Diversity in Tech: How can the innovators crack this code?

By Guest Author Anita M. Sands

A few months ago, I spoke about culture and microbehaviors at a tech company’s conference in San Francisco. To illustrate what “microbehaviors” are and how they can cause a feeling of exclusion, I described the difficulty I often have as an Irish person—unschooled in American sports—contending with the baseball metaphors my colleagues use all the time. >>>

Paul Daugherty

Paul Daugherty is the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer of Accenture. He is the co-author of the book Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI.

His co-author H. James Wilson is Managing Director of Information Technology and Business Research at Accenture Research.

You can follow them on @ PaulDaugh and @HJamesWilson.

Human+Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI,” is available everywhere, including at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and walmart.com

Gender Equality IS a Man’s Business: But it’s a woman’s work to influence participation

By Guest Author Anita M. Sands

Twenty-three years ago, I embarked upon my professional life as a physics student in Belfast. This foray into adulthood included two immediate discoveries: my commencing class was only 10% female, and I was to be taught almost exclusively by male professors. Needless to say, it became obvious that doing well would mean not only mastering the intricacies of quantum mechanics but also dealing with some fundamental laws of nature: getting along with the guys. >>>

A Legacy Worth Leaving: Dropping Old Thinking Key to More Women on Boards

By Guest Author Anita M. Sands

When contemplating the challenges of gender diversity and board refreshment, I often recall George Bernard Shaw’s words: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” >>>

Anita M. Sands

Dr. Anita Sands is a global technology and business leader, public speaker, and advocate for the advancement of women. She currently serves on the board of three Silicon Valley public companies – Symantec Corporation, Service Now, and Pure Storage, and is a board director at private companies ThoughtWorks and AppBus. She is also an active advisory board member at Docusign, Accompany, and Box. >>>

Man and Superman: Dealing with Singularity-Based Technology Acceleration

In the previous four segments of this series, we looked at what a singularity is and as part of evidence for the possibility of a technology singularity, we studied the frequency and impact of five scientific revolutions and cataloged the modern intersubjective realities (ISRs) that have co-evolved with the ever faster scientific revolutions and pushed to see how these have historically interacted and why things may be breaking down today.

In the concluding installment of this essay, we will look at how each of us experiences this personally and how our most important social structures are under duress today in ways that never happened in the past.

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Man and Superman: Intersubjective Realities

By Guest Author Frank H. Levinson

In the previous three segments of this series, we looked at what a singularity is and as part of evidence for the possibility of a technology singularity, we studied the frequency and impact of five scientific revolutions. Let us now catalog the modern intersubjective realities (ISRs) that have co-evolved with the ever faster scientific revolutions and push to see how these have historically interacted and why things may be breaking down today.

Let’s now list key social structures that humans have evolved over time. Remember that all of these are really just different ISRs; thus, they are things we agree to treat as real. In other words, their reality derives only from our agreement. For instance, a $20 bill has very little intrinsic value, it is our nearly world-wide ISR agreement that gives it value. >>>

Man and Superman: Impact of the Science Revolutions

By Guest Author Frank H. Levinson

In the previous two segments, we looked at what a Singularity was and as part of evidence for the possibility of a technology singularity, we studied the frequency of five scientific revolutions. Let us now analyze the impact of these revolutions.

It is perhaps hard for us to realize that the impact of each of these last five revolutions, measured by their pervasive effects which underpin modern life, is as important as the domestication of agriculture or creation of geometry millennia ago. But the modern ones have a much greater social impact because they arise, become widely available and approach near ubiquitous use in vastly shorter adoption times. >>>