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Adaptability of the US Engineering and Technical Workforce Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) / Chapter Skim
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2 Adaptability in an Uncertain World
Pages 5-11

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From page 5...
... On June 12, 2014, Elon Musk released all of Tesla's patents to the world. On January 24, 2017, Amazon became the first streaming company to receive a best picture nomination.
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From page 6...
... Does the same rule apply in the modern economy? How many hours of practice did Reed Hastings have before he created Netflix, or Richard Branson before running Virgin Atlantic airline?
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From page 7...
... Within two years, Apple and Google had transformed cellphones, even though their phones were viewed skeptically by experts when they were released. "That's how quickly it could change." THE NEED FOR STRATEGY The world is facing an onslaught of trends and developments that are making the future exceedingly uncertain, Johansson observed.
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From page 8...
... Amazon is a prominent example, expanding from a book-selling business to a huge corporation, with a diverse portfolio of departments and investments, that constantly innovates -- with movies, Alexa, drone delivery, grocery shopping.… The company places bets as far as it can reach as part of its strategy to remain a dominant commercial power. The idea of placing multiple bets is different for an individual than for a company, Johansson noted.
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From page 9...
... He cited the example of a hospital in the United Kingdom that was having trouble transferring patients from surgical units to the intensive care unit. The transfer involved two separate teams, creating opportunities for potentially fatal errors in communication.
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From page 10...
... "If we want to prepare ourselves for the unexpected, for the unpredictable, then we have to be willing to acknowledge that we gain insights, we gain our passions, and we get our knowledge in ways that don't follow a necessarily normalized path," said Johansson. The resulting deeper understanding of the world may cause one to examine and question the unexpected, the outlier, whereas schools actively teach that the outlier is to be ignored.
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From page 11...
... ADAPTABILITY IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD 11 about what we do -- the creativity part, the innovation part -- and push farther." "The world is increasingly moving in unexpected ways," he said. "We should move with it."
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Key Terms

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  • downloaded games
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  • stifle innovation
  • frans johansson
  • unexpected change
  • rule change
  • experiences allow

  • increasing speed
  • huge corporation
  • recent rule
  • drone delivery
  • elon musk

  • implication johansson
  • operations developed
  • issues students
  • combine building
  • deeper understanding

  • nationals return
  • prominent example
  • diverse portfolio
  • student passion
  • inspires innovation


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