Next level
Level up
Have you ever seen those humanoid robots that can dance, do parkour, and navigate rocky terrain? They’re the product of Boston Dynamics, a 30-year old robotics firm that was bought just recently by Hyundai for just over US$1b.
To Hyundai, already a robotics leader in car manufacturing, this is a logical “first horizon” step, so that robots can move around factories more flexibly, manipulating light and heavy loads with dexterity. Check out the GIF below, and appreciate the deceptively simple and graceful “turn, lift and place” motions these robots are carrying out.
But having robots with perception and navigation capabilities is also a second horizon strategy for Hyundai, helping them level up their cars’ autonomous driving capability.
And, as the steak knife ads of my childhood used to say, “But that’s not all”. There’s a third horizon here too, enabling Hyundai to develop products for an ageing society, including creating wearable limbs and walking supports for people who have difficulty getting around.
Q: What capabilities do you need to acquire to get your organisation to ‘next level’?
Practical intelligence
As a major dolphin research centre, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Florida wanted to put the cognitive capabilities of their dolphins to practical use.
Staff wondered if they could get the dolphins to clean their own pools, so a simple Pavlovian experiment had the dolphins rewarded for each piece of rubbish they handed to a keeper.
But, after just a few days, staff noticed that the number of items being ‘handed in’ was growing rapidly. It turned out the dolphins had been tearing the trash into small pieces, hiding them under rocks, and then retrieving them at intervals to claim the reward.
Some would regard this as an ‘unintended consequence’ but I prefer to see it as intelligence that could even better be utilised, with some creative thought by the keepers.
Q: What cognitive ‘smarts’ do you reward your people for?
Less is more
This is a bit premature, as I’m about to recommend two books I haven’t even received yet (they arrive today), but I’m excited already.
COVID has meant a proliferation of interesting projects, for three reasons: (i) demand is up (more organisations are asking existential strategic questions and asking for my help); (ii) efficiency is up (less ‘wastage’ of travelling to F2F meetings); and (iii) leisure travel is down (my frequent overseas trips were my main 'decompression’ method).
So, I’ve been wondering lately, “How can I say ‘yes’ to clients, while maintaining equilibrium and headspace?” In other words, can I be just as effective, in less time?
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is a consultant / author who believes the answer is a resounding ‘yes’, and has two books on the subject: “Shorter: How reducing working hours can revolutionize your company by boosting productivity, creativity and resilience” and “Rest: Learning to take time out: the smartest lifehack of all”.
I can’t wait to delve into these, as I’m planning to experiment in the last half of 2021 with finishing work ‘early’ at least some days each week, and reclaiming mental and physical relaxation space.
I frequently help my clients to identify those activities that add the most value — and focus disproportionately on those — so I’m looking forward to seeing the results of this test for me.
Q: What can you do less of to ensure you get more done?
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Spend your weekend enjoying the intelligence around you — while taking some downtime — and see you next Friday.
Andrew