"People become designers - robots do the rest"

More recently are the X.Days the responsibility of the NZZ. With this event, the traditional media company underlines the fact that it also delivers quality in the conference sector. Under the motto "How to shape the digital future", decision-makers in the Swiss economy are presented with new approaches, creative business models and disruptive technologies.Christoph Oggenfuss* attended the event for MK and shares his highlights.

Peter Hinssen, Serial Entrepreneur: Traditional budget planning is a thing of the past.Our roles will changeIn his remarkable presentation, British professor Richard Susskind explained that we will not become unemployed in the coming decades as a result of digitalization. At the same time, however, he is convinced that our work and, above all, our roles will change fundamentally. He sees people in the world of work taking on a more creative role, which he describes as a "designer", as opposed to an executive role. Susskind believes that computers already have the ability to solve numerous problems better and faster than humans.IoT is the realityTech expert Kevin Ashton brought order to the topic of the Internet of Things (IoT) with his contribution and warned against using the example of the smart fridge as a good illustration of IoT. "Computers can perceive their environment, analyze the information and make independent decisions". If we think this idea through to the end, knowing that billions of things will be networked and communicate with each other in the future, then the power of IoT becomes apparent. IoT is not a dream of the future, but already a reality, for example with the self-driving car.Design has an effectAlastair Curtis, Logitech's Chief Design Officer, has impressively demonstrated the importance of convincing design in today's world. The accents he has set at Logitech over the last four years are strongly reminiscent of the Apple story. "Design connects the product with people," was the credo at the end of his presentation.Hacking is not negativeHacking was once again on the agenda this year and the insight into this hidden world was exciting and instructive for the participants. Bestselling author Alexa Clay spoke about so-called "corporate culture hacking". She vividly explained how uncomfortable, disruptive employees of a company (corporate and cultural mysfit) can be a valuable source of innovation and cultural change. Of course, this also calls for a different management style. This contribution made it clear once again that the term hacking is wrongly associated with negative connotations.Long-term budget planning has had its dayAt the end of the conference, Peter Hinssen spoke about digital strategies - the most engaging and brilliant contribution of the conference. With vivid examples and impressive analogies, he made it clear how great the need for change is in companies and that there is no recognizable finish line in the digital transformation, as in a marathon. He demonstratively classifies the twelve-month budget planning practiced today as an obsolete model and propagates rolling planning in shorter cycles and this in an adapted form for the corporate strategy. From his observations at Facebook, he notes that they plan over a period of six months and the vision is based on thirty years.Peter Hinssen talks about digital strategiesOGGENFUSS Is there even such a thing as a digital strategy?HINSSEN I don't know how the title of my presentation came about. But I think it's about business strategies in an accelerated world. The word "digital" is actually only used by the older generation.OGGENFUSS What is the most effective way for an established company to challenge its business model? HINSSEN On the one hand, young employees in particular must be involved and, on the other, the Challenger Team must be positioned outside the company.OGGENFUSS Who should take the lead in the business transformation - the Executive Board or the Board of Directors?HINSSEN In my experience, it is the supervisory board. This is because it is more open to change and ultimately also bears the responsibility.OGGENFUSS How do you rate Elon Musk's (Tesla, SpaceX) achievements to date?HINSSEN Musk is walking a tightrope with his project. With him, anything is possible between total success and a crash. Nevertheless, he should not be measured by the Tesla result, but rather by his charisma for thousands of young entrepreneurs who are following a dream, have a lot of confidence and set out to realize an idea.