Michael Rogers

Managers are facing multiple new challenges: virtual work forces, flattened corporate structures, a new generation of ambitious and cyber-savvy workers, a heightened atmosphere of public scrutiny— not to mention the perennial pressure to do more with less. How are smart managers coping and what’s next to come?

In many ways, modern technology has temporarily eroded trust, as bloggers blow the whistle on corporate cover-ups or catch the big media companies in mistakes or misrepresentations. In families it has created a new tension between parents and children, as kids seek freedom in the Internet world while parents worry, quite rightly, about the dangers that lie online. But there are also some methods emerging wherein new technology can be used to increase trust among families and communities.

Over the next decade, more and more of our work, what we care about and how we interact with others is going to move into the virtual world, mediated by computers and the Internet. In addition, we’re seeing the rise of a new generation of “digital natives” who are remarkably comfortable with virtual relationships. What will this mean for how our businesses and organizations must grow and evolve in the years to come?

Computers, the Internet and the digitization of all media are changing many aspects of the American lifestyle—from how we work, where we shop, how we entertain ourselves and even how we meet our mates. It is also beginning to reshape the way our homes are built, furnished and lived-in. What does the digital lifestyle mean for what companies must do to reach their customers and how products must change to meet new needs? It’s necessary to tie together strands from pop culture, consumer electronics and even home décor to understand fully the scope of the transformation.

The rise of the Internet and the digitization of all media are having a profound effect on both the telecom and media industries. The relationship between the creators of content and the owners of “the pipes” has never been more complex or volatile. And new technologies such as wireless broadband and VOIP are only now arriving. What will the next decade see in content and services delivery, customer expectations, the protection of intellectual property, and the role of traditional media?

We have only seen the beginning of how globalization will change our world over the next decades. The democratization of information via the Internet, the rise of middle class consumers in the developing world, the spread of outsourcing to professions like law and medicine, new competitors dislodging Fortune 500 firms in global markets, increased pressure on natural resources…the list will only grow longer as market forces and technology spread across our planet.

Information technology and genetic science are combining to create a fundamental shift in the way we think about and treat disease. At the same time, however, prices continue to rise and there is as much pressure to use technology to cut costs as to advance health science. How do we balance the enormous potential of advancing technology with the real world questions of delivering affordable health care?

The first generation never to know a world without an Internet is rapidly approaching adulthood. It is a cohort that has fundamentally different ideas and expectations about how to relate to businesses, employers, the media and each other. How do we market to this new breed? How will we manage them? What will they expect from products and services, and what new skills—or deficits—will they bring to the workplace?

It’s common knowledge that the US population is graying—but what’s less noted is that the United States is also the fastest growing industrialized nation on earth. Between now and 2050, our population could increase by as much as 40%—and the drivers of that increase are already in place, ranging from the largest K - 8 population in history to longer lifespans and liberal immigration policies. Fixed resources— waterfront property, elite educations, room on our roadways, suburban open space—will be under increasing pressure. How will population shape our nation in years to come?

After creating the award-winning Parents’ Guide to Children’s Software in 1996, Rogers has followed education and technology issues closely. He often speaks to audiences of both parents and educators about technology and learning—and specifically how the rise of computers and the Internet has actually increased the importance of the thinking skills that underlie the traditional three R’s. Too much emphasis on technology, especially in early grades, may actually interfere with the lifelong learning skills that this century will demand from every worker.

Rogers has followed the world energy picture since he shared the National Headliners Award for coverage of the Chernobyl disaster and its implications for nuclear energy. He has written extensively on alternative energy and recently participated in the United Nations conference Bridging the Divide on bringing new energy technology to developing countries.