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Professor Rocky Scopelitti has been researching and reporting on a question: "how do we increase our capacity to adapt to a world of accelerated change?"

Rocky is an independent futurologist. He is an author that has published over 17 publications over the last 20 years. His latest two books include "Youthquake 4.0", a world-first book looking at the interplay between demographic change and the 4th Industrial revolution. 

The 2nd book just recently published is "Australia 2030 – Where the Bloody Hell Are We?" This book is based on a major study looking at the attitudes of Australian professionals over the coming decade; across a whole range of areas, including the future of work, their perception of their development and career aspirations.

Rocky is also a professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. He works in the futures academy, which helps organisations reskill their workforce for emerging roles. He is also the Chief Scientist for Optus in Federal Government.

In summary, his roles are centred on leadership, science and the future of work.

How do we increase our capacity to adapt to a world of accelerated change?

In normal circumstances, before playing a game, we know there is going to be an outcome. However, the question provides a mystery that has a twist and uncertainty. The question is the interplay between our capacity to adapt ourselves, our lives, and how we live, work and play to a world of accelerated change. 

We are now moving into an era where technology is coming into our lives much faster. Reskilling workforces away from sunsetting roles towards sun-rising roles. There is discord with an ingenuity gap. Our capacity to reskill people has created da gap. 

Access economics: Recent research indicated there is a shortfall in the next few years of 156,000 skilled people in just technology roles. This means $10 billion of economic growth is being put at risk.

UTS service called Future Track allows organisations to customise a learning pathway for people in existing roles onto new areas which will be required in the future. These are new systems aiding the reskilling process.

We should never question humanity's capacity to adapt. History shows us that since agrarian societies, humans have made significant adaptations. What is difficult is that the pace of technology change is on an exponential curve rather than a linear curve. The internet and mobile technologies have aided this increased rate of change. 

Our workforce structures need to adapt so that the new technologies are augmented into the way we create new economic value. We need to accept humanity's capability. What is holding up progress is the ability and mechanisms to reskill people.

We are now in our 2nd generation of youth who have grown up digitally. Millennials grew up with the internet, computing, and mobile devices. Gen Zs have not known life without being connected. Their capacity to adapt is entrenched in periods that generations before them did not have to experience. Over time, these two generations will permeate all facets of society. They are already the most significant demographic on the planet and are becoming your customers.

Embracing youth is an integral part of the answer to the question. 

They have different expectations around the structure of work.

One example is that the argument that workforces need to be centralised is now debunked. Covid has shown that a workforce can be distributed.

Gender parity is not occurring quickly enough. Diversity is a broad topic than just gender; achieving equality on gender could take another 144 years.

Australia 2030 – Where the Bloody Hell Are We?

The book is based on a substantial leadership sample. The study began two months before Covid and during the Covid storm. The results were inspiring because people are enthusiastic about our future. We are generally optimistic. We are also enthusiastic about the future role science and technology will play. We want to embrace change.

Therefore the ingenuity gap needs to be solved so that our real potential and future can be realised.

Australian leaders see themselves as part of Asia. Asia is now the most significant economic zone in the world.

Board Governance

The diversity of skills on boards is trending towards technological proficiency. 

Climate change is now front and centre for company governance.   Targets are being increased, and the timelines are being shortened. 

In summary:

The challenge of change: its more like a mystery than something that is predictable or expected.

The need for reskilling and the restructuring of work

The tools: The UTS Future Track AI system can predict the skills that are needed. This feeds into education and training programs.

What is getting in the way? The ingenuity gap.

The future – there is a sense of Optimism, and technology is readily adopted.