As part of the launch of the Business as Unusual book (click on badge on left to get to the Amazon page) by Thomas Saueressig and Peter Maier that we helped conduct interviews and research for, we will share excerpts from each of the 10 chapters/300 pages. We will also give you a “behind the scenes” view by sharing snippets of some of the over 100 SAP, customer and partner interviews we conducted.
Tilman Goettke, on Peter Maier’s Industries team, was the glue that held together the BAU project. He helped identify the 8 megatrends which make the bulk of the book. He guided us through the vast SAP Industries empire. He also contributed the most to this lead chapter.
“Critical reader engagement begins with selecting the megatrends that form the back- bone of this book. We expect each reader to agree with the inclusion of some mega-trends, perhaps frown at others, and conclude we missed yet another megatrend or two. if you have this response: Excellent! We’ve started a discussion that may lead all of us to new insights and into uncharted territories. We have no illusions of giving definitive and holistic answers about the trends driving the future of business, economy, and society; instead, let’s see how these trends play out.”
“Let’s now take a closer look at each megatrend and their relationships to various industries and to each other. After a short introduction to each, we invite you to immerse yourself in a thought experiment to explore the trend, consider your own exposure, and imagine ways to explore and create business opportunities to capture the potential of megatrends for your organization. If our thought experiments resonate with you, perhaps you can use them with your peers to think outside the box of everyday operations.
Each upcoming section identifies the industries with the biggest exposure to and influence on the megatrend. We also support a non-linear reading experience by closing each section with a short list of closely related megatrends, so you can follow your personal megatrend thread.”
Figure 1.2 Industry and Megatrend Heatmap, with Higher Exposure to Megatrend Marked in Darker Shading
The chapter also has 8 “thought experiments” similar to the one around the mobility megatrend below.
Don’t be surprised if on your next visit to SAP HQ in Walldorf or one of their other major centers around the world you get pulled into sessions which discuss such scenarios. It is a cool way to get away from “business as usual” thinking
However, we don’t mean to scare you away …the rest of the book doesn’t give you too many quizzes and exercises…what it does is excite, educate and entertain. As I like to describe the book: “It’s new energy, new medicine, new mobility, new financial instruments, new customer pathways, new supply chains, new business models – and yes, recycled everything using circular economy principles.”
It is dripping with innovation. Order a copy today – it is available for purchase now (click on the badge on top left) and will be released on December 20 for your holiday reading. If you prefer eBooks, they are available on the SAP Press site here
Much more to come.
