The future of technology is that there will be no technology [that we can actively sense or think to use]. Humans as a species will have internalized it or evolved past actively needing it in their hands. It will become part of the background fabric of our existence and those not involved in its creation may just forget about it.

Does this mean that people will become human-machine hybrids, or that we will be walking around with implants of some sort that will enhance our senses? Not necessarily. Done well, it will seamlessly tie things together and provide products and services in a way that will seem effortless to us. It may even be hard to comprehend what life was like before this point in time.

What are we doing now? Struggling to keep up with rapid technological advances across multiple industries that is disrupting how people relate to one another.

The impact of networking technology, in particular, and access to large quantities of information has increased productivity, increased the spread of ideas, and has brought people together. It has also enabled the creation of news sources of value and wealth and seemingly accelerated the pace of life.

The pace is the basic problem that leaders of organizations face—you can either keep up or you can’t. The urge is for people to try to keep pace with the rate of human interactions or flow of data , but it can become overwhelming. Losing oneself in a sea of information and losing sight of the shore doesn’t help you or your business.

As things speed up, the counter-intuitive move that people need to make is to slow down. It’s the only way to stay effective and keep perspective on the factors you are working to understand and manage.

Hopefully, the prospect of creating new technology won’t dominate our thinking to the point that it is seen as the only way to create change or to effectively lead organizations.