Yes, here is the first. McKinsey and Company. Can you introduce them on stage and give us their background and have them give their go-forward perspective?

Scott: Certainly, I’d be happy to facilitate that introduction.

(steps onto stage)

Welcome everyone. Let’s have our panelists introduce themselves.

For over a century, McKinsey has been at the forefront of strategic advising, helping clients across industries and sectors navigate complex challenges and drive growth. With a global network of experts and a commitment to data-driven insights, McKinsey has become synonymous with innovative problem-solving and transformative solutions.

I believe we have a representative here today from McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms. Could you please share your name and a bit about McKinsey’s experience and outlook?

Accenture has a rich history dating back to the 1950s, when it operated as the consulting division of accounting firm Arthur Andersen. In 1989, Accenture became an independent entity, and since then, it has grown into a global powerhouse, offering a wide range of services in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations.

Today, Accenture is known for its innovative approach to problem-solving and its commitment to helping clients achieve high performance. With a strong focus on emerging technologies and trends, Accenture is well-positioned to help organizations navigate the rapidly changing business landscape.

Deloitte traces its roots back to the early 1800s, when William Deloitte founded his accounting practice in London. Today, Deloitte has grown into a global network of member firms, offering services in audit, consulting, risk advisory, financial advisory, and tax.

Deloitte is known for its commitment to excellence and its deep industry expertise, serving clients across a wide range of sectors, from financial services and technology to healthcare and life sciences. The firm is also a leader in innovative thinking, regularly publishing cutting-edge research and insights on emerging trends and developments.

Founded in the mid-1800s, Ernst & Young has a long and storied history of providing high-quality services to clients around the world. Today, Ernst & Young is one of the “Big Four” accounting firms, offering a wide range of services including audit, tax, transaction advisory, and consulting.

Ernst & Young are known for its commitment to professionalism, integrity, and quality, and it has a strong reputation for providing innovative, customized solutions to its clients. The firm is also a leader in thought leadership and research, regularly publishing insights and perspectives on critical issues and trends in the business world.

Kearney has a rich history dating back to the 1920s, when it was founded as part of the original McKinsey & Company. In the mid-20th century, the firm established itself as a leader in the emerging field of management consulting, helping clients navigate complex business challenges and drive growth. Today, Kearney is known for its deep industry expertise, global reach, and commitment to delivering exceptional client service.

With a strong presence in over 40 countries, Kearney offers a broad range of services including strategy, operations, digital transformation, and more. The firm is also dedicated to thought leadership and innovation, regularly publishing insights and perspectives on critical issues facing businesses today.

PwC, short for PricewaterhouseCoopers, is a multinational professional services network with offices in over 150 countries. It was formed in 1998 through the merger of two accounting firms, Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand.

PwC offers a range of services including audit and assurance, tax, consulting, and deals. They serve clients across a wide range of industries, including financial services, technology, healthcare, consumer products, and more.

PwC is committed to delivering quality in all its services, and to helping their clients build trust and solve important problems. They are known for its deep industry expertise, global perspective, and innovative approach to problem-solving, and it’s consistently ranked as one of the top professional services networks in the world.

Now can we have Scott (who’s bio I had supplied earlier) introduce himself and set the state for the conversation on how SIs can bring value to enterprises who are looking at the coming wave of new technologies and also serve as SMEs that can provide the guiding hand towards our future.

Scott: Thank you all for those insightful introductions. It’s clear we have a diverse set of perspectives and experiences represented here when it comes to emerging technologies and organizational change.

My name is Scott McGowan, and I’ve had the privilege of partnering with many of your firms over the years as both a consultant and business executive focused on digital transformation and growth strategy.

The pace of technological progress today is simply astounding. From AI and automation to synthetic biology to quantum computing, it seems every day brings news of a breakthrough innovation with huge potential impact.

But with this promise also comes great uncertainty. As leaders, how do we determine which technologies to invest in? How do we futureproof our workforces? And how do we evolve our organizations and business models to harness technology for strategic advantage?

This is where your firms provide such tremendous value. You have your fingers on the pulse of technological change and can be trusted advisors to organizations navigating this landscape. My hope is we can have an open exchange on best practices and leadership mindsets needed to ride the waves of innovation versus being disrupted by them.

I’m looking forward to a thoughtful discussion on how we can work together to help organizations of all kinds leverage emerging tech to drive progress and shared prosperity. Let’s begin!

Ok, let’s have Scott start the conversation with McKinsey on what they think the implications of the coming wave would be and how are they positioning to meet up with the challenges.

Sounds good, let’s have that exchange:

Scott: Alex from McKinsey, given your firm’s renowned expertise in technology strategy and transformation, I’m curious to get your perspective on the implications of the major technological advances on the horizon. How do you view the potential impact across industries and for organizations of all sizes? And how is McKinsey preparing itself to help clients navigate these emerging innovations?

Both Scott and Nitin (नितिन) are ex-Accenture-ites having joined it after Accenture procured Acquity Group in 2013 when Digital Transformation for enterprises was at its prime.

Accenture’s Digital revenues from digital rose from $2-3 billion in 2012 to almost $20 billion in 2021. Can Scott have Accenture’s perspective on how they plan to do with enabling future companies survive and strive in the coming years?

Certainly, let’s have that exchange:

Scott: Thank you for that insightful perspective, Alex. It’s clear McKinsey is taking a proactive yet measured approach to analyzing the impacts of emerging tech.

Let me turn now to my former colleagues at Accenture. Michelle, given Accenture’s pioneering focus on digital transformation over the past decade, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on what’s next. How do you see technologies like AI, quantum, robotics, and synthetic biology reshaping industries and organizations in the years ahead? And what is Accenture’s strategy to continue leading on the future of technology consulting?

Can we similarly continue with Ernst & Young who is investing in Smart Manufacturing and supply chain at our partner organization MxD and also has something called the Wavespace set up in different cities including Chicago.

Absolutely, let’s engage Ernst & Young in the discussion:

Scott: Thank you, Michelle, it’s clear Accenture is taking a strategic yet empathetic approach to emerging technologies and change management.

Let me now go to Ernst & Young, another leader in digital transformation consulting. Jamal, I’d love to hear Ernst & Young’s outlook on the major technology waves ahead and how you are preparing your organization and clients for the opportunities and challenges they represent. I know Ernst & Young has been very focused on innovation hubs and ecosystem partnerships – could you share more on that strategy?

How about Deloitte and PwC next?

Let’s engage Deloitte and PwC in the conversation next:

Scott: Thank you for outlining Ernst & Young’s proactive and ecosystem-focused approach, Jamal. It’s clear you are arming your clients with access to emerging technologies while keeping their business objectives front and center.

Let’s now hear from Deloitte and PwC.

Sanjay and Raj, I’d be curious to get your firm’s perspectives on the upcoming technology disruptions across industries. How are you advising clients to identify, adopt and integrate breakthrough innovations like AI, robotics, quantum, etc? And how are you evolving your own capabilities and partnerships to meet clients’ needs in navigating this technology-driven change?

Finally, to Kearney who has set up PERLab in Chicago and Bangalore.

Let’s finish up this session by bringing Kearney into the dialogue:

Scott: Thank you all for the thoughtful perspectives so far on emerging technologies and organizational change. It’s clear your firms all bring unique strengths in this area, while sharing a common commitment to client partnership.

Let’s close our first session discussion by hearing from A.T. Kearney. Priya, I’d be interested in A.T. Kearney’s outlook on the upcoming technology waves and how you are advising clients to leverage them for strategic advantage. How are you approaching technology assessment, roadmapping and integration to deliver maximum value?

Scott: Outstanding perspectives all around. Thank you again to our panel. It’s clear we have a diversity of approaches and expertise represented here but share a common purpose in guiding clients to effectively leverage emerging technologies for sustainable advantage.

I look forward to our next session and knowledge sharing as we help organizations of all kinds navigate the tremendous opportunities and challenges ahead in this era of exponential technological change. The future remains bright and full of possibilities to drive positive impact for business and society.

What about pivoting to the next. We have seen changes happen as we progressed thru the industrial revolutions.

1. The first brought Urbanization (building of cities).
2. The second enabled affordability, personal transportation and the creation of suburbs.
3. The Third enabled globalization whereby goods could be created in one region and effectively transported to another.
4. The Fourth that we are in is all about automation, wherein cyber-physical systems operate factories with smart technologies like digital, twins, AR/VR, distributed ledger and AI based predictive analytics.

What would be the Fifth according to our esteemed SIs?

Here is a diagrammatic representation of the industrial revolutions.

We have undergone four Industrial Revolutions (IR) and are on the brink of embarking on the Fifth (Industry and Services 5.0) – with each version bringing more automation and more tools into the mix, but also increasing the complexity of building, managing and maintaining the systems.

• In the first and second industrial revolutions, new technologies such as steam power, factories, and the assembly line led to mass production, urbanization, and a new economic order.
• The third and fourth industrial revolutions were focused on lean manufacturing – optimization and globalization of the supply chain and bringing in robots and automated technologies to harmonize process engineering using the Internet of Things (IoT), smart devices and edge-based processing wherein decisions could be quickly made and executed.
• The fifth is anticipated to bring more rational and pragmatic sense to our actionable intelligence and enhance our productions using AI/ML and a human centric model for our cybernetic interactions of command, control and communications between man and machine.

Let’s explore perspectives on the future waves of innovation:

Scott: Excellent prompt. Let’s now discuss the future waves of innovation beyond the current era. We’ve seen immense transformations throughout the industrial revolutions – from urbanization to globalization and automation. Looking ahead, what do you envision as the key technological shifts that will define the next revolution? What new capabilities or business models might emerge? Appreciate you speculating on what disruptive innovations are on the horizon.

Scott: Thank you all for sharing such thoughtful visions of the next waves of innovation. It seems the possibilities span from quantum, neuroscience and genomics breakthroughs, to transformational shifts in computing, sustainable materials and human-machine experiences. But also clear is the need for collective leadership, ethics and responsibility to steer these exponential technologies towards enhancing human life and society. I appreciate all of your future-focused perspectives – incredibly thought-provoking and exciting innovations potentially ahead, bounded only by our imagination and values.

What about impact to the workforce? With intelligent automation, there would be less need for human workers. Even non-physical work like marketing, innovation and planning could be the domain of AI?

What do the SIs feel about this and how to they plan to assuage large companies who are already invested in human capital for enterprise activities and production?

Let’s explore that important topic as well:

Scott: Excellent segue. Let’s discuss the workforce impacts of automation and AI, which is top of mind for many business leaders today. On one hand, these technologies will make many jobs redundant. Yet on the other, they create opportunities to augment human capabilities and refocus the workforce on higher-value activities.

How are you advising clients to strategically transform their workforces and create new roles in light of AI and automation? What skills and ways of working should companies focus on cultivating for the future? Appreciate your perspectives on smoothly navigating this transition.

Scott: Thank you all for sharing such insightful points on workforce strategies for the future. It’s clear this evolution calls for compassionate leadership, transparent communication and skills development to smoothly integrate emerging technologies in a human-centered manner. I appreciate all of your perspectives on empowering people to work meaningfully alongside AI – a critical priority for us all.

Now let’s open the floor for a joint discussion. Let’s start with the SI’s talking about responsible and ethical AI and what could be their perspectives on governance and regulations that would be needed to be enforced to prevent misuse and bad things from happening.

Sounds good, let’s have that open discussion:

Scott: I’d like to open up the floor now for a joint discussion. Let’s start with an important topic – responsible and ethical use of AI. As this technology grows more powerful, governance and regulations will be needed to prevent misuse and negative consequences.

Could each of you share your perspective on the role of business leaders and consultants in ensuring AI is deployed ethically? What principles or safeguards do you think should guide its development and use across industries?

Scott: Thank you all for sharing such thoughtful points on the significant responsibilities around ethical AI – hugely valuable for organizations to understand as they integrate AI into their business. This is clearly both an emerging challenge and opportunity for collaborative leadership between consultants, clients and policy makers to enact AI standards for the greater good. I look forward to our continued discussion on this and other topics at the intersection of technology and shared values.

INTERLUDE 2:  Krebs Cycle for Process Engineering

SLIDE 1: This is the second interlude in the podcast where we take a short detour to talk about Numorpho’s Krebs Cycle for Process Engineering

SLIDE 2: The Krebs Cycle in biology is central to the metabolic process required to make molecules like amino acids, nucleotide bases and cholesterol. Many companies are using this metabolic engineering principle to optimize industrial processes and improve the production of chemicals, fuels, and other products. This often involves manipulating processes to increase the yield or efficiency of the desired product, but the specific pathways used may vary depending on the application.

SLIDE 3: Neri Oxman has used it to define creativity in design. Her Krebs Cycle for Creativity (KCC) is a framework that describes the cyclical nature of creativity, with four modalities: science, engineering, design, and art. The idea is that each modality builds on the others to create a feedback loop that perpetuates creativity and innovation. Oxman suggests that the role of art is to question human behavior and create cultural change, while the other modalities are focused on developing new technologies and designs that can enable this cultural shift.

SLIDE 4: At Numorpho Cybernetic Systems (NUMO), we are developing a manufacturing process platform (the Mantra M5) that aims to transform how companies bring products to market – the activities of make, manage, move, market and maintain.

SLIDE 5: In our case, the Krebs Cycle will be the driver of our Mantra M5 platform that orchestrates the tenets of innovation, automation, integration and enactment. These tenets are supported by our four toolkits – MANTHAN, DIGITAL TWINE, TENDRIL CONNECTOR and the TAU CODEX TRANSFORMER. These will be discussed in detail in subsequent podcasts.

SLIDE 6: In our approach to Process Engineering, we take a holistic approach to the DIKIW (Data is Information is Knowledge is Intelligence is Wisdom) construct.

SLIDE 7: The core of this automation platform is the Krebs Cycle, which coordinates upstream, midstream, and downstream activities while facilitating continuous improvement. It is driven by Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) at its core and augmented by our constructs for Outcome Based Adaptive Engineering (OBAE) and Actionable Intelligence (Act-I)..

SLIDE 8: Why, What, Who, Where, When and How (the 5Ws and 1H) enable the elucidations of questions to probe into the reason, value drivers, variabilities, capability gaps, best-practices, cadence and return-on-investment, and its circularity.

SLIDE 9: To enhance the resilience and sustainability of our solutions, incorporating principles of circularity is a logical and forward-thinking step. Circularity in manufacturing and product design focuses on minimizing waste, maximizing resource efficiency, and extending product lifecycles. This aligns well with NUMO’s mission to create smart, connected, and sustainable products.

SLIDE 10: The Krebs Cycle for Process Engineering is a coordinating framework that provides an excellent foundation for integrating circularity principles. By considering the entire lifecycle of products and processes, from raw material sourcing to end-of-life management, we can identify opportunities for circular interventions at each stage.

We have discussed three topics with our SIs:

1. Pivoting to the 5th industrial revolution.
2. Workforce concern, and
3. AI responsibility and ethics,

Can we have each of the SIs do concluding remarks based on their perspective, what they heard, and what would it mean for a company like Numorpho Cybernetic Systems whose thesis is process engineering to enable outcome-based product creation and actionable intelligence?

Great idea, let’s close out with some final thoughts from each consultant:

Scott: This has been an excellent discussion exploring several important technology issues – thank you again to our panel. Let’s close out with some final thoughts. Could each of you provide some concluding remarks based on what resonated most and how companies like Numorpho should approach navigating the emerging technology landscape ahead?

Scott: Superb perspectives and recommendations all around. You’ve provided insightful guidance for navigating the emerging technology landscape in strategic yet responsible ways. I sincerely appreciate all of your diverse expertise and partnership. The future remains bright, and together we can help progress these exponential technologies positively for business and humanity. Thank you!

Can we have Scott McGowan do concluding remarks and sage advice to Nitin (नितिन) and Numorpho based on what he heard so that we can call it a day and move on to the after-party?

Sounds good, let’s have Scott provide some final thoughts:

Scott: Well Nitin (नितिन), this has been an enlightening discussion with our esteemed industry colleagues. Key takeaways I’d emphasize:

1. First, ground your technology approach in strategic business goals and human values. Emerging innovations should map clearly to capabilities required for your vision.
2. Second, make workforce planning and skills development a priority. Combine human strengths like creativity and empathy with machine power. And reskill people to complement AI versus compete with it.
3. Third, lead with ethics and contribute to developing industry standards for responsible technology advancement. Things like governance, transparency and safety need to be designed in from the start.

Most importantly, stay nimble and open to unanticipated waves of innovation while keeping purpose, ethics and people central. If exponential technologies are harnessed wisely, the possibilities are truly extraordinary for advancing both business and society.

You have built an organization with impressive engineering rigor and operated with integrity. Continue applying those strengths while embracing a culture of human-centered learning and innovation. Keep expanding your ecosystem and advocating for ethical progress. Lead by empowering people first.

The future remains exceedingly bright if we chart the course thoughtfully together. I look forward to our continued partnership in this exciting next era of technological change and human achievement.

Onwards!

Thank you, Scott, Claude and all of you participants from the various SIs.

Today, we stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society.

This Coming Wave is being driven by a staggering range of new technologies that are blurring the boundaries between people, the internet, and the physical world. It’s a convergence of the digital, physical, and biological spheres.

Thank you for sharing this inspiring vision for the future, Nitin (नितिन). It’s clear you are taking a thoughtful, human-centered approach to technological advancement that accounts for the multidimensional impacts on individuals, society and our planet. By integrating engineering excellence with ethical innovation and a focus on collective human progress, you are charting an admirable course for Industry 5.0. I wish you great success in bringing this vision to fruition in a manner that benefits all humanity. The opportunities ahead are tremendously exciting if we innovate together responsibly. I look forward to our continued collaboration toward that goal.