Across all businesses worldwide, companies are wrestling with rapid transformation in its many forms. Between climate change, Covid-19, general innovation, politics and economic shifts, the world is changing…and companies need to keep up. So what are the key business trends you need to watch out for in 2022? Here are 6 trends that are important to keep an eye on.
1.Sustainability is essential
For some time, ‘sustainability’ was simply a fashionable term or at the very least a marketing angle. But in today’s climate, it’s an absolute must in very real ways. While sustainability was once only a buzz word in the fashion industry, this is now a mainstream requirement of most businesses. In 2022 all hands are on deck driving companies to find sustainable ways to consume resources, in an eco-smart yet profitable way.
2.Human employees VS A.I.
We all knew the day would come when artificial intelligence (A.I.) would move out of Spielberg films and into the real world. In fact A.I. has even moved into the workplace where robots are increasingly capable of taking on human jobs, leaving employees to ask some important questions: Like which roles belong to machines and which belong to humans. Businesses now have to make hard decisions around where to allocate tech resources and how to apply human minds. Allowing humans and robots to work together in a symbiotic (and not competitive) way.
3.Talent pools and employee experience is changing
Covid-19 took remote working mainstream, and the world-over we witnessed employee experience shift. In 2020 and 2021 this was out of necessity but what we are seeing in 2022 is that this has also afforded us with a different experience of what work/life can look like. If we peer into the near future there is a good chance that pretty soon full-time, in-person employment will become redundant and in its place we will see more gig workers and remote contractors. Work will become a more fluid concept and the interface of who works where and when, will evolve.
4.Finding purpose in business
More and more, businesses are seeking authenticity in relation to their bottom lines. The desire here is to find out why the organisation exists as opposed to what the business is and who it services. In this subtle way, purpose is quite different to the ‘vision’ or ‘mission’ of a business. It is the soul of the business’ structure, and resolves to find a strong purpose which promises transformation and the hope for something better.
5.Virtualization, datafication and digitization
During the pandemic we all experienced the virtualization of our workspaces. Here it was the result of a crisis-driven intervention and for a time many of us longed to be back in person. However, in 2022 we will see that this metaverse is a much longer term trend. If we think back to the 1999 film The Matrix, the metaverse depicts a space where physical and digital worlds lie parallel and interface with each other in order for our needs to be met. Already in 2022 we will see the Metaverse becoming more streamlined and immersive, offering digital experiences that are as alluring and convincing as physical ones.
6.Accountability, transparency and governance
Trust and tech go hand-in-hand. As tech evolves, we are witnessing public push-back against technology that is obtrusive, irresponsible or dangerous. A.I. for example, is seen as a kind of black box where we can’t really understand how it works and so there is also concern for how it may be ‘working’ us. While this is often due to its complexity, we may worry that we are also being taken advantage of in dangerous ways. Therefore technology companies need to create aspects of accountability and transparency in relation to their advancements, in order to instill trust and entice buy-in.
The bottom line
The world has changed and businesses need to hop on board. Many of these changes adapted out of necessity in shifting conditions, but what we are seeing is that these trends have actually created many opportunities to grow and innovate. So how will your business keep up with these shifts? While it’s true that change doesn’t come cheap, there are ways to realistically fund the future of your business. With a Merchant Capital Cash Advance, you can access the funding you need in under 48 hours, empowering you to implement growth strategies in real time.
So contact us for a simple, obligation-free quote today and begin to future-proof your business for the year ahead.
