BUSINESS AND CAREERS
(Updated on a regular basis. Please check back soon!)
Future of Marketing: Marketing of Extreme
Throughout the last fifty years, most international corporations have thrived on one single idea: satisfying the successive wave of middle class customers arriving on western world markets. As purchase power steadily increased in the triad (US, Europe, Japan) and demographic dynamics remained positive, fresh waves of customers were being reached every year, all in sufficient numbers to ensure growth and prosperity for the big western conglomerates.
This model no longer rules the world: First, because Westerners are aging, and their demography in some countries are even shrinking, while in contrast new players with a young population are rising; secondly, because the post World War II model of a growing middle-class is replaced by a world where economic disparities are growing fast and are becoming the norm. The ratio of total income of those in the top 5% to those in the bottom 5% has grown from 6 to 1 to 200 to 1 in 2006.
The shift of production to China and, services to India has allowed the wired to manufacture a lot of highly branded products at a considerably lower cost than ten year ago, from Nike shoes to Ipod. Therefore, international corporations will have to fully reassess the fundamentals of their marketing rules.
Who should attend: Business leaders and consumers
What will they learn: Attendees will learn that the new marketing paradigm will rely on two major pillars: 1) Global high-end micro-segmentation which is the capacity to develop credible value propositions for a wide range of hyper-luxury niches, whose customers are less and less likely to follow western cultural standards and are increasingly younger, and 2) Mass marketing 2.0 which focuses on growth and the need to renew the communication approach for customers
How can this new knowledge be applied: Businesses can use their new knowledge when working on their marketing strategiesMichel Ladet, former vice president, RISC International, Paris, France
Mylena Pierremont, senior vice president consumer marketing, Philips Consumer Electonics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Robert Salmon, former vice president, L’Oreal, Valais, Switzerlandkey words: sustainability, capacity building, behavioral change
issue areas: Futures Methodologies and Processes; Business and Careers; Learning and EducationIs Shanghai the Next Stop of Global FDI: Scenarios of the Yangtze River Delta?
With the formation of economical globalization and the international industrial division, the Yangtze River Delta has gradually become the driver of China’s economic growth during the past 10 years. According to the prediction of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Shanghai will become one of the top 30 fastest-growing urban agglomerations. We will examine the rising competition in Shanghai by these city development indices, such as globalization, acceleration, hi-tech, demographics and urbanization in the year 2020.
Who should attend: Business executives, investors, consultants, educator, students, and anyone interested in future development of the Greater Shanghai area.
What you’ll learn: Participants will deeply examine the inner and outer factors of regional economic development in the eastern costal China, the contribution of industrial clusters in China, why the global FDI continually goes to the Yangtze River Delta? And what are those drivers of Shanghai’s city development.
How this knowledge can be applied: This scenario analysis of the Yangtze River Delta can be applied by those who have business connections with China.
Yu-Ying Teng, lecturer, Graduate Institute of Futures Studies, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan
key words: industrial cluster, Shanghai
issue areas: Business and CareersEngaging Business and Culture for an Environmentally Sustainable Future
Insight into environmental sustainability is offered from two perspectives: business and cultural. Both perspectives urge that people of goodwill from diverse political, religious and economic preferences all respect the Earth’s limits. Leadership by entrepreneurs and business provides the ideas and economics to achieve clean energy and environmental protection goals. From a broader perspective, the lack of human/primate species-awareness fosters amazing creativity and development of scientific, cultural, economic and governmental systems, yet prompts humans into increasing conflict with local and global environments. We can reverse these innate primal tendencies and live more sustainably by managing the fear generated by religious dogma, political ideology and economic jargon that encourage our tendencies to act in extreme ways. All elements of society have responsibility for their own actions and inactions. Examples of collaborative success will be presented.
Who should attend: Anyone seeking answers to: 1) why clean energy is an economic imperative to free societies and 2) What’s keeping humans from behaving sustainably?
What will they learn: Realistic expectations allow the creation of systems that encourage us to behave in rational and sustainable ways, honoring checks and balances on environmental impacts. Every element of society, including business, can adversely impact our planet. Economic and environmental sustainability are interdependent; stewardship of both the economic bottom line and of the environment is required for business success. We are destined to repeat our excesses and mistakes until we recognize that humans are primates, possessing many of the same traits (e.g., survival and selfishness) as other primate
How can this new knowledge be applied: Business models focused exclusively on profit are doomed because they sacrifice clean air, water and healthy global ecosystems. Similarly, managing human impacts on Earth without economic and technological support is impossible with a growing population. By protecting our natural world, we can improve both decision-making and economic profitability.Brian H. Davis, president, Environmental Advantage Law, LLPC, St. Paul, Minnesota
Earon S. Davis, attorney and policy analyst, Evanston, Illinoiskey words: environment, culture business, sustainability
issue areas: Business and Careers, Social and Cultural Trends, Resources and EnvironmentIntegrating Foresight into Organizations: Three Perspectives for Making Foresight Come Alive
This session will explore tools and tips for integrating foresight into the fiber of an organization. It will help participants position foresight in a way that yields actionable results. First, we will explore how to audit an organization’s current attitude and approaches to foresight and what that means in terms of positioning foresight at a high level. Second, we will dig deeper and look at key organizational processes that can benefit from foresight and suggest specific ways to position foresight to capitalize on opportunities. Third, we will look at key issues, challenges, and obstacles that organizations face, and how foresight can help. We believe these three perspectives reflect the diversity of challenges in integrating foresight. Participants will come away with a handy framework for approaching these challenges and advice for dealing with the specific problems and opportunities they are likely to encounter.
Who should attend: Those who are trying, or want to try, to integrate foresight into their organizations in a way that allows managers to act on the results of foresight projects.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn three perspectives from which to approach the challenge of integrating foresight, and specific tools and tips that fit with each of these perspectives.
How this knowledge can be applied: Attendees will be able to go back to their organizations “Monday morning” not only with a new conceptual framework, but with a list of specific things they can do to make foresight come alive in their organization.Roumiana Gotseva-Yordanova, futurist, Social Technologies, Washington, D.C.
Andy Hines, adjunct professor, future studies, University of Houston; director of consulting, Social Technologies; author, Thinking About the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight, Washington, D.C.key words: futures, foresight, business, organization, action, integration
issue areas: Business and Careers; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
Using Future Trends and Vision to Create a Better Corporate Future
Corporate futurists and professional forecasters are dealing with ever increasing levels of uncertainty both in the business and macro-economic environments. This is most true in the high-tech industry where market segmentation is having a major impact. Social sciences use appreciative inquiry as a tool to bring the social construction of reality into the business world in order to reveal opportunities amidst chaos. This session will show how appreciative inquiry can be applied to strategic planning and future studies to help corporate management envision and execute strategies that lead to a better future.
Who should attend: Anyone interested in how social theories, such as appreciative inquiry, can be used to create a better corporate future.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn how to use social constructivism applications to help corporations learn how to deal with uncertainty levels.
How this knowledge can be applied: By understanding how organizations evolve, management can create more holistic visions of the future using scenario planning and other futures tools.James Galanis, economist, eBay Corporation, San Jose, California
Rom Gayoso, economist, Intel Corporation, Chandler, Arizonakey words: social constructivism, corporations
issue areas: Business and Careers; Technology and Science; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
Twelve Guiding Principles for Connected, Future-Focused Leaders
How can we become enlightened and connected leaders capable of creating a future? What do we need to think about? What do we need to do? How do we need to act? One thing is certain; we need to avoid isolation and stay in touch with an array of people, issues, trends, and ideas. Focusing on twelve guiding principles, this session emphasizes the importance of curiosity, persistence, imagination, and genuine interest as “the main power sources of thinking.” We'll emphasize the need to exhibit both depth and breadth, to connect the dots and seek common ground, to recognize that there are more than two sides to most issues, to lead in the age of discontinuity, and to exercise a combination of courage and personal responsibility.
Who should attend: Leaders, futurists and forecasters, educators, business, government, and NGO professionals.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn some basics of leadership that are too often missing in studies of scientific management. The twelve guiding principles addressed in this session will help participants better understand that the future will not necessarily be a straight line projection of the past, that collateral opportunity deserves attention right along with our consideration of collateral damage, that there are more than two sides to any issue, and that true leadership may depend on helping everyone in an organization see the role of strategic futurist as one component of their responsibilities.
How this knowledge can be applied: These are principles that participants can apply immediately in their organizational and community leadership, whether in the for-profit or nonprofit sectors. Since most of the principals are behavioral, participants can rate their thinking in relationship to each of them and decide whether, or to what degree, they wish to make personal or organizational adjustments in their leadership.Gary Marx, president, Center for Public Outreach; author, Future-Focused Leadership: Preparing Schools, Students, and Communities for Tomorrow’s Realities and Sixteen Trends: Their Profound Impact on Our Future, Vienna, Virginia
key words: leadership, education, futures
issue areas: Business and Careers; Governance and Communities
Virtual Worlds, Real Opportunities
Online virtual worlds such as Second Life are exploding in popularity and real-world companies are starting to take notice. Growing legions of tech-savvy consumers are spending upwards of $5 million per month for virtual products and services. Nike, MTV, and Toyota are among the companies that are using virtual worlds to reach customers and pitch products from clothing to music to houses and vehicles. They are not alone. The American Cancer Society is using virtual worlds to revolutionize the future of philanthropy, and dozens of schools (including Harvard) are extending the walls of the classroom into virtual 3D spaces. Join us for a provocative look at the future and an engaging tour of culture, commerce, and community in virtual worlds.
Who should attend: Foresight researchers, business leaders, and curious thinkers interested in identifying and tracking emerging trends.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn how virtual online worlds are transforming the future of society, business, culture, and identity.
How this knowledge can be applied: Individuals will discover a new framework for thinking about social and economic activity in the future. Organizations will benefit from case studies of innovative companies who are using virtual worlds to develop new business models and markets.Michele Bowman, managing director, Global Foresight Associates; co-host, FringeHog, Waltham, Massachusetts
Sandra Burchsted, founder, Prospectiva Inc., Friendswood, Texas; author, Shaping the Future; co-founder and co-producer, FringeHog, Webster, Texaskey words: technology, social media, education, business, demographics
issue areas: Business and Careers; Technology and Science; Social and Cultural Trends
Solving the Succession Dilemma: Innovative Insights for Enduring Leadership
What will define our future leaders? How will they make a positive impact? What do trends in the evolution of leadership today tell us about tomorrow? Compelling new research suggests we are in the midst of a significant shift in how we view and operate as leaders: 1) a shift from hierarchy to social networking—Leaders will be expected to leverage change through vibrant and abundant social networks. Their authority will come not from the power they wield but through the strength and resilience of their connections; 2) a shift from competency-based skill sets to character-based behaviors—Business acumen will become a given commodity. Demonstration of character will differentiate leaders from one another; and 3) a return to goodness—Personal mastery and self-awareness will become the key attributes of future successful leaders.
Who should attend: Aspiring leaders and those who coach and mentor them, as well as business professionals interested in understanding leadership trends and how they will impact the workplace of the future.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn a new way of thinking about the skills that successful enduring leaders will need to develop over the next several decades. Concepts will be explored using rapid experiential prototyping.
How this knowledge can be applied: Many of the fundamental elements and qualities of a successful leader are in the process of changing. This session highlights what those changes will mean to businesses and those interested in succession.Jim Morris, senior partner, Bristlecone Learning, LLC; author, The Five Insights of Enduring Leaders, Pagosa Springs, Colorado
key words: leadership, business trends
issue areas: Business and Careers; Learning and Education; Social and Cultural Trends
Future Perspectives in Leading Changes in Organizations
We all live in the midst of change. In work and life we confront big changes on an ongoing basis. Sometimes we may wonder, “Are all these changes necessary? Do they make our work and life better?”
In terms of the process of planning and evaluating change in organizations, we have to take the whole process of proposing change and implementing it into consideration. When planning to implement organizational change, we need to ask whether the aim of these changes is to reach a desirable future or just an obvious future (as in, one easily inferred from the present situation or some clear statistical model). This session will explore how to focus on opportunities and threats beyond the obvious, and how to plan for—and reach—a more desirable future.Who should attend: Business executives and those responsible for leading change in their organizations.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn about and discuss different perspectives of implementing change into organizations.
How this knowledge can be applied: Participants can use this knowledge to implement change in their own company, organization, or even in their personal lives.Meimi Lahti, senior lecturer, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Pori, Finland
key words: future, change, organizations
issue areas: Business and Careers; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
Vision Web Plus
Vision Web Plus is a high-impact simulation session based on the Vision Web design. The session presents a simulated organization in three levels: the boss, the supervisors, and the employees. In the first part, participants will use the old paradigm where decisions are highly centralized and participants obey the boss without knowing the organization's vision of the future. Participants will experience all the resulting problems such as lack of motivation, lack of communication, poor productivity, poor quality, and high frustration resulting in a failure to achieve the future vision.
In the second part, attendees will experience the new paradigm with a new leadership style, where the boss shares his or her vision of the future, provides the necessary information and empowerment, and the organization achieves its vision with high quality, high productivity, and much enthusiasm.Who should attend: Academics, business leaders, politicians, and anyone who is looking to help their organization reach its future.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn to appreciate the complexity of systems as well as the importance of having a shared objective in any team or organization. They will learn why it is necessary to have an information system that provides immediate feedback to employees and to implement a new way of leading teams and companies.
How this knowledge can be applied: Vision Web Plus is practical and illustrative. Participants can immediately apply the lessons provided to their jobs, companies, teams, and even in their personal lives.José Refugio López, consultant, Vision Web, Aguascalientes, Mexico
key words: teamwork, leadership
issue areas: Business and Careers; Learning and Education
Project Risk Management: A Step-by-Step Approach
In the past, risk management in most organizations, including multinational corporations, was done in an isolated fashion. For example, financial risks were handled by the finance department, operational risks by the operations department, and employee risks by the human resources department, etc. Today, with increasing use of projects in organizations, risk management must be done in an integrated way. Complexity of integrated project risk management requires a good understanding of system dynamics and both qualitative and quantitative risk management methodologies.
Who should attend: Educators and professionals involved in project management.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn about tools and techniques used in project risk management.
How this knowledge can be applied: This process allows attendees to assess the uncertainties ahead and their impacts on project objectives in order to develop risk-response strategies to deal with these uncertainties.Hameed Nezhad, professor, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis, Minnesota
key words: project risk management, risk management, project management
issue areas: Business and Careers; Learning and Education
China and India in the Next 25 Years
This session provides a thorough understanding of the differences and similarities of these two emerging giants, including the governmental, economic, and technological forces that are driving each at great speed. We'll compare and contrast these two countries in terms of their education systems, politics, labor forces, etc., and explore the hidden dynamics that will shape the future of the globe.
Who should attend: Business executives, educators, investors, NGO officials, health-care practitioners, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamic driving forces that will shape the next 25 years of the upcoming global power struggle.
What you’ll learn: Participants will trace a brief history of reforms in China and India and learn about the current economic, socio-political climate and its influence in the years to come.
How this knowledge can be applied: Understanding the similarities and differences between China and India will allow attendees to make more effective decisions within their organizations with regard to strategic planning, risk assessment, and political alliances.Shashi Parulekar, Asia Pacific market development manager, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Troy, Michigan
key words: economy, technology, demography, China, India
issue areas: Business and Careers; Social and Cultural Trends; Technology and Science
The Future of Consumer Finances: How Credit Unions Could Change the Game
Credit unions have historically served working people. Their cooperative structure was formed out of mostly occupational or association common bond. Today, credit unions have changed to a community or multi-employer establishment to diversify risk and allow access for more consumers, who have often moved from modest means to the American middle class.
This session presents an overview of the i3 group’s plan for open-source, collaborative, zero capital credit union start-up and management. This format is potentially adaptable to other industries and combines open-source innovation with participation by could-be competitors within an industry. This presentation also shows how the credit union industry as well as the banking sector adopted many of the ideas created by i3, which stands for ideas, innovation, and implementation. Learn more at i3’s Web site, www.filene.org/i3.Who should attend: Anyone interested in future trends in financial services and how credit unions are attempting to meet the needs of consumers in the future. Also, those interested in a unique approach to collaboration and open-source innovation in an industry among potential competitors.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn about interesting ideas in consumer financial services and about the experiences of an open-source innovation model as demonstrated during the first three years of the Filene i3 program.
How this knowledge can be applied: Those who currently work in the financial services sector will learn new ideas; those not in financial services will learn about new product concepts and a unique open-source innovation model.George Hofheimer, chief research officer, Filene Research Institute, Madison, Wisconsin
Jeff Russell, CIO and vice president of strategic development, The Members Group, Clive, Iowakey words: financial services, consumer finances, collaboration, innovation
issue areas: Business and Careers; Learning and Education; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
SPECIAL EVENT
Exploring Global Talent Ecosystems: How the New Paradigms of Work and Life are Changing Our OrganizationsThis presentation explores the nonphysical and connected economy and how our traditional corporate organizations are beginning to implode from within. We will explore how global ecosystems are shaping the business landscape of today, discuss the need for new leadership role models, and compare the “old world’ perspective of globalization with the “emergent view” of economies on the rise. We’ll also examine how Enterprise 2.0 is replacing the blue chip model. Finally, we will conclude with a new definition of talent as connected, collaborative, and committed.
Who should attend: Business executives, academics, consultants, and anyone interested in exploring the ways organizations are changing.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn about the emerging trends that are slowly beginning to influence and reshape the current views on talent, leadership, and organizations.
How this knowledge can be applied: Participants will be able to take this knowledge and apply it to their own organizations and businesses.Anna Tavis, founder, Talent, Leadership, and Organization Effectiveness, New York, New York; former director of learning and development, United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, Connecticut
key words: business, leadership, talent, organizational change
issue area: Business and Careers
Sustainable Prosperity: How Innovative Money Technologies Will Transform Our World
What are HealthBucks, EcoBucks, and Community Service Dollars? This session looks at fresh approaches to current social, economic, and political dilemmas—approaches that are business-led, market-based, and profit-driven. Learn how and why, in the next few years, new financial instruments will contribute to rapid, ecologically sustainable economic growth and a more level economic playing field. Participate in a discussion about a new source of funding for health care, social security, schools, and community development. Imagine helping to launch the first bank to manage paper currency or the first credit card to manage electronic transactions.
Who should attend: Entrepreneurs, thought leaders, change agents, and those working in innovation and new product development.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn why there is a paradigm shift looming in money, economics, and commerce; why national currencies can’t adequately promote a high standard of living and quality of life; and how technological innovations herald each new generation of money (gold coins, paper currency, credit cards, and e-commerce), and what technologies make new financial instruments possible today.
How this knowledge can be applied: DualCurrency commerce can be used to improve funding for health care, social security, our schools and youth, and sustainable economic development from local to global levels.Joel Hodroff, founder and CEO, DualCurrency Systems; founder and former co-chair, Responsible Minnesota Business; selected as the 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year by Minnesota’s Finance and Commerce Magazine, Minneapolis, Minnesota
key words: economics, currency, finance, technology
issue areas: Business and Careers; Social and Cultural Trends
Building Organizations and Leadership: Knowledge Transfers in Competitive Environments
Former World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz, the economic writer Thomas L. Friedman, and the historian Niall Ferguson among others have provided a range of ideas and propositions for the advancement of people in diverse societies, systems, and cultures in a rapidly changing world. Moreover, the late management and social thinker Peter F. Drucker foresaw an intensifying value proposition for the strengthening of managerial prowess through the continued advancement of knowledge workers in the 21st century. There is hope that many of the new emerging organizations across the globe—by working in concert with one another and by making connections to the global community—are laying the groundwork for a better future for all. At the same time, there are pitfalls that are also driven by globalization. The intent of this session is to discuss and present how leaders and partners have been working toward transformation as real-time practices that fuel knowledge transfer, competitive advantage, and competitive conflict as a result of leader-focused engagement and practice. We will look at activities that are ongoing in Cameroon, Portugal, Scotland, and we'll explore emerging research in China and the United States. Finally, we'll investigate how these emerging knowledge and culture exchanges promote flexibility and sustainability.
Who should attend: Those who are working in national and international settings on the ground as facilitators, providers, funders, practitioners, and partners.
What you’ll learn: Participants will share in knowledge trading and transfer. They will also learn the everyday realities about why it is hard to share knowledge and ideas.
How this knowledge can be applied: Information regarding the experiences and everyday life events in diverse communities can be shared and exchanged among conference participants.James R. Calvin, associate professor of management, Department of Management, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
key words: leaders, management, knowledge, globalization
issue area: Business and Careers
Cognitive Transition and the New Consumer Mind
Starcom USA recently funded a major initiative which identifies the next consumer economy, “The State of Cognitive Transition.” This new economy model is sparked by the new emerging ways people access and process information, which will impact their perceptions, adoption, and usage of all the brands and services marketed to them. Different from any consumer decision-making analysis explored before, the Cognitive Transition perspective yields major strategic implications on the way we, as advertising and marketing organizations, market to potential buyers and clients. It will also have effects on creative content.
Who should attend: Business executives, communications experts, and those responsible for marketing in their companies and organizations.
What you’ll learn: The influence technology is having on our cognitive abilities is changing the way we process and internalize information, which impacts our behaviors as consumers.
How this knowledge can be applied: This examination of new consumer thought processes can be applied to the development of communication strategies and creative content intended to impact and influence emerging consumer behavior in the marketplace.Esther Franklin, senior vice president and director of consumer context planning, Starcom USA, Chicago, Illinois
key words: business, consumers, branding
issue area: Business and Careers
The Sustainable Development Imperative
We all know that the planet is facing incredible environmental pressure. What are businesses doing to respond to these pressures and, in many cases, to find profitable ways to “green” their businesses? This session looks at how the sustainable development paradigm has changed. It also touches on what is driving businesses to respond and explores those responses. We will look at the new markets that are popping up and coming to a town near you from biofuels to green buildings to hybrid cars to water-saving appliances.
Who should attend: Individuals, business owners, educators, and policy makers that want to understand more about the emerging sustainability waves.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn what leading businesses are doing to not only respond but to proactively create new businesses to address urgent environmental needs.
How this knowledge can be applied: How we protect our environment, secure our planet, and safeguard our future for our children and generations to come is one of the greatest international challenges of our time. Individuals can find out what we all need to be doing to ensure that we will have a planet to pass down to future generations.Alison Sander, director, Center for Mining and Sensing the Future, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Boston, Massachusetts
key words: sustainable development, environment, business
issue areas: Business and Careers; Resources and Environment
SPECIAL EVENT
The Future of Work, Money, and Business: A New PerspectiveNew ideas have always been the catalyst to positive change. The human mind and heart have come a long way in terms of helping us to understand our fellow humans, a trend that has the potential to radically change how we relate to one another, professionally, economically, and spiritually in the twenty-first century. Will greed and pure self-interest continue to be the foundation of our economic system in the future? How do we reconcile our personal desire for money with our evolving understanding of human decency? Can our work lives serve as a path to intellectual, social, and spiritual evolution? Work, money, and business touch each of our lives everyday. Come see how a shift in our collective consciousness can create a positive change for humanity, and discover how our working and material lives may have a greater, global purpose.
Who should attend: Entrepreneurs, business leaders, educators, community leaders, those who work for a living or depend on money to support their lifestyle, and anyone interested in personal and professional growth.
What you’ll learn: Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how we have developed as a society in terms of work, money, and business, and where we are headed in the future.
How this knowledge can be applied: Attendees will discover their place and power in the larger worldview of work, money, and business, and how each individual can affect change for the future.Monika Mitchell Ressler, chief executive, The Ressler Mitchell Group; co-founder, The Center for Good Business; co-author, Spiritual Capitalism: How 9/11 Gave Us Nine Spiritual Lessons of Work and Business, New York, New York
Peter Ressler, chief executive, The Ressler Mitchell Group; co-founder, The Center for Good Business; co-author, Spiritual Capitalism: How 9/11 Gave Us Nine Spiritual Lessons of Work and Business, New York, New Yorkkey words: work, money, business, society, evolution, positive change
issue areas: Business and Careers; Values and Spirituality
SPECIAL EVENT
Corporate Foresight: Comparing U.S. and European ExperiencesSuccessful businesses recognize the necessity of long-term thinking despite having to act on a short-term basis. Corporate foresight in the U.S. and Europe is widespread and diverse. This session combines the experience of a leading European think tank and a leading U.S. foresight consulting group, with corporate foresight practitioners. BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, has been employing corporate foresight techniques for decades. This session compares the U.S. and European foresight experience and considers the lessons, as well as practical advice, on how to build foresight capabilities within corporations.
Who should attend: Practicing futurists, industry leaders, innovation experts, and strategists.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn about success factors of corporate foresight, comparisons of developments in Europe and the U.S., and lessons for more effective foresight.
How this knowledge can be applied: This knowledge can be applied by anyone who already works in corporate foresight or wants to start such a process. The presented models and case studies can be used for their own needs in any foresight project.Clement Bezold, chairman of the board and founder, Institute for Alternative Futures; contributing editor, THE FUTURIST magazine, Alexandria, Virginia
Cornelia Daheim, project director of international research, Z_punkt GmbH—The Foresight Company, Essen, Germany
Klaus Heinzelbecker, director of strategic projects, BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germanykey words: global, foresight, business
issue areas: Business and Careers; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
The Future of Teams: Emerging Imperatives for Managing in a Complex and Virtual World
Executive teams are becoming increasingly more complex as the realities of globalization and virtual working take hold. These are trends that will increase in the future with consequences for team leaders, their teams, and the organizations they support. This session explores the types of complexity facing many teams along with some of the success strategies managers can use to better lead their teams in this environment. Special attention will be given to the challenges of working in a virtual world, focusing on four emerging imperatives for business and the long-term implications of “being virtual” to the business world. The presenters will share their research and consultancy experience in an interactive session which will provide techniques and strategies to thrive and survive in a complex and virtual world.
Who should attend: Anyone who is interested in the long-term implications of complex and virtual teaming including business leaders, policy makers, management, and human resource professionals.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will understand the complexities facing the world of teaming and will learn about new approaches to leading, teaming, and succeeding in a complex team environment. They will learn the four emerging imperatives for business related to virtual teaming.
How this knowledge can be applied: Attendees will be able to take the information learned here back to their work environments and use it immediately. They will be able to: reflect on and develop their leadership approach; understand how to develop and support their teams; start building some of the management structures and develop the tracking systems that will be recommended in this session; and incorporate what is discussed here in their business planning process.Gerry Falkowski, certified executive consultant and business coach, Better Consulting Company; co-author, Remote Control: A Practitioner’s Guide to Managing Virtual Teams, Rosemount, Minnesota
Viki Holton, principal researcher, Ashridge Business School; co-author, Teams Succeeding in Complexity, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Pam Jones, program director, Ashridge Business School; co-author, Teams Succeeding in Complexity and Managing for Performance, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Stephen Troutman, process design owner, IBM Client Process Transformation; co-author, Remote Control: A Practitioner’s Guide to Managing Virtual Teams, Rochester, Minnesotakey words: management, virtual teams, leadership, complexity
issue area: Business and Careers
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