Fresh Ideas: Learning and Unlearning

During the two days of the Produce Marketing Association Tech Knowledge seminar in San Diego, there were times when I wondered whether I was still on Earth. As the speakers, including futurists Jack Uldrich and Daniel Burrus, rolled out their visions of things to come, I thought I was on a different planet.

The bottom line: the big change has only just begun. The choice is simple: learn how to surf or drown.

Uldrich urges companies to cultivate the ability to “jump the curve,” or stay on pace with the exponential rate of change. Burrus teaches “flash foresight,” a series of seven triggers we can use to see the future, including the principle of beginning with what is certain. 

The key to jumping the curve, Uldrich said, is to engage in an active process of unlearning. To anticipate change, we need to challenge — and abandon — much of what we think we know.

To prove his point, Uldrich asked us to consider a simple question and tell the answer to our neighbors: What two primary colors make up a highway “yield” sign?

An easy question, we thought. Everybody knows yield signs have black letters on a yellow background. Imagine our shock when Uldrich gave us the correct answer: yield signs are red and white, and have been since 1971. And did you know there was an arrow in the FedEx logo? I didn’t.

Without this kind of unlearning, we’ll never be able to adapt to exponential change, a process that is only in its early stages. Look for upheaval in the areas of computer technology, genome mapping, robotics, nanotechnology, sensors, Google glasses, three-dimensional printing, web-based videoconferencing and more.

We are going to be challenged and inspired by bringing you stories about all the technological changes coming to the produce industry. The best is yet to come. Stay tuned.

[email protected]Lee Dean, editorial director



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