minerals. Without innovation, will future generations have access to IT as we know it? Prof Colin Coulson-Thomas, President of the Institute of Management Services, delivered this talk on ‘Enabling or Disruptive Technologies: Lessons, Risks and Issues’ at the 2019 Global Information Technology Summit. Drawing upon his experience at Xerox, as a vision holder of complex and mission-critical transformation projects when energy markets opened up in the UK and overseas, and as a co-founder and chair of a winner of innovation awards at national and international level, he touched on a number of themes, including the privacy versus security debate. The first day of the Global Information Technology Summit was held at the London School of Economics. The second day was hosted by Parliamentarians at Westminster in Portcullis House.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Speech)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Information Technologies, Enabling Technologies, Disruptive Technologies, Information Governance, Security, Information Security, Privacy, Directors, Boards, Cyber Security, Cyber crime, Boards of directors, Major IT projects, Climate change, Sustainability, Decision making, Vested interests, AI, The Internet of Things, Cyber criminals, Generation gaps, Corporate procurement, Entrepreneurs, Regulators, Information sharing, New business models, Innovation, Improvement, Transformation, Performance support tools, IT suppliers, Departmental corporate structures, IT applications, Young people
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology > T Technology (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business Faculty of Business > Centre for Work and Employment Research (CREW) Faculty of Business > Centre for Work and Employment Research (CREW) > Leadership & Organisational Behaviour Research Group (LOB) Faculty of Business > Department of Human Resources & Organisational Behaviour
Related URLs:	Organisation
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2019 13:34
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/24645

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