Futurewise
Encyclopedia
Futurewise is a book on global trends written by the futurist Patrick Dixon
in 1998, with new editions in 2001, 2003 and 2007. Dr Patrick Dixon has been ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive today by Thinkers 50, and is author of 11 other books including Building a Better Business
.
Futurewise contains over 500 expectations about what future life will be like, and divides future trends into six dimensions, which spell the word FUTURE:
This FUTURE structure has been used by many multinational senior teams as a device to test current strategy
.
A key thesis of Futurewise is that the future is about emotion, and that emotional reactions to events are usually more important than the events themselves. Therefore a deep understanding is needed of how people are likely to feel in the future.
The book also focuses on managing uncertainty. Risk management
is a major challenge for all large corporations, including responding to wild card
s - low probability but potentially high impact events.
Futurewise is also the name of a nonprofit that works on smart growth
and land conservation in Washington state, formerly called 1000 Friends of Washington. It is a member of Smart Growth America
.
Patrick Dixon
Dr Patrick Dixon is an author and business consultant, often described as a futurist. In 2005 he was ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive according to the Thinkers 50...
in 1998, with new editions in 2001, 2003 and 2007. Dr Patrick Dixon has been ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive today by Thinkers 50, and is author of 11 other books including Building a Better Business
Building a Better Business
Building a Better Business is a book on the future of marketing, management and motivation written by the futurist Patrick Dixon in 2006. Dr Patrick Dixon has been ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive today , and is author of 11 other books including Futurewise.The...
.
Futurewise contains over 500 expectations about what future life will be like, and divides future trends into six dimensions, which spell the word FUTURE:
- Fast - combinations of events bring new opportunities for agile leaders—and risks
- Urban - demographicsDemographicsDemographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
and lifestyle issues including megacities - Tribal - the most powerful force in the world today is tribalismTribalismThe social structure of a tribe can vary greatly from case to case, but, due to the small size of tribes, it is always a relatively simple role structure, with few significant social distinctions between individuals....
—basis of culture, belonging, teams, brands - Universal - globalisation at cost of local identity, risking international tensions, and the impact of the digital age
- Radical - the rise of single issue activismActivismActivism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and the death of left-right politics - Ethical - the passions people have and personal values, including spiritualitySpiritualitySpirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
– the glue holding our future together
This FUTURE structure has been used by many multinational senior teams as a device to test current strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
.
A key thesis of Futurewise is that the future is about emotion, and that emotional reactions to events are usually more important than the events themselves. Therefore a deep understanding is needed of how people are likely to feel in the future.
The book also focuses on managing uncertainty. Risk management
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
is a major challenge for all large corporations, including responding to wild card
Wild card (Foresight research)
In futurology, "wild cards" refer to low-probability, high-impact events. This concept may be introduced into anticipatory decision-making activity in order to increase the ability of organisations adapt to surprises arising in turbulent business environments. Such sudden and unique incidents might...
s - low probability but potentially high impact events.
See also
- Futures studies
Futurewise is also the name of a nonprofit that works on smart growth
Smart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
and land conservation in Washington state, formerly called 1000 Friends of Washington. It is a member of Smart Growth America
Smart Growth America
Smart Growth America is a coalition of advocacy organizations that have a stake in how metropolitan expansion affects the environment, quality of life and economic sustainability...
.