Realities
Realities are the fundamental truths that shape how the world, communities and people actually operates. A reality could be the rule of thumb that the speed limit is 72 mph rather than the law of 65 stated on the sign. A reality could be a perception that most people do not like telemarketer calls. People, organizations and communities may have defined beliefs, processes or bylaws to operate, realities are how they actually operate. The understanding of the established, new and emerging may have significant impact on the success of an eDream. The understanding of realities was a key component in helping Reed Hastings develop his big idea which in now Netflix. The 10 major categories of realities include:
- History - what has happened in the past that shapes how things operate today
- Leadership - who is the decision makers or major influencers of change
- Science - understanding of the physical world, research and studies
- Culture, Customs & Traditions - what shapes how we decide, interact and operate today
- Perceptions - understanding of the world, communities and people that shape our actions
- Rules - how we actually operate based on defined laws, guideline, standards, processes or other agreed upon terms
- Technology - available technology and innovations
- Physical Environment - transportation infrastructure, internet, natural environment, House or Building
- Resources - money, water, oil, diamonds, etc.
Realities are enablement components that could impact making an eDream successfully happen.
Established Realities
Established Realities are realities that have been establish for a period of time (3 or more years). It would be understood by people familiar with the established realities what is really the case or how something actually operates.
New Realities
New Realities are realities that have recently been established (less than 3 years). There would be a split in the understanding of the new realities by the people that would likely be aware of the reality. The split would be a result of some people either not recognizing, accepting and/or experiencing the new reality.
Emerging Realities
Emerging Realities are realities that have yet to be established or may not ever become established (0 to 2 years). They would likely be recognized and fully understood by a small number of people. Emerging Realities are still formulating and their potential impact is unknown. The 6 forces to watch to determine if the emerging reality will become a new reality are:
- Game Changing Event
- New Leadership - new election, new respect,
- New Science - compelling new science, research or study
- New Perceptions by people
- New Rules - rules, laws or standards that could propel the emerging reality
- New Technology
- New Physical Environment
- New resources - new money, new discovery of oil
- Compelling Story - or example of why the reality could emerge
Future Realities
Future Realities are realities that may happen on a limited basis or may not ever happen (2 years or more years away). There are few people working on making these potential realities happen. The few people engaged in developing these potential realities are driven by:
- Mission - driven to find a cure for cancer,
- Key Insight - driven by a technical, science or perception insight such as Reed Hasting's belief that people are willing to try new video rental service or what is now now Netflix
- Contrarian insight - a contrarian
- Combinatorial insight - combining the generally available information on the internet, mobile phones and cloud computing to produce a new solution or reality
