She often says that she is not in the business of predicting trends, but of forecasting them. Her knowledge, competence, skills and open mind have been appreciated by many representatives of business, science and politics. Companies that work with her achieve significantly better results: 33% higher business profitability, 200% greater competitive advantage, they improve planning and goal setting processes, as well as increase management flexibility by 25%. Forbes has named her one of five women who are changing the world. She is featured on the Thinkers50 list of 50 people whose work plays a key role in the field of global management. We gladly introduce Amy Webb – a prominent futurologist and pioneer of data-driven and technology-driven forecasting.
When business turns over
According to Amy Webb, nowadays the ability to formulate strategic predictions is crucial. Informational chaos, rapid changes, public misinformation – these factors make our minds unwilling to read future scenarios, and we become myopic. We rely on data from today and the recent past that will be irrelevant in a while. We think about business in terms of three or five years instead of decades. And then, all of a sudden, unexpected changes and difficulties knock on our door and we don’t know how to react. Supply chain turbulence, rising prices of raw materials and services, geopolitical carousel, pandemic, subversive technologies – an organization focused on ‘here and now’ is not prepared for any of these scenarios.
Who will win the future?
An essential skill, and a huge challenge for leaders and businesses, is the flexibility. Being open to thinking about alternative scenarios, taking them into account and preparing for the fact that they may come true. This reduces the impact of external factors on the organization because they have made predictions in advance and now they know how to respond. Strategic planning and a completely new way of working require a change in processes. It is also necessary to overcome the resistance of people who by nature do not like change, not to mention changes of such caliber. Timing is very important here. The quicker an organization gets on the new track, the sooner it will reach its goal, which is desired flexibility and minimum level of uncertainty. People who are prepared for the future live more peacefully. Companies prepared for the future operate more effectively.
In the Web of Forecasts by Amy Webb
This insightful futurologist creates predictions based on data and technology. It’s such an effective and valuable methodology that it’s used by hundreds of organizations across the country. Amy Webb teaches MBA-level classes in strategic foresight at New York University’s Stern School of Business. This forecasting method involves discussing the future among decision makers. The focus here is not on the accuracy of predictions, the most important is the awareness of many different perspectives. This allows you to be conscious of the changes that are coming anyway and there is no possibility to report unpreparedness.
Amy is the founder and CEO of Future Today Institute. The firm provides consulting and advisory services in the areas of strategy and technology. Her clients include many market-leading organizations of various industries. She has advised CEOs of major companies, senior military officials, government executives, and banks. Every day she supports leaders in creating visions that are credible and likely to happen. This enables decision makers to prepare organizations for a variety of changes.
Nearly 600 technology trends for 2022
For more than a dozen years, the Future Today Institute has produced a comprehensive publication analyzing and forecasting technology trends for the year. They do not speculate, but use quantitative and qualitative research as a basis for the report. According to 11 selected as most important factors responsible for key changes on a macro scale and they develop probable models of the future. The 2022 report is an analysis of nearly 600 science and technology trends. The team has developed 14 volumes, each focusing on a related group of trends. They describe the possible directions for the world, including those that are unexpected and surprising. They also talk about strategies that will affect organizations.
A new reality every day
The world around us is changing faster than we think. Many of these changes surprise us, many shock us. Leaning into the topic of technology trends and incorporating them into thinking about the future of business is the most urgent lesson to be learned. We advise not to bunk off. This is the time to read the trend report, abandon well-known patterns and learn to bravely interpret signals. Every day we are welcomed by a new reality – it is worth accepting this fact and facing it head on. Amy and her work are an invaluable help in this process.
We invite you to a mind-blowing and business-breaking meeting with Amy Webb.