A New Road in 2024, by Nick Freer

“And yet, this New Road will some day be the Old Road too, with ghosts on it and memories.”  Inveraray-born author Neil Munro penned these words in what is arguably his finest historical novel, The New Road, published in 1914.  

Munro, who also rose to the editor role at the Glasgow Evening News, was a lifelong friend of my great-great-grandfather from their days growing up in Argyll, and I’ve always enjoyed his writing and quotes.  And these words from The New Road seem relevant as we near the end of 2023, and set a course for another 365 days around the Sun.  

Up on wintry Deeside for Christmas, I have definitely managed to slow down for the holiday season, peppered with a few bits of work going on in the background.  With my wife’s sister and family over from New Zealand, it’s been a happy and festive time.  It’s also been great to get out of the city for a change of scenery.

One thing I meant to do, but it slipped from the to-do list, was speak to a few clients and contacts to gauge business sentiment towards 2024, including the trends they are discussing in their respective boardrooms.  

Generative AI, which I wrote about here a few weeks’ back, sustainability, diversity and inclusivity, distributed workforces, and health and wellbeing would, I’m guessing, be among the straw poll. 

Global tech giant IBM says, “Deep tech requires deep trust, especially in the age of AI.”  No surprises here really when you consider that when choosing a brand, 9 out of 10 consumers say trust, a very human trait, is the most important deciding factor.  

In its predictions for next year, IBM believes people who use AI will replace people who don’t: “Can we help our workforce trust AI applications as they integrate like new teammates into day-today business processes?” 

As technology drives business trends today more than ever before, Accenture notes that “the harmony between people, technology, and business is showing tensions.”  “Technology feels like it’s happening to people rather than for them”, says Accenture in its latest Life Trends report, and I think we can all relate to this one as we balance the invasiveness of tech against its benefits. 

Sustainability is another subject I wrote about recently, on the back of COP28 in Dubai, so I won’t go over that ground again, save to say that the idea of many businesses putting sustainability on the backburner because of challenging economic environment is a scary one after a year in which record temperatures were reported worldwide.

On diversity and inclusivity, it feels like positive strides have been made this year, at least in relation to a good number of the organisations I have been engaging with, but I’m sure the data would tell us that we still have a long way to go.  

Around the area of distributed workforces, employee engagement platforms are a must in modern workplaces, and have come to the fore as companies realise the importance of understanding their workforces and supporting a more productive work environment as the line between life and work increasingly blurs. 

Overall, let’s hope for more clarity and less flux on the new road that will be 2024.  Slàinte Mhaith!