Emerging Technologies and Organizational Transformation

Abstract

Technologies continue to evolve and to largely transform business practices. In the near future, a few technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR), additive manufacturing (3D printing), and robots, can substantially influence businesses. The reason to focus specifically on these technologies as leading factors for organizational change is twofold: first, there already exist many prototypes and pilot experiments; and second, these technologies have the potential to provoke substantial breakthroughs, leading to substantial business changes. The chapter proposes an overall vision about the impact of these four emerging technologies on business practices and how they will fuel substantial business transformation. The chapter starts with a short analysis how IT influences the core business models and value formation. Then, the authors present the state of the art in e-business technologies and current emerging trends. Finally, the authors propose a detailed overview and discussion of the newly emerging bridge technologies, illustrating with examples their role and economic potential.