Disruptions - the 4W and 1H

Disruptions have been a constant feature of modern life. We can easily identify three or more types of disruptions around us. They are (A) environmental, (B) man-made and (C) technical. Each of them casts a significant impression on our day to day life and behaviour. Disruptions shape the way we see things and dictate the way we prepare ourselves for the unknown. So disruptions in a way prevent us from being smug creatures and help us to be in a stage of perpetual beta.

Now let’s talk about the different kinds of disruptions one by one. Environmental disruptions like floods, typhoons, tsunamis, wildfires, earthquakes, and so on, have enormous human and economic impacts. However, one interesting thing about such disruptions is that though exposure to such calamities is beyond human control, responding to them makes all the difference. So, good use of resources and planning is a key factor in controlling damage to a large extent.

Man-made disruptions arising out of human error or greed or sheer malevolence like terrorism is more difficult to cope with. Again the capacity to cope and resist such disruptions is of utmost important.

The third kind of disruption or tech disruptions are the most talked about and world is really excited about how technology is changing the world, how the social media and ubiquitous mobility along with big data and cloud computing are veritable game changers.

Which is the most potent of all these disruptions? Which is going to have the strongest effect? Technology is definitely an enabler to do things unimaginable before. But is it potent enough to mitigate the effects of the first two or is it causing them to manifest with more fury?