Predicting the future out to the next 40 years or so across the broad spectrum of politics, technology, arts, and the workplace is no easy feat. And furthermore creating a map of sorts that attempts to understand future trends and how they may intersect, is really tricky. And last, designing such a visual, and have it look like a massive city subway guide is just about impossible.
But the folks at the Now and Next blog did just that, by creating their '2010 Trends : A Map for the Future'. Here is just a tiny snippet of the map, showing a few of the predictions for the 'Work and Business' line.
The full map can be opened and downloaded here.
Some of the other lines on the map are Society & Culture, The Economy, and Transport. Sadly there was no prediction offered for the development of flying cars.
While the map is really meant to be fun, (one of the 'risks' mentioned is a 'Rogue Asteroid'), there are a few items on the Work & Business line that I thought were interesting and perhaps more likely to pan out than the 'Self-repairing roads' prediction on the Transport line.
1. 25% of company HQ's now virtual - This prediction seems like it both makes sense, could really happen, and will also be very difficult to measure. Still, the movement towards more flexible and in many case virtual work is undeniable. It only makes sense that more companies will go entirely virtual, 'meeting' only in a mix up coffee shops, co-working locations, virtual worlds, with teleprescence, and in fast-food restaurants.
2. Generational conflict in the workplace - Well aren't we already seeing at least a little of that? With millions unemployed, and a higher percentage looking for work among the younger generations, and more and more experienced workers both living and working longer, the seeds for more conflict are certainly in place. I still think the effective management, and balancing of the four generations in the workplace is going to be a significant challenge and opportunity in the near future.
3. Widespread use of brain scans in job interviews - While this specific prediction is certainly pretty far out there, (although this article is fairly bullish on the idea), I think a better way to think about this is around how the assessment and interview process can be improved. Can other, less invasive assessment processes be developed to serve as better, and more consistent predictors of job fit and likelihood of success in a given company in a given role? Particularly in a more fast-moving and changing environment, making the 'right' hire the first time is even more critical. Can brain scans accomplish this? We will see.
If you have a few minutes, have a look at the entire map and let us know what you think.
In the next 40 years are we more likely to see brain scan interviewing or the rogue asteroid?
Steve
from Rehaul
