Forget buzzwords, embrace trends

Running the risk of being left behind with this all or nothing approach, business leaders should look to simply embrace the innovations which hold the most potential for their organisations’ success.

This is according to Mushambi Mutuma, a South African tech entrepreneur, speaker and founder of the Johannesburg-based high impact digital company, Altivex.

Mushambi Mutuma

Mutuma, who sits on numerous healthtech, fintech, edutech and creative company boards while also advising multiple accelerators and incubators, notes that while technological shifts are an opportunity to transform businesses, the truth is that organisations don’t need to jump on board every single trend that hits the market.

He says, “In the current tech context, what is essential is learning and understanding the fundamental principles and pace of technology, disruption and innovation, and leveraging this general understanding to put a strategic plan together. This plan should throw buzzwords out the window and focus on what is relevant for the particular company, its audience and the industry in which it operates.”

Ultimately, it is easier to understand technology when you are focused on the innovation and trends applicable to your own circumstances. Think about it, while Uber, AirBnb and Facebook are grandiose Silicon Valley success stories, their approach, industry and audience are likely to have little relevance to your own market.

“Today, more than ever, leaders in business and entrepreneurship need to invest in new ways of thinking and prepare their businesses for rapid moving digital change. There is no doubt that technology has always played a part in human advancement, facilitating our transformation as a species.”

Mutuma will be releasing his first book, Tech Adjacent, later this year. Set to be an exponential guide to leveraging technology for business success, the publication will delve into the nature and history of technology, unsung African innovation, trends in and the process of innovation, steps to surviving disruption, indicators of future opportunities, and how to predict where technology and business audiences are heading.