Increasingly, the future will unfold in emerging markets.
On this site, Mary shares her insight and foresight on the future of China and other emerging markets across many of skills you will need. Drawing on years of global forecasting experience, primary research and strategy work with global and national companies, Mary shows you how to “scan, scout, and steer” towards the best opportunities for your company and how to avoid the pitfalls. In the coming years, most innovation will come from emerging markets. Discover what this means for your business and how to position yourself to thrive.
Competency Addiction – Don’t Get Lost in Familiar Territory
Competency Addiction - Don’t Get Lost In Familiar Territory “Competency addiction” is the default use of old mindsets and behaviors that just won’t work as you navigate through the next decade to 2025. This pain presents itself
The Chinese Social Context: 6 Big Shifts
There are six major social shifts in Chinese society that will make all of China’s generations dynamic for the foreseeable future. These shifts are creating fault lines in the Chinese social landscape and rapid change in the values and attitudes
Six Steps to Resolving Competency Addiction
Organizational readiness for the decade ahead will come from facing and dealing with the challenges in the landscape and then resolving any organizational pains, like competency addiction, as they arise. Tough times compel organizations to make choices and
The “Badlands” — A Concept of the Unfolding Story of Global Transformation
In geographic parlance, “Badlands” are a type of terrain of soft, rocky soil often eroded by water and rain. Treacherous slopes, minimal vegetation, precarious gullies – and also dramatic canyons, soaring mesas and glistening waterfalls are found in
Where Are You Leading Your Organization?
“The past isn’t dead, it’s not even past”- William Faulkner You are still in the Badlands, a metaphor for the transition zones between eras. With the recession of 2008 distant in the rear-view mirror you thought you were
8 Principles of Leadership to Navigate the Badlands to 2030 (Part 1)
As we look back at our journey through the Badlands since 2000, over the last 15 years and on toward 2030, we see that that the economy in which we started our journey is gone. Long gone. A
8 Principles of Leadership to Navigate the Badlands to 2030 (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this Article, we explored the first four principles of leadership to exit the Badlands. The final four are discussed below. 5. Radical Innovation As you exit the Badlands, it is far less dangerous to
Leadership Insights and Lessons from Pioneers Deep into the Badlands
The future doesn’t arrive for everyone all at the same time.There are pioneer leaders already deep in the Badlands and on their journey to the Far Foothills of the Future planning to cross over around 2030. Think of
How Your Company Can Harness the 4 Laws of the Future
Every leader should learn to think systematically about the future before making important decisions of any kind, especially in the fast-breaking volatile times we experience today. Seemingly never-ending uncertainty reigns. Business and the economy are changing so fast
Apply the Lessons from “Historical Cycles of Disruptive Innovation”
The current cycle of disruptive innovation began some sixty years ago. Expected to end around 2025, this cycle, like others throughout history, has not only wrought significant change in the world but will ultimately render it virtually unrecognizable.
7 Powerful Food Trends To Watch Over The Next 7 Years
You are what you eat. The old adage is increasingly meaningful as consumers become more knowledgeable not only about health and nutrition, but about food sources and sustainability. The following seven long-term trends will shape the consumption of food
China’s Sandwich Generation
Pinned between ideologies, the Sandwich Generation is a wary and guarded generation. As primary school students, they saw communism fade when Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai died and the subsequent questioning of the Cultural Revolution and other Mao-inspired initiatives.
China’s ME (Gen Y) Generation
As a result of China’s one-child policy, most members of the Me Generation were raised in a starkly different social and family environment than any of their forebears. The “ME”s grew up during China’s most intense period
China’s Recovery Generation
Born into large, extended families during the years of severe turbulence and material shortages which marked the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Recovery generation has always had lukewarm feelings towards communism. Its members saw several seminal
China’s Cultural Revolution Generation
Nothing if not adaptive, members of the Cultural Revolution Generation have been forced to adjust to a continuous stream of major changes that have impacted their lives at almost every turn. The oldest were born three years
China’s War & PRC Generation
China’s oldest generation, the War and PRC experienced great hardship, and its members value social prosperity and stability above all else. They espouse strong nationalistic sentiments, having witnessed China’s sovereignty after the founding of the PRC, its increased domestic
China’s 5 Generations: Diverging Lifestyles
The key to understanding China is to understand its generations. While these age groups have been fraught with social changes over the past century, they also share values deeply rooted in China’s ancient culture of Confucianism and Daoism.
China at the Economic Crossroads
As China’s new leadership takes the reins in 2013, they must steer China from an investment economy to a consumption and services economy over the next decade. This path is not uncharted. Successful emerging economies, like South Korea
5 Ways to Understand Cultural Differences Between The U.S. & China
Beginning in 1978, China began its transition to a market-oriented economy and launched a period of rapid and powerful economic growth. As Western cultures seek out opportunity in China, it is important that we understand one fundamental principle:
2 Keys to Understanding Chinese Culture
Two philosophies and two behaviors are the bedrock of Chinese culture, and, to ascend to opportunity, one must have a working knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of these fundamental pillars. Last time we discussed Confucianism and Taoism, two major
2 Philosophies That Influence Chinese Culture
China has experienced over three decades of unprecedented and rapid growth. Despite remarkable economic changes, ancient philosophies and behaviors continue to underpin daily Chinese culture. These deeply held traditions and beliefs are the main foundations of work, life,
The 6 Most Important Skills of the Future
With rapid changes occurring throughout the Badlands and beyond, today’s knowledge workers must go beyond the current needs of the economy and focus on the skills organizations will need in the future. Both macro-drivers and disruptive shifts can
8 Big Disruptive Shifts That Are Changing the Future of Work (Part 2)
The Second Law of the Future, “If something big is going to happen in the future, it has to start sometime” is no more evident than in these four Disruptive Shifts. They are each innovations that enable big
8 Big Disruptive Shifts That Are Changing the Future of Work (Part 1)
Organizational structures and mass employment has been eroded in the Badlands over the past decade. Eight big shifts are underway, driven by major structural shifts to the economy, business model innovations, and the dramatic changes in technology. Together