Looking at the predictions I made for 2021 at the end of last year, my technical foresight seemed to be on target. However, I did not foresee a violent insurrection at my country’s Capitol, a divided electorate (and more than a few politicians!) refusing to accept the results of an election, and an ever-growing disdain for painfully-obtained expertise, single sources of truth, and critical thinking skills.
But a new administration in Washington DC has also brought a glimmer of hope for our rapidly-changing world, especially with new government programs to address climate change and a deteriorating infrastructure – both physical and digital! – and that means incredible opportunities for all of us in the world of IT. So here are my predictions for 2022 and beyond:
Decision By Digital Accelerates
The uptick in IT organizations and companies that want to accelerate their digital decision-making is utterly amazing, and it doesn’t look like it’ll slow down anytime soon. For example, I recently sat in on a briefing from Intel on how they are enabling the use of AI and ML throughout their organization, the problems they’re facing, and how they’re judging which business use cases are proper candidates for automation.
Electrification 2.0
The extreme weather events of 2021 have made it obvious that our civilization needs to combat climate change now, and it’s become obvious that we need to shift away from fossil fuels and towards alternative energy. The good news is that the goals of COP26 appear to be reinforced by several elements of the Biden’s administration’s infrastructure plans. For example, $7.5B has been allocated just to improve the electrical charging grid we’ll need in the USA to support electric vehicles (EVs) – a topic I’ll be expounding more on in 2022 as a real-world use case for IT projects during my sessions at upcoming conferences.
More Often Than Not, It’s Still a People Problem
As my friend and colleague Liron Amitzi and I have discovered during conversations with our guests in this year’s podcast episodes for Beyond Tech Skills, when you finally delve into what technical problems are slowing down an IT project a team, it’s almost always a people problem. IT organizations are struggling to deal with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues, making new hybrid workplaces work for everyone, and most of all, retain mission-critical talent. With COVID-19 hopefully receding into merely endemic status in 2022, IT teams will continue to be hard-pressed to provide business solutions no matter where an employee or contractor lives or works or what time zone she works in.
The Great Reshuffle
Whether you call it the Great Resignation or the Great Reshuffle, there are millions of people simply deciding to throw in the towel on their jobs and call it quits. Conversely, many folks are simply taking advantage of a premium market for their prized technical skills, so 2021 has been a hectic year for employers, employees, and gig workers. 2022 may finally see experienced old-timers leaving the workforce permanently to take early retirement in droves, and that means IT organizations will need to focus on knowledge transfer and perhaps offer consulting opportunities for mentoring their younger counterparts as the transition continues.
A New New Normal
Finally, some key reasons for the Great Reshuffle have mercifully come to the forefront. Many professionals are stressed out beyond capacity to cope, and many organizations have finally recognized that their employees’ mental health has been ignored for much too long. Thankfully, IT has stepped up creatively, including Smartphone applications that offer us the ability to reach out to a professional advisor to help us cope with those stresses. The phrase It’s OK Not To Be OK is evidence we’ve acknowledged at last that a person’s mental health is just as important to their well-being as their physical health, and I’ll be podcasting, writing, and presenting about that a lot in the coming year.
