區(qū)塊鏈的范疇已經(jīng)擴(kuò)展到了加密貨幣以外，這一點(diǎn)值得注意，特別是成功的應(yīng)用原型已經(jīng)表明，也被稱為分布式賬本技術(shù)的區(qū)塊鏈將帶來變革。

實(shí)際上，區(qū)塊鏈有可能從根本上改變我們的行為方式，包括分享信息、買賣商品、和政府互動(dòng)、自證身份，甚至是檢驗(yàn)任何對(duì)象的真假——包括我們吃的食物、用的藥品以及對(duì)自我身份的表述。它還能為其他先進(jìn)技術(shù)助力，比如，提升人工智能和物聯(lián)網(wǎng)的能力。當(dāng)大家開始考慮從人的身份轉(zhuǎn)向公司的身份，轉(zhuǎn)向連接設(shè)備和機(jī)器人時(shí)，就會(huì)真正出現(xiàn)無數(shù)的可能性。

不過，在爭(zhēng)相引進(jìn)區(qū)塊鏈之前，每一位首席執(zhí)行官都應(yīng)當(dāng)問兩個(gè)基本問題：我的行業(yè)和公司可能會(huì)怎樣使用區(qū)塊鏈？我應(yīng)該率先行動(dòng)，還是應(yīng)該觀察、準(zhǔn)備，然后再參與其中？

我們先談?wù)劦谝粋€(gè)問題。究其核心，區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)可以創(chuàng)建透明而安全的交易記錄，允許多方以接近實(shí)時(shí)的方式共享唯一數(shù)據(jù)源，而且能夠控制對(duì)信息的訪問，這樣就幾乎不可能更改歷史記錄。那么大家要怎樣加以使用呢？答案是就像對(duì)待其他任何商業(yè)決策一樣對(duì)待這項(xiàng)技術(shù)——判斷它能著手的問題或機(jī)遇，想想對(duì)你來說它在戰(zhàn)略上是否優(yōu)先，弄清楚首先使用區(qū)塊鏈而非其他方案能否形成競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)，再計(jì)算一下投資回報(bào)率。

可不要搞錯(cuò)了，區(qū)塊鏈會(huì)改變游戲規(guī)則，但它并不能應(yīng)對(duì)所有的商業(yè)機(jī)遇或難題。把它視為目標(biāo)絕對(duì)是個(gè)錯(cuò)誤觀念。區(qū)塊鏈?zhǔn)且豁?xiàng)技術(shù)，而不是結(jié)果。成功實(shí)施結(jié)合了區(qū)塊鏈的解決方案和技術(shù)能力的關(guān)系不是那么大，它更多地關(guān)系到一家企業(yè)和其他公司合作并創(chuàng)造新商業(yè)模式的能力。應(yīng)該把區(qū)塊鏈用于不那么容易著手的機(jī)會(huì)或問題上。今天，其他數(shù)字投資往往能更快地產(chǎn)生回報(bào)，并且在短期內(nèi)更有戰(zhàn)略性，更不用說實(shí)施難度要小得多。但如果不考慮今后如何利用區(qū)塊鏈，那就不要進(jìn)行大規(guī)模數(shù)字變革。

對(duì)許多公司來說，第二個(gè)問題的答案是觀察、準(zhǔn)備，然后參與。但這并不等同于觀望。正相反，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手率先部署的區(qū)塊鏈解決方案有可能給你們的公司帶來重大戰(zhàn)略性問題。大家應(yīng)該指定一位高管負(fù)責(zé)了解和追蹤區(qū)塊鏈的進(jìn)展，以及它有可能怎樣應(yīng)用在你們的行業(yè)中，這樣就能在掌握最多信息的情況下進(jìn)行決策并制定清晰的戰(zhàn)略。

使用區(qū)塊鏈的時(shí)機(jī)成熟時(shí)，弄明白執(zhí)行成本同樣很關(guān)鍵。這項(xiàng)技術(shù)為新的工作方式打開了大門，要想充分加以利用，就需要有足夠的影響力，從而把這條鏈上的所有相關(guān)方都拉進(jìn)來，同時(shí)還需要團(tuán)隊(duì)負(fù)責(zé)人秉承通過新途徑來開展業(yè)務(wù)的思路。

區(qū)塊鏈很復(fù)雜，但充滿了機(jī)遇。我們一直在和企業(yè)及行業(yè)團(tuán)體一起對(duì)它進(jìn)行測(cè)試，目的是在嚴(yán)苛的環(huán)境中解決困難的問題。舉例來說，我們已經(jīng)看到的應(yīng)用原型可以安全地在制藥企業(yè)和各國(guó)消費(fèi)者之間跟蹤和追溯藥物，可以在一天時(shí)間里順利處理逾1億次證券交易，還可以檢驗(yàn)90多萬噸咖啡豆，從而把人們從繁重勞動(dòng)中解放出來。

在埃森哲，我們和世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇聯(lián)手開展了數(shù)字身份試點(diǎn)，內(nèi)容是用生物特征和區(qū)塊鏈來解決出行的公共安全和成本挑戰(zhàn)，而據(jù)預(yù)測(cè)，到2030年跨境出行人數(shù)將增至18億。

初步試點(diǎn)結(jié)果很有希望，它證明了區(qū)塊鏈的拓展能力以及提高效率、鑒別力、速度、透明度、準(zhǔn)確度和信任度的能力。展望未來，在持續(xù)創(chuàng)新的需求推動(dòng)下，公司會(huì)從區(qū)塊鏈試點(diǎn)轉(zhuǎn)向區(qū)塊鏈和人工智能等其他先進(jìn)技術(shù)的實(shí)驗(yàn)，以便擴(kuò)大它們?cè)谒俣群鸵?guī)模方面的應(yīng)用，從而獲得競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)。

區(qū)塊鏈顯然就要來了，企業(yè)則必須做好準(zhǔn)備，而且要知道做好準(zhǔn)備對(duì)自己意味著什么。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

朱莉·斯威特是埃森哲北美公司首席執(zhí)行官。

譯者：Charlie

審校：夏林

Blockchain is moving beyond cryptocurrency, and it’s worth paying attention—especially since successful prototypes show that blockchain, also known as distributed ledger technology, will be transformative.

In fact, blockchain has the potential to fundamentally change how we share information, buy and sell things, interact with government, prove our identity, and even verify the authenticity of everything—from the food we eat to the medicine we take to who we say we are. It will also augment other advanced technologies: For example, supercharging both artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. When you consider moving from the identity of humans to the identity of companies to connected devices to bots, the possibilities become truly endless.

But before racing to adopt blockchain, every CEO should be asking two basic questions: How might my industry and company use blockchain? And, should I be a first mover—or should I monitor, prepare, and then participate?

Let’s start with the first question. At its core, blockchain is a technology that creates a transparent and secure record of transactions, allows multiple parties to have a single source of truth in near-real time, and enables you to control access to the information, making it almost impossible to change the historical record. How can you capitalize on it? The answer is to treat it like any other business decision: determine the problem or opportunity it can address; consider whether it is a strategic priority for you; understand if there is a competitive advantage to using blockchain first, rather than other options; and calculate its return on investment.

Make no mistake, blockchain will be a game changer, but it is not the answer to every business opportunity or problem. Thinking of it as a goal is simply a misconception: Blockchain is a technology, not an outcome, and successfully implementing a solution with blockchain is less about technology capability and more about a company’s ability to work with other companies and create new business models. Blockchain should be used to address opportunities and problems that lack easier answers. Today, more often than not, other digital investments will offer faster returns and be more strategic in the short term—not to mention being much simpler to implement. But no large-scale digital transformation should be undertaken without considering how blockchain could be used in the future.

For many companies, the answer to the second question is to monitor, prepare, and participate. But this isn’t code for wait and watch. On the contrary, blockchain solutions deployed by your competitors first could pose serious strategic challenges to your business. You should identify a senior business leader who will be responsible for understanding and tracking what’s happening with blockchain and how it may be applied in your industry so you can make the most informed decisions and develop a clear strategy.

It is also critical to understand what it will take to execute when the time is right for blockchain. The technology opens the door to new ways of working, and to take full advantage, you’ll need sufficient influence to bring all the involved parties along in the chain, as well as team leaders with the mindset to conduct business in a new way.

Blockchain is complicated yet full of opportunity. We’ve been working with companies and industry consortiums to test the technology aimed at solving difficult problems in demanding environments. For example, we’ve seen prototypes securely track and trace medicines from manufacturers to consumers across countries, successfully process more than 100 million securities trades a day, and validate more than 900,000 kilograms of cocoa beans as free of slave labor.

At Accenture we’re partnering with the World Economic Forum on a digital identity pilot that uses biometrics and blockchain to address the public safety and cost challenges of travel, as international arrivals are predicted to grow to 1.8 billion by 2030.

The early results are promising: They’re proving blockchain’s ability to scale and to enhance efficiency, authentication, speed, transparency, accuracy, and trust. Looking forward, driven by the need to innovate continuously, companies will begin to move from piloting and experimenting with blockchain—and other advanced technologies like artificial intelligence—to ramping up usage at speed and scale for a competitive edge.

It’s clear blockchain is coming and businesses must be ready—know what ready means for you.

Julie Sweet is CEO of Accenture North America.