Accenture Technology Vision 2016People First: The Primacy of People in a Digital Age ContentsForeword 03Introduction 04Executive Summary 06Trend 1: Intelligent Automation 16Trend 2: Liquid Workforce 26Trend 3: Platform Economy 36Trend 4: Predictable Disruption 48Trend 5: Digital Trust 57Conclusion 66Research Methodology 67References 69Contacts 71Your digital forecast...#techvision20162Technology Vision 2016Contents ForewordWe are pleased to present the Accenture Technology Vision 2016, our annual view of the technology trends that will have a profound impact on enterprises for the next three to five years.We are in the midst of a major technology revolution—specifically a digital revolution—with digital now dominating every sector of the economy. And we are seeing an important new shift as the technology revolution begins to put people first. To put it simply, as businesses become digital, their people and cultures must become digital, too.The theme of our Accenture Technology Vision 2016, “People First: The Primacy of People in a Digital Age,” looks at the competitive advantage that awaits companies that move beyond digital culture shock to create a thriving digital culture. And we look at the early adopters who are leading the way.High performers of the future won’t merely consume more technology. They will enable their people to accomplish more with technology. They will create new corporate cultures that use technology to enable people to constantly adapt and learn, create new solutions, drive change and disrupt the status quo.The critical message from our Accenture Technology Vision 2016 is counterintuitive. While technology is the driver, it’s the people, not just technology, that will transform organizations for the future. Indeed, digital culture and talent is a clear differentiator in a highly competitive business environment and an increasingly digital world. The Accenture Technology Vision 2016 is a must-read for leaders of organizations across industries and around the world. We hope it provides relevant ideas to help you in your journey to become a digital business and guides you as you transform your business—and your people—for digital success.Pierre Nanterme, Chairman and CEO Paul Daugherty, Chief Technology Officer3Technology Vision 2016 IntroductionPeople First: The Primacy of People in a Digital Age Winners in the digital age do much more than tick off a checklist of technology capabilities. They know their success hinges on people. The ability to understand changing customer needs and behaviors is, of course, vital. But the real deciding factor in the era of intelligence will be a company’s ability to evolve its corporate culture to not only take advantage of emerging technologies, but also, critically, embrace the new business strategies that those technologies drive. 4Technology Vision 2016 Enterprises must focus on enabling people—consumers, workers and ecosystem partners—to accomplish more with technology. They will have to create a new corporate culture that looks at technology as the way to enable people to constantly adapt and learn, continually create new solutions, drive relentless change, and disrupt the status quo. In an age where the focus is locked on technology, the true leaders will, in fact, place people first.Succeeding in today’s digital world is a challenge that can’t be solved simply by consuming more and more technology, or, as some fear, replacing humans with technology.5Technology Vision 2016Introduction 25% of the world’s economy will be digital by 2020. Executive Summary Digital Culture ShockWe are in the midst of a major technology revolution, specifically a digital revolution. Our research model and analysis shows that digital is now dominating every sector of the economy. This global digital economy accounted for 22 percent of the world’s economy in 2015. And it’s rapidly growing, as we forecast those numbers to increase to 25 percent by 2020, up from 15 percent in 2005.1 With digital pervading everything, it’s bringing with it ubiquitous and unprecedented amounts of chang