Trends take many forms. Some trends can be predicted, while others are fundamentally uncertain. It is not always easy to identify levels of predictability, and sometimes when one looks more widely, or looks at a trend from another angle, it no longer seems as predictable as it once did. Read more to learn how to start seeing trends where you didn’t before.
Since a 2015 paper from Oxford estimated 47% of the US workforce was at risk of automation there has been a wealth of research about the Future of Work. Academics, economists and major institutions have explored how the way we work could change, the nature of jobs and the disruptive impacts of technology. However these have produced divergent conclusions, predictions and solutions and so it’s hard to feel prepared for what changes can come. But while we may not be able to fully know the future of our work, an area we can tangibly influence is the future of our personal skills.
The Future of Work has become a hot topic over the past few years as politicians, economists, journalists and TV pundits all question “what will work look like in the years to come?” If you want to read just one book to really understand the topic, go for Daniel Susskind’s A World Without Work, our first Book Club pick of the year.
Covid-19 has been one of the biggest shocks to our collective system in recent history. Shocks have the potential to completely reconfigure a system and how we respond defines the future we will live with tomorrow.
David Attenborough’s recent documentary on the fate of our planet is powerful, in its message and also its solutions. But it’s solutions need to take into account a systems view beyond just the environmental.
Amazon is a perfect example of the power of digital network effects, and the ‘winner-takes-all’ model. An early monopoly by creating network effects means that the winner simply continues to increase its margins at the expense of the rest.