Umair Haque, a well noted new media ‘thought leader,’ wrote an interesting post a few days ago (which was going to be a speech) titled ‘A Manifesto for the Next Industrial Revolution.

Umair, a revolutionary at heart, calls for a 21st century revolution in the DNA of the way we do business.

In an excerpt from his conclusion, it’s clear Umair is passionate and has a few powerful things to say:

Where is the next industrial revolution crying out for revolutionaries? Simple: in industries dominated by clear, durable, structural barriers to efficiency and productivity.

The next industrial revolution begins here. What happens when we think of using new DNA to reorganize structurally inefficient industries? A blueprint for the next industrial revolution emerges. Here’s what it looks like.

Organize the world’s hunger.
Organize the world’s energy.
Organize the world’s thirst.
Organize the world’s health.
Organize the world’s freedom.
Organize the world’s finance.
Organize the world’s education.

That’s not an exhaustive list - it’s just a beginning. In fact, let’s open source it: please add to it (”organize the world’s xyz”), and we’ll keep an index here or elsewhere.

What’s important is the logic behind the list. Let’s make that as razor-sharp as possible.

Organize: to transform DNA, not lower-value technology. The world’s: to have a global impact; to be able to scale to global levels. Hunger, health: some measure of economic well-being: to radically change the world for the better.

If you’re a startup, and your elevator pitch isn’t shaped by this blueprint; if you’re an investor, and your portfolio isn’t full of companies like this; if you’re a corporate boardroom, and you’re not refocusing and restructuring to meet these new challenges – here’s the bottom line: the next industrial revolution has your name written all over it.

Ted Leonsis calls this ‘the double bottom line.’ — Do good, while doing good; business that essentially create positive social impact while also generating sustainable revenue.

To many out there in the IST community, I am certain there are a few world changers who will push the envelopes of what has been tried before, and who will, as Umair and many others are calling for, be part of a 21st century revolution that aims at a few big, hairy goals — and takes them down.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Manifesto, Umair Haque

Categories: Opinion