WongonWork - The Future awaits...

“The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people's hopes.” Freeman Dyson

While marred painfully by two world wars, the 20th century was - in its later decades - characterised by an optimism, a belief that in time there be progress. And indeed, for many, it was a an era of considerable economic improvement and social progress; just ask Pinker .

24 years into our century, there is a sense of the future caving in, a closing of options and minds, a feeling of time running out, of innumerable threats and uncertainties: the climate emergency, rampant inequalities of wealth and prospects, ageing societies, global institutions and democracies under attack, to highlight just a few.

And then, as if appearing from nowhere, the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to turn many of our lives upside down in years rather than decades. For some of us, AI promises new opportunities, while for the many the disruptive forces will be unsettling at the very least - and catastrophic if some of the darker forecasts materialise. ?

In the face of widespread hopelessness and feelings of a more imminent mortality, societies will have to respond to the urgent questions posed by individuals: why worry about the future climate and finite resources; why save for a pension when real incomes decline and prospects of enjoying a golden retirement recede; why, indeed, have children for whom the future is bleaker than it is for ourselves?

There is, of course, a counter to such sentiments. Across the world, we have the ingenuity and creativity of populations with a passion to build a better tomorrow, as well as the energy of entrepreneurs to alchemise these and other resources into sustainable wealth for generations. ?For them hope isn’t just a four-letter word.

Hope in a better future is essential to people, organisations, and society:

Sense of Purpose: When people hold true to a vision of the future, they dare to dream and realise those dreams through acceptance of personal risk, innovation, cooperative undertakings, and resilience in the face of adversity. They, and we, have agency to shape destinies. They sense the consequences of their actions (and inaction) on future generations of their families, friends, and society in general.

Investment and Innovation: Belief in a future fuels creativity and innovation by encouraging individuals to imagine possibilities beyond the present reality. It inspires experimentation, problem-solving, and investment to make those dreams a commercial reality. It motivates people to learn new skills, adapt to and explore opportunities, and embrace personal growth and development.

Health and Well-being: Research suggests that a belief in a hopeful future is associated with better mental and physical health. It promotes psychological well-being, reduces stress, and enhances the overall quality of life. In part, this results from a belief in a shared future, which strengthens interpersonal relationships, generates shared experiences, and articulates common aspirations with their in-groups/ tribes/ loved ones. And these support networks provide a sense of continuity and stability in an uncertain and unpredictable environment. People are then able to navigate life’s eddies with a measure of confidence, knowing that they are part of a larger narrative.

?“The future belongs to whoever can envision in the manifold of its potentials a new and desirable possibility, which faith then fixes as inevitable. This is the politics of hope. Hope envisions its future and then acts as if that future is now irresistible, thus helping to create the reality for which it longs. The future is not closed.” Walter Wink

Dyson’s caution on futures and hope, and Wink’s exhortation to live as if that future is already imminent is timely. Without the hope that comes with faith in futures, our aspirations, human experiences, our decisions, and our behaviours today will be all the poorer, and the existential risks of short-term thinking to humanity will increase. As a strategist applying futures research methodology to encourage critical, strategic thinking in organisations and their senior teams, I am of course biased. But I see far too much evidence of short-term thinking and the impoverished results to work lives, to organisational sustainability, to policy choices, and to responses to the big challenges of our time.

March 1st marks the eleventh?anniversary of?World Futures Day :? a 24-hour open conversation around the world sponsored by The Millennium Project (a community of global futures experts of which I am privileged to be a member) – and a co-operative endeavour with many other organisations*. The debate kicks off at midday in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and moves hour by hour around the planet ending at midday in Hawaii. Join, and be inspired to dream, to discuss and to act.

In my monthly blogs, I’ll explore drivers shaping the future of work and the implications for you, for society and for organisations.

This month, take a moment to mark International Women’s Day on March 8th.

Wishing everyone a fulfilling month ahead.

* Other organisations include: Association of Professional Futurists ,?Humanity+ ,?Lifeboat Foundation ,?World Academy of Art and Science , and the?World Futures Studies Federation ?(WFSF)

**Hyperlinked orgs and sites aren’t endorsed by me but are sources I scan and include in some of my analyses

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