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XR Sociotechnical Plan

The video highlights the future of extended reality (XR). XR is an umbrella term for technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). The video attempts to highlight each of these specific technologies and how the user interacts with each. There is also a slide that depicts some future uses of the technology to include healthcare, education, advertising and marketing, manufacturing and industrial, and gaming. The slide depicting this information is a bit blurry! XR is all about providing a fully immersive experience. One method of realizing this immersion is through the use of increased haptics. There is a slide of a prototype haptic feedback suit that would allow wearers to experience sensations that can provide an extra dimension of realism. A trend that we are seeing right now is the increased value of digital assets in the metaverse. This trend may see society purchasing things we need IRL such as houses, cars, and other consumable items. T...
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Sociotechnical Plan and Common Disruptors

                Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable. Change can be good; change can be bad. From a technological perspective, new emerging technologies have the potential to reshape our future. The Industrial Revolution, for example, brought about large-scale industrial technologies that had a substantial impact on the people of the time. Changes are not limited to a technological perspective; change can be in the form of cultural, economical, social, etc. Unfortunately, many organizations over the years have been completely upended by circumstances beyond their control.                 Borders is a relatively recent example of a company that had a good plan, but eventually closed their doors due to circumstances beyond their control. The once beloved bookstore can trace its roots back to 1971 when two brothers, Thomas, and...
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Serendipity, error, and exaptation

Serendipity                 One of the most well-known serendipitous discoveries in modern history is the X-ray. This discovery is credited to an 1895 observation made by Wilhelm Roentgen (Shackle, 2015). Roentgen was a German physicist that was working with a cathode ray tube at the time of the discovery. Curiously, as the cathode ray tube was covered, a nearby fluorescent screen would glow when the tube was on (Shackle, 2015). The physicist desperately tried to block the rays with various objects but proved to be unsuccessful. However, it was when Roentgen placed his hand in front of the tube that he knew this was something worth exploring. He noticed that an image of the bones in his hand were being projected onto the screen. Error One accidental innovation due to error as it relates to silicon chips is what has been dubbed “smart dust.” A student named Jamie Link was working with silicon computer chips ...
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Standard Forecasting Pitfalls and How Scenario Planning Can Help

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  How Does Scenario-type Planning Support Planning and Innovation for Change? Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable. Change can be good; change can be bad. From a technological perspective, new emerging technologies have the potential to reshape our future. The Industrial Revolution, for example, brought about large-scale industrial technologies that had a substantial impact on the people of the time. Unfortunately, there were also negative impacts such as pollution and poor labor conditions. How can we approach change? We can approach change by being prepared. One of the best ways to prepare (for literally anything) is proper planning. There are two approaches as it relates to planning: scenario planning and traditional forecasting. Scenario planning is a type of planning that can assist with identifying potential outcomes. These outcomes can then be weighed and prioritized to help predict future outcomes. Scenario planning is used in a wide variety of industries. On...
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Predicting the Future: Scenario Planning vs. Traditional Forecasting

  Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable. Change can be good; change can be bad. From a technological perspective, new emerging technologies have the potential to reshape our future. The Industrial Revolution, for example, brought about large-scale industrial technologies that had a substantial impact on the people of the time. Unfortunately, there were also negative impacts such as pollution and poor labor conditions. How can we approach change? We can approach change by being prepared. One of the best ways to prepare (for literally anything) is proper planning. As it is related to futuring and innovation, there are two predominant concepts that can assist with planning and predicting change: scenario planning and traditional forecasting. Scenario planning is a good tool for researchers to have in their figurative toolbox. This type of planning can assist with identifying potential outcomes. These outcomes can then be weighed and prioritized to help predict future outco...
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Accidental Innovation

Innovation is not always planned. Throughout history, accidental inventions have shaped our future. Gun powder, for instance, was an accidental discovery. Chinese alchemists accidentally discovered the formula when attempting to concoct an elixir of immortality (Travel China Guide, n.d.). Another more recent accidental innovation that is well-known Post-It notes. Post-It notes can trace its beginnings to Spencer Silver’s acrylate copolymer microspheres. Silver sought out to develop a super strong adhesive for 3M that would be used in the aerospace industry (Hiskey, 2011). Silver’s acrylate copolymer microspheres adhesive was the exact opposite; however, this accidental discovery helped create the foundation for beloved Post-It notes. What about some less-known accidental innovations? Have you heard of Chaos Engineering or Smart Dust? If not, you are not alone. The intent of this writing is to help shed some light on these two accidental discoveries and the forces that helped shaped the...
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Group Decision-Making Methods: The Delphi Technique and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT)

There are many well-known group decision-making methods available today. The Delphi technique is perhaps the most widely used of all available methods. The aim of the Delphi technique is to develop an expert-based judgement about an epistemic question (Niederberger & Spranger, 2020). One underlying premise of this group decision-making method is that multiple perspectives are better than one. Niederberger and Spranger (2020) argue that a group of experts and a multitude of perspectives will produce a better judgement than the top official in any given field. This technique has been around since the 1950s. Norman Dalkey and Olaf Helmer developed the Delphi technique to gain reliable expert consensus (Barrett & Heale, 2020). The name comes from the Ancient Greek Oracle of Delphi who could predict the future (Barrett & Heale, 2020). This technique begins with asking a set of experts their opinions on a given topic. The discussion shapes the discussion for future rounds, allowi...
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