Monthly Briefings

June 2011:  There’s no doubt that the youngest generations on our planet are the most tech savvy and demanding ever. This crowd of young individuals wants both recognition and to create the lifestyle they desire – but most of all they want all of it now. A question is whether the recent recession has somehow shattered the world they thought they knew, as youth unemployment rose and jobs became scarce for those leaving school or further education, straining beliefs and spending power simultaneously. Depending upon the length of this latest downturn, historians, economists and psychologists say it could shape Generation Y’s values and attitudes in much the same way as the Depression shaped the attitudes of those growing up in the 1930s (UsaToday). Continuing our exploration from our last GT Briefing on the Ne(x)t Generation at Work, we now look into the Ne(x)t Generation at Large: How could their personal consumer style, work-life aspirations and social and environmental expectations impact your organization – and the societies in which you operate? What might you need to adapt to connect with the individual and demanding consumers of Generation Y, and get ready for today’s young teens, often called Generation Z?  Is your organization ready for the Ne(x)t Generation at Large?

May 2011: For the first time four distinct generations are present in the workforce – the resulting differences in generational ambitions, attitudes, technology skills and ethics are impacting management styles, how work is done and the ability to attract talent.  In the U.S. about 50% of Generation Y (born between 1981 and 2000, and otherwise known as Millenials, digital natives or the Net generation) is already a part of the workforce. Some 1.7 billion strong globally, this generation is rapidly coming of age and making its mark. Their digital attitudes and behaviors are permeating every facet of life and work, embracing the virtual, living in real time. They are coexisting with, if not thriving on, social networking, the cloud, and cyberspace demands that are often seen as overwhelming and beyond the "normal" human capacities of many in older generations. This is the first of the new generations of digital “cognoscenti” that will guide the global workforce through the chaos, complexity and intellectual overburden of early 21^st century cyber-socialization. And don’t forget in ten years everyone at work today is going to seem antiquated as today’s teens (often called Generation Z) usher in whole new ways of digitally-based thinking, working, playing and building relationships.  In this briefing we will take a look at how the Ne(x)t Generation at Work could impact your organization in terms of technology use, communications and flexibility, while in June we will look at the Ne(x)t Generation at Play.

April 2011: Information is power.  There is no shortage of information in the digital age, which according to an article by Martin Hilbert and Priscilla Lopez in Science magazine age “officially” arrived in 2002 when digital storage capacity overtook analog capacity.  Since then the digital data deluge has exploded. By 2007, 94% of information in the world was stored digitally, versus just 25% in 2000. The introduction to the Science special edition on Dealing with Data suggests: “We have recently passed the point where more data is being collected than we can physically store.”  In a world awash in information, infowars are also exploding. Who is going to create and capture the value from knowledge and information, legally and illegally? Who is going to control it – especially as technology advances democratize access to the “global brain” and make information available anywhere, anytime and real-time?  Who is going to win in the wars to filter and make information relevant in a world suffering from information overload and attention deficit? What are the implications for economies and societies? In this briefing we look at the increasing fights over information – whether for control, access or share of attention – driven by these questions from the perspectives of nations, organizations and individuals.   

March 2011: Globally, we are facing more and more challenges in meeting our basic needs for food, water and electricity.  As the world’s population hurtles towards the 7 billion mark, the pressures will increase – but it’s not just population which is increasing the challenges.  In 2010 natural disasters, which the UN estimates cost US$ 109 billion (three times more than in 2009), damaged crops, cut access to clean water and affected over 207 million people, killing approximately 375,000.  Climate change is leading to desertification of large parts of the world.  The results: Increased poverty, starvation and civil unrest – food prices have been a factor in the revolutions and unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, while last week thousands of Indians protested increasing food prices.  Food security is understandably high on Nicolas Sarkozy’s G20 agenda. What does this new age of basic resource scarcity look like in practice? What innovations could help us overcome the challenges?  Here we look at these questions and ask: What can organizations do?    

February 2011:The end of the year and the start of a new one are traditionally the biggest giving times of the year, but a number of organizations and businesses are finding new ways to even out the donations/cash flow over the year.  Tapping into a rising consciousness and desire among consumers, as well as other stakeholders such as NGOs and governments, to do good (or be seen to do so) in a world recovering from recession and facing pressing global challenges, these organizations are helping individuals to be socially good. What does that mean in practice? Here are a few ideas and examples to get you started on thinking about how your organization or business can become part of this growing momentum – realizing social good as well as consumer and business benefits from our daily activities.    

January 2011: Typing Trends for 2011 into Google on January 1^st 2011 gave us around 46 million results, so there is obviously no lack of people with opinions on what is in store for the year ahead.  The problem is there is so much out there that it is tough to sort the noise from the merely interesting to the extremely important.   So we thought we would give you a brief overview of where you can find some of the more interesting and important trend forecasts and predictions for 2011. As always, bear in mind that in a world as uncertain as ours such forecasts are not meant to be accurate. Treat them as directional and informed opinions on potential opportunities and challenges that can offer new perspectives to supplement your own thinking on what might be possible, feasible and desirable.  Don’t forget to look at top trends outside your own industry or market space – these may well cross over sooner than you think! We will pick up on many of these trends in our next GT briefings along with examples of how they are being – or could be – translated into action.

December 2010: ‘Tis the season for looking ahead to next year, making “Top 10” lists of everything and reviewing the highlights and lowlights of the year just coming to an end.  From currency wars to information wars, from natural disasters to geopolitical procrastinations, from e-commerce to m-commerce – in fact mobile everything – trends are (not always) slowly reshaping our lives and work.  In September we published 10 Key Trends to Watch.  In the first of our monthly briefings, let’s take a look at these trends in action – and the shape of what may be to come. But don’t sit back and relax – in action means you too!  Get thinking! Get innovating – if you don’t, someone else will, maybe someone not even on your radar screen…