The Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) in the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology welcomed honorary doctorate recipient Prof Tarek Khalil to the University’s campus on 8 May 2023 to join colleagues and alumni of the GSTM contemplate future trends that will influence teaching and research in the field of Technology Management.

Prof Khalil is a global academic leader with an outstanding career in management of technology. He is the founder and President of the International Association for the Management of Technology (IAMOT) in the USA. This is an association that promotes and advances the state of the art in the management of technology and innovation research, education and practice worldwide. He is also the founder and past President of the Nile University in Egypt.

The GSTM’s collaboration with Prof Khalil over the years has contributed to the ongoing improvement of its research and educational activities. Its involvement in the activities of IAMOT has furthermore enabled the GSTM to develop global networks, which have enhanced the international status of its academic programmes.

During the public seminar, Prof Khalil considered the past, present and future of the discipline of management of technology. He reminded delegates that ever since primitive man developed the wheel and learnt to make fire, technology has impacted the development of humankind. Since then, technology has evolved along with the evolution of man.

As an academic discipline, Management of Technology started to develop in the 1990s. This was when schools of business and engineering came to the realisation that a different management approach was needed to ensure job creation and economic growth. This followed the end of the golden age of large American motor vehicles following the oil crisis of the 1970s and the emergence of Japan as a force to be reckoned with in the motor manufacturing industry. This was also a period in which several new trends made their appearance, such as a short manufacturing life cycle, continuous innovation, unexpected competition, cooperation, an uncertain global market, imperative quality, customised production, and a flat and agile organisation.

Since the 1990s, the world has seen rapid technological innovation, characterised by both the scale and the speed of change, a highly competitive market and the creation of trade blocks. This also gave rise to an emerging academic field: management of technology, and the establishment of the International Association for the Management of Technology (IAMOT).

Prof Khalil went on to consider the technological drivers that are shaping the world. “The game changers include blockchain, cyber security, bitcoin and biotechnology.”

When one contemplates the future of technology management as an academic discipline, Prof Khalil encouraged delegates to prepare for the future by anticipating the next technological age, which he calls Industry X.0. “Technologies that are already trending include AI applications such as Generative AI and Augmented Reality (AR), as well as Chat GPT.”

However, Prof Khalil predicts that four emerging trends will disrupt the world over the next three to eight years. These are neuromorphic computing, self-supervised learning, the metaverse and human-centred AI. Other trending technologies that he sees assuming a position of prominence are the digital human, the digital twin, AI trust, risk and security management (AITRiSM), digital immune systems, Web 3.0 and 6G.  

Prof Khalil concluded his presentation by reminding delegates that the challenge of management of technology as an academic discipline is to manage these emerging technological resources.

The public seminar presentation can be viewed on YouTube