It’s A Small World After All

It was in 1964 that Walt Disney first told us in song that “it’s a small world, after all.” As we apply the concept to insurance in 2010, it is clear that Walt was well ahead of his time. The opportunities and challenges for today’s insurers around the globe seem to transcend time zone and cultural differences. I recently spent a week in Tokyo, in part for the Celent Insurance Roundtable. (No, I did not go to Tokyo Disney.) To be successful, a trip like this has to include some very fresh sushi, and a flurry of fresh perspectives. Thankfully, I found both. In our roundtable discussion and in my conversations with Japanese clients I was struck by how similar Japanese insurer concerns are compared to those of North American insurers. Common themes included finding the right levers to drive company-level growth despite flat industry-level demand, concerns over outdated IT approaches, and the challenges associated with optimizing short- and long-term strategies simultaneously. Comparing Tokyo consumers to their counterparts in North American cities of similar size is also interesting. Looking around a Tokyo Starbucks, I saw that same curious mix of eccentric 20-somethings and 40-something professionals that I see in New York. Most were on laptops or smart phones, enjoying high speed connectivity to stay in touch with friends or to crank out emails from their virtual offices. The Japanese may still have more affection for their keitai (cell phones) than do North Americans, but the gap is clearly closing. Another symptom of our rapidly shrinking planet (where is Al Gore when you need him?) is that global competition is no longer limited to the manufacturing sector. Looking at the names on Tokyo buildings tells the story. IT services firms are aggressively building out their presence in new geos. Insurers are buying companies halfway around the world. Software vendors that got their start in one country are now reaching critical mass in others. While I typically preach focus for any firm that haven’t mastered its “home” domain, I think that expanding the vision to new countries is essential for successful firms that have high growth ambitions. Good ideas, powerful tools, and game-changing strategies are welcome visitors to just about any country. As a futurist and as an entrepreneur, Walt Disney dreamed big dreams. We may not be commuting to work by personal jet pack (yet), but otherwise Walt had it about right. It’s a small world, indeed.