Padmasree Warrior (Cisco) - Realizing Innovation at Enterprise Scale
Oct 9, 2013
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Padmasree Warrior, Cisco's chief technology and strategy officer, drives a powerful discussion on innovation at scale. She highlights the transformative impact of the Internet of Everything on various industries and how it will shape our future. Warrior emphasizes blending analytical and empathetic leadership to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration. She also touches on the evolving nature of education in the digital age and the critical need for greater representation of women in tech, tackling challenges and offering guidance for success.
Padmasree Warrior highlights the transformative impact of technology across industries, necessitating adaptations in business processes and consumer behavior.
The shift to cloud computing fundamentally changes enterprise operations, allowing companies to categorize technology investments as operating expenses rather than capital expenditures.
Leadership is evolving towards a balance of analytical skills and empathy, requiring new skill sets for engagement and collaborative decision-making in a connected world.
Deep dives
Technological Change and Its Impact
The podcast emphasizes the profound impact of technology and innovation across various industries. The speaker highlights how technology has revolutionized sectors like manufacturing, retail, and energy, demonstrating its potential to reshape business processes. An example provided is the growth in connected devices, which soared from 1,000 in 1984 to a projected 50 billion by 2020, showcasing the rapid pace of technological evolution. This growth not only changes consumer behavior but also compels businesses to adapt to new operational models.
The Shift Toward Cloud Computing
A significant shift in business operations is noted with the increasing reliance on cloud computing. By 2012, over 80% of enterprises had adopted cloud applications, moving away from traditional IT infrastructures. This transition implies that businesses are no longer bound by capital expenditures for IT, but instead view technology investments as part of their operating expenses. Such changes redefine how companies implement technology and manage their resources effectively.
The Internet of Everything: A Transformative Force
The concept of the 'Internet of Everything' is introduced as a transformative phase for the next wave of the internet. It goes beyond merely connecting devices and encompasses the integration of people, processes, data, and things to create significant economic value, estimated at $14 trillion. The speaker emphasizes that this paradigm shift will affect various sectors, including manufacturing, retail, and energy, presenting vast opportunities for innovation and efficiency improvements. Companies like Cisco see themselves at the forefront of this evolution, focusing on how to harness this potential effectively.
Evolving Models of Innovation
Innovation models are evolving from solitary genius inventions to collaborative, multi-domain creativity. The speaker discusses the historical progression of innovation, from individual inventors to corporate labs and now to open, multi-domain collaboration. Companies are increasingly seeking individuals who can navigate across various disciplines, integrating hardware, software, and user experience. Cisco, in particular, emphasizes attracting talent that is capable of cross-disciplinary collaboration as it is crucial for the development of successful innovations going forward.
Leadership in the Age of Innovation
The podcast underscores the changing landscape of leadership in response to technological advances. Leaders are now expected to combine analytical skills with empathy and be more approachable and authentic. The traditional command-and-control model has shifted toward shared decision-making and community building, emphasizing the importance of engagement through platforms like social media. Such evolution necessitates new skill sets for leaders to effectively navigate the complexities introduced by widespread connectivity and information access.
Padmasree Warrior, Cisco's chief technology and strategy officer, offers a vision of how value will be created as the magnitude of technology change rapidly increases. Warrior also touches on balancing analytical and empathetic leadership, cultivating a culture of innovation at enterprise scale, and how the Internet of Everything will shape the future of individuals and organizations.
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