In this episode, we explore economic models that prioritize collaboration over financialization. The conversation is led by Douglas Rushkoff, host of the Team Human podcast, and features IFTF Executive Director Marina Gorbis and University of Michigan Professor of Management and Organizations Jerry Davis. They examine the systemic and structural problems of the current economic model and the challenges of transitioning away from shareholder capitalism towards a more inclusive and collaborative way to create and share value. Join us for this thought-provoking conversation to gain a deeper understanding of the need for change in our current economic system. 

This episode originally appeared on the Team Human Podcast. Subscribe at teamhuman.fm.

03/31/2023

Future Now 001 - Equitable Enterprise: Moving Towards a Collaborative Economic System

Today, we're exploring an intriguing question: How did we become a society of household CFOs? With the recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Marina Gorbis, IFTF Executive Director, and Jerry Davis, University of Michigan Professor of Management and Organizations, dive into this phenomenon and its implications for our society.

Marina opens the discussion by highlighting how people in the US have become chief financial officers of their households, managing their investments and financial futures. She then introduces Jerry Davis, who takes us on a journey through the history of American society, illustrating the shift from a corporate-centered society to a market-centered one.

Jerry explains how finance has become the primary lens through which we view the world, influencing our language, culture, and even our political landscape. He takes us back to the post-war era and traces the decline of manufacturing and the rise of retail, noting how this shift has created a society of investors.

With the prevalence of stock ownership, financial markets have infiltrated our daily lives, turning us all into portfolio managers. Jerry warns that this is not a neutral metaphor, as the pervasive nature of finance can have corrosive effects on our lives and the way we view the world.

Join us for this captivating episode as we delve into the historical and societal impacts of financialization, and consider the future of our world as we continue to navigate through this financial lens.

Future Now 002 - Household CFOs and the Financialization of Society

In this episode, Marina talks with Cory Doctorow, a longtime journalist, science fiction author, and IFTF advisor, who co-authored the new book Chokepoint Capitalism. Marina and Cory explore the problems with the existing creative labor market and discuss systemic solutions to distribute wealth and resources in ways that will benefit creators and audiences alike.

Future Now 003 — Chokepoint Capitalism with Cory Doctorow

In today's episode, IFTF's Executive Director Marina Gorbis talks with Jon Shelton, Associate Professor and Chair of Democracy and Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Vice President for Higher Education of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin. They discuss Jon’s new book, “The Education Myth,” which challenges the idea that education is a solution to all economic and social inequalities in society. Instead, Jon argues that we need to focus on other policy levers and reforms in addition to education. We hope you'll enjoy this conversation.

Quote: “The ‘education myth’ is the idea that education and, more specifically, investment in human capital can magically overcome all of the other economic and social inequalities that exist in our society.”

Mentioned in this episode:

The Education Myth, Jon Shelton (https://bit.ly/3LrBJAP)

The Fantasy Economy, Neil Kraus (https://bit.ly/3Nixitk)

The Education of Blacks in the South 1860-1935, James D. Anderson (https://bit.ly/3ouAGaf)

Teacher Strike! Public Education and the Making of a New American Political Order, Jon Shelton (https://bit.ly/3V6cCHe)

Thinking Like an Economist, Elizabeth Popp Berman (https://bit.ly/3LbY3xg)

Knocking on Labor's Door, Lane Windham (https://bit.ly/3V0uwel)

Don't Blame Us, Lily Geismer (https://bit.ly/41BmQBM)

The Race between Education and Technology, Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz (https://bit.ly/3LpnVaa)

The Meritocracy Trap, Daniel Markovits (https://bit.ly/3L8pkQW) 

The Tyranny of Merit, Michael Sandel (https://bit.ly/3N5JgGR)

Future Now 004 — The Education Myth with Jon Shelton

IFTF Research Director Toshi Hoo interviews Ethan Mollick, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a leading researcher in entrepreneurship and innovation. Join them as Ethan shares his fascinating and provocative insights on generative AI, its practical implications, and how it can transform teaching and learning at scale. Get ready for an engaging conversation that will leave you with new perspectives on the future of work and education.

Shownotes: 

- Ethan’s Twitter feed is one of the most interesting of incredible AI signals and forecasts. (https://twitter.com/emollick)

- Ethan’s substack newsletter “One Useful Thing” shared provides thoughtful analysis of the intersection between technology and the future of learning. (https://www.oneusefulthing.org/)

- Ethan’s official faculty profile at The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania (https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/emollick/)

Future Now 005 — The Future of AI with Ethan Mollick

IFTF Executive Director Marina talks with Bill Shields, the retired head of the Labor and Community Studies Department at the City College of San Francisco. They shed light on the history of the California Labor School, the subject of Bill’s book, "Free City.” Stay tuned as they unpack the profound influence of the California Labor School on San Francisco's labor movement and its community fabric, offering a rich perspective on labor and community studies.

Future Now 006 — History of the California Labor School with Bill Shields

IFTF executive director Marina Gorbis talks with Alison Lingane, co-founder of Project Equity, a nonprofit working toward a future where employee ownership is a highly utilized business model that promotes equitable enterprise, maintains thriving local economies, and creates quality jobs that help workers advance their goals and increase their wealth.

Mentioned in this episode:
* Employee Ownership Equals. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://employeeownershipequals.org/

* Project Equity. (n.d.). The Case for Employee Ownership. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://project-equity.org/about-us/publications/the-case-for-employee-ownership/

* Ownership Works. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://ownershipworks.org/

* Ownership America. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://ownershipamerica.org/

* The Kendeda Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://kendedafund.org/

* Living Cities. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://livingcities.org/

* Beyster Institute at the Rady School of Management, UCSD. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://rady.ucsd.edu/why/centers/beyster/index.html

7/20/2023

Future Now 007 — the Future of  Employee Ownership with Alison Lingane

IFTF Executive Director Marina Gorbis and acclaimed science fiction author David Brin discuss the future implications of artificial intelligence (AI). The conversation centers on how to regulate and direct AI in positive directions for humanity's benefit. Topics include opportunities and risks inherent in AI. the need for regulated competition, ensuring equitable access to AI, funding "public good" AIs, and fostering agility and innovation in steering our AI future.

Mentioned in this episode:

* "True Names" and "Rainbow’s End" by Vernor Vinge - Cited as examples of science fiction that understands accountability online. https://www.fantasticfiction.com/v/vernor-vinge/
* "Give Every AI a Soul—or Else," by David Brin, Wired, 2023 - "To solve the 'crisis' in artificial intelligence, AI beings must say, 'I am me.'" https://www.wired.com/story/give-every-ai-a-soul-or-else/
* Ecologically oriented novels of Nancy Kress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ministry_for_the_Future
* "Yuval Noah Harari argues that AI has hacked the operating system of human civilization," The Economist, 2023. https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2023/04/28/yuval-noah-harari-argues-that-ai-has-hacked-the-operating-system-of-human-civilisation
* "The Ministry for the Future" by Kim Stanley Robinson - Influential novel from 2020 that covers similar territory as David Brin's "Earth" novel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ministry_for_the_Future
* "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" poem by Richard Brautigan - Mentioned as an optimistic piece of literature amid the bleak 1960s. https://allpoetry.com/All-Watched-Over-By-Machines-Of-Loving-Grace
* Isaac Asimov's "Robot" series - Discussing the limitations of Asimov's three laws of robotics for embedding ethics in AI. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/RBS/the-robot-series
* "The Blob" (1958 movie) - Cited as a historical parallel for the fear that AI will spread uncontrollably. https://archive.org/details/turner_video_247
* "Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny," by Robert Wright - Recommended book from 2000 on positive-sum games and regulated competition.
* "Vivid Tomorrows: On Science Fiction and Hollywood" by David Brin - His nonfiction book from 2021 discussing the impacts of science fiction on the real world.
* "Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI," by Reid Hoffman. https://medium.com/muthoni-wanyoike/book-review-impromptu-amplifying-our-humanity-through-ai-by-reid-hoffman-and-gpt-4-d3f121d08044
* "Polemical Judo," David Brin’s book from 2019 of “memes for our political knife-fight.” https://www.davidbrin.com/polemicaljudo.html

Future Now 008 — Sci-Fi Author David Brin on AI's Past, Present, and Future

In this episode of Future Now, IFTF Executive Director Marina Gorbis speaks with Art Taylor, President and CEO of BBB Wise Giving Alliance (give.org). They discuss how Art first discovered futures thinking and how it transformed his approach to leading one of the nation's top charity evaluators. Art explains how attending IFTF's Foresight Essentials workshop opened his eyes to new ways of thinking about strategy and planning. Since then, he has applied foresight tools across his work, from planning retreats to mapping future shifts. Marina and Art explore how integrating futures thinking into nonprofit strategy can build resilience, reveal new opportunities, and provide a sense of agency in shaping the future.


Notable Quotes:

"If you're prepared for change, it's not a crisis. It's a good thing, you can take advantage of more opportunities." - Art on the value of futures thinking

"If we're not going to fight for a better future, why are we here?" - Art calling for "urgent optimism" in how nonprofits approach the future

Future Now 009 — Art Taylor on the Power of Futures Thinking

In this episode of Future Now, IFTF Executive Director Marina Gorbis speaks with author, filmmaker, and activist Astra Taylor about economic insecurity and building solidarity. They discuss Astra's new book "The Age of Insecurity," (https://houseofanansi.com/products/the-age-of-insecurity) which examines how insecurity stems from systemic forces, not individual failings. Astra and Marina explore the myth that insecurity fosters innovation, and how guaranteed assets like housing and healthcare allow civic participation. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the basic assets that enable human flourishing.

Show Notes:

“Why Does Everyone Feel So Insecure All the Time?” New York Times guest essay by Astra Taylor (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/18/opinion/inequality-insecurity-economic-wealth.html)

Astra Taylor Twitter @astradisastra (https://twitter.com/astradisastra)

The Age of Insecurity, by Astra Taylor (https://houseofanansi.com/products/the-age-of-insecurity)

Prisons We Choose to Live Inside, by Doris Lessing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_We_Choose_to_Live_Inside)

Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, by Margaret Atwood (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payback:_Debt_and_the_Shadow_Side_of_Wealth)

What Is Democracy? A film by Astra Taylor (https://zeitgeistfilms.com/film/whatisdemocracy)

Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone  (https://academic.macmillan.com/academictrade/9781250231284/democracymaynotexistbutwellmissitwhenitsgone)

Future Now 010 — Astra Taylor on "The Age of Insecurity"

IFTF Emerging Media Lab director Toshi Hoo speaks with Jules Terpak, a Gen Z content creator known for her work unpacking technology and culture trends on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The conversation centers around the implications of recent breakthroughs in generative AI, particularly in how these advances may shape the future of work and creativity. 

Key Points:

- Jules has been active on social media for over a decade, starting with YouTube at age 10. She's seen how platforms rise and fall, and how algorithms shape content.

- Generative AI like DALL-E is opening new creative possibilities, but still has limitations around generating longer form video.

- Social media algorithms already curate our feeds, and now generative AI will start generating personalized content at scale.

- The NPC trend (https://theconversation.com/people-are-pretending-to-be-npcs-on-tiktok-and-its-not-just-weird-its-also-lucrative-210795) on TikTok shows people mimicking repetitive AI-like behavior for views and money. An interesting signal as AI advances.

- Loneliness as a market opportunity - rise of virtual companion bots like Replika and emotional labor replacements.

- Gen Z is questioning traditional work as they've grown up exposed to influencer careers. But sustainability is a challenge. Need to find your niche fans.

- As AI advances, optimizing human-AI collaboration will be key. 

- Jules is cautiously optimistic about human-AI futures with proper governance and conscious use. Focus on human needs like security.

Resources:

Jules' YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JulesTerpak
Jules' Twitter: https://twitter.com/julesterpak/
Growing Digital TikTok series: https://www.tiktok.com/@julesterpak
Replika virtual companion bot: https://replika.com

09/15.2023

Future Now 011  — Jules Terpak how AI will shape work and creativity

Renowned economist and author Daron Acemoglu discusses insights and revelations from his latest book, "Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity," with IFTF Executive Director Marina Gorbis. The conversation explores the intricate relationship between technology, economic growth, and societal well-being, examining how innovations have shaped prosperity throughout history.

Future Now 012   — Daron Acemoglu on the future of work and AI

In this episode of Future Now, author and journalist Nick Romeo discussed the themes of his latest book, "The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy." (https://bit.ly/482m57j) Nick challenges the inevitability of the current economic status quo, offering a thought-provoking discourse on potential alternatives, from restructuring labor markets and corporate dynamics to innovative political interventions for city governance. If you enjoyed this episode, you should listen to Nick’s Book Talk discussion at the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on Wednesday, January 24, from 2 to 3 p.m. EST. Visit this link for more information: https://bit.ly/3tVqVoR

Future Now 013 — Exploring economic alternatives with The New Yorker's Nick Romeo

The Internet we know today is only one possible interpretation of the original vision of an open, peer-to-peer network. Think of it as a first-generation Internet, built on a fragile global network of vulnerable codes subject to abuse and even collapse. This Internet is failing from too close an encounter with a triple shock: a massive economy built on mining terabytes of personal data, ubiquitous criminal penetration of financial and identity networks, and pervasive state intruders at all levels and at every encrypted hardware and software node.

Today we also see efforts to address the Internet’s vulnerabilities. But these are just the first steps toward a resilient Second Curve Internet. In the Institute for the Future's new Second Curve Internet Speaker Series, we’ll explore the critical elements necessary to reinvent the Internet, gathering leading minds together with IFTF’s deep experience thinking about technology and the ways of communicating, coordinating, and organizing in the changing world around us.

We're honored to feature the visionary Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) as our first speaker in the series. Cory is a science fiction author, activist, journalist, and blogger. His forthcoming book, Information Doesn't Want to be Free: Laws for the Internet Age, examines copyright law and the ways in which creativity and the Internet interact today—and what might be coming next. A limited number of early copies will be available for purchase at the event.

Redesiging a Broken Internet: Cory Doctorow

Our guest is Professor Neil Kraus from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the author of "The Fantasy Economy: Neoliberalism, Inequality, and the Education Reform Movement" In this episode, Marina Gorbis and Neil discuss the long-standing economic myths, diminishing returns on educational investments, the surplus of degree holders in low-wage job markets, and the misleading narrative of labor shortages.

The Fantasy Economy: https://tupress.temple.edu/books/the-fantasy-economy

Institute for the Future: https://iftf.org

Future Now 014 — "The Fantasy Economy" author Neil Kraus

In this episode, Alissa Quart discusses her latest book, "Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream." Quart and host Marina Gorbis take a deep dive into the origins and evolution of the "bootstrapping" myth, revealing the hypocrisies and hidden dependencies that underlie this pervasive narrative. From historical figures like Emerson and Thoreau to modern-day Silicon Valley icons, Quart exposes the cracks in the self-made success story. The conversation also delves into the precarious state of the middle class, the potential of mutualism as an alternative ethos, and the importance of fostering solidarity across diverse occupations in the face of increasing economic insecurity. Join us as we explore the liberating power of debunking toxic myths and envisioning a more interdependent American dream.

IFTF: https://iftf.org/podcast

Alissa Quart: https://www.alissaquart.com/

Bootstrapped: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/bootstrapped-alissa-quart

Future Now 015 — "Bootstrapped" author Alissa Quart

Natalie Foster, author of "The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy," is the president and co-founder of the Economic Security Project. She is also an alumna of IFTF's Future for Good Fellows program. Foster is a leading figure in the movement to create a more inclusive, resilient, and dignified economy for all Americans.

In this conversation with Marina Gorbis, IFTF's Executive Director, Foster discusses the hard-fought progress being made to establish a new "guarantee economy." This economy ensures that every citizen's basic needs for healthcare, housing, education, income, and more are met as birthrights.

We are excited to announce that our listeners can enjoy a 10% discount on Foster's book, "The Guarantee," by using the code GUARANTEED10 at checkout on the Reparations Club website (https://rep.club/discount/GUARANTEED10?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fthe-guarantee).

This special offer is valid until the end of June, so be sure to take advantage of it while you can.

4-23-2024

Future Now 016 — "The Guarantee" author Natalie Foster

IFTF executive director Marina Gorbis hosts a conversation with award-winning food journalist Mark Bittman about The Bittman Project, which seeks to create community kitchens serving affordable, sustainable food. Joining the discussion are Kenneth Bailey, co-founder of the Design Studio for Social Intervention; Jerry Davis, a sociologist and the Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Professor of Business Administration at the University of Michigan; Douglas Rushkoff, writer and media theorist; and IFTF's Rebecca Shamash, a sociologist studying equitable enterprises. Together, they discuss the challenges of operating outside profit-driven systems, the importance of education around food, and the need for economic and political support to transform inequitable food and economic systems, and insights into building more equitable enterprises and food practices.

Future Now 017 — Reimagining Food with Mark Bittman

IFTF Executive Director Marina Gorbis talks with Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, President of MiraCosta College, and Dr. Wendy Stewart, the college's Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Officer. They discuss how this institution serving North San Diego County in California has embraced foresight and futures thinking to become a future-ready public community college. The conversation explores MiraCosta's innovative degree programs designed to prepare students for emerging fields like generative AI, and the importance the college places on taking an equitable approach to meet the diverse needs of tomorrow's students.

Future Now 018 —  What Makes MiraCosta a Future-Focused Community College?

I wish Scott Barry Kaufman had been my college professor. Scott gives extra credit for daydreaming in his classes. That would have been an easy A for a space case like me.

Scott is the scientific director of The Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The Imagination Institute's mission is to "make progress on the measurement, growth, and improvement of imagination across all sectors of society." One of the ways it’s doing this is by conducting retreats with different groups of people, such as educators, evolutionary psychologists, standup comedians, and futurists, to learn how they use their imaginations in their work. 

In May 2016, I participated in The Imagination Institute’s two day “futurists retreat,” held at Institute for the Future's Palo Alto headquarters. This interview with  Scott took place on the morning of the second day of the retreat. 

Imagining the Future is Creating the Future with Scott Barry Kaufman

In 2013, Mike Zuckerman, a self-described culture hacker, attended the White House’s National Day of Civic Hacking. Inspired by what he’d learned there, Mike returned to San Francisco and founded [freespace], an organization that focuses on sustainability and urban tactical development. In the spring of 2016, Mike went to Greece where he spent four months rehabilitating an abandoned clothing factory in the industrial sector of Thessaloniki, turning it into a humane shelter that he and his colleagues named Elpida. Unlike the official migrant camps in Greece, where refugees have little say in the day-to-day operations of the camp, Elpida put its 140 residents in charge, and the results were remarkable. Not only is Elpida much less expensive to run on a per person basis than official camps in Greece, the residents don’t suffer from boredom, restlessness, and disengagement like they do at NGO-run camps.

As a pilot model, Elpida offers hope and improved living conditions for refugees in a place where no other NGO was able to provide in this kind of support.

Mike has been working with Institute for the Future as an affiliate since 2014 and recently accepted an IFTF fellowship to help uncover and study new paradigms for restoring vulnerable places and space, such as post-disaster sites, informal refugee settlements, and decaying urban neighborhoods. 

I spoke to Mike about his work at Elpida in August, 2016, just days after he returned from Greece.

Mike Zuckerman: The Secret Aid Worker

A discussion with Rod Falcon, Director of the Technology Horizons Program at Institute for the Future. 

In his 1854 book, Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Men have become the tools of their tools.” Thoreau's assertion is as valid today as it was when he made it over one hundred and sixty years ago. Whenever we shape technology, it shapes us, both as individuals and as a society. We created cars, and cars turned us into motorists, auto mechanics, and commuters.
 
Over the centuries we’ve populated our world with machines that help us do things we can't or don't want to do ourselves. Our world has become so saturated with machines that they’ve faded into the background. We hardly notice them. We are reaching a new threshold. Our machines are getting networked, and enabling new forms of human machine symbiosis. We're entering a new era where fifty billion machines are in constant communication, automating and orchestrating the movement and interactions among individuals, organizations, and cities.
 
Institute for the Future (IFTF) is a non-profit think tank in Silicon Valley, that helps organizations and the public think about long term future plans to make better decisions in the present. In this episode of the IFTF podcast, Mark Frauenfelder, a research director at IFTF interviewed Rod Falcon, IFTF's Director of the Technology Horizons Program, which combines a deep understanding of technology and societal forces, to identify and evaluate these discontinuities and innovations in the near future. Rod discussed Tech Horizon's recent research into how machine automation is becoming an integrated, embedded, and ultimately invisible part of virtually every aspect of our lives.

What does it mean to be human in an age of machines?

A discussion with Miriam Lueck Avery, Research Director at Institute for the Future, on how wearables, implantables, and wireless networks will connect our communities and alter our anatomies.

Beyond Wearables: Get Ready for Broadcast Hugs and Books that Punch You in the Stomach

IFTF Research Director Bradley Kreit discusses IFTF's research into the technologies and societal forces that will transform when, where, how, and why we communicate in a world of ambient media.

When Everything is Media - The Future of Ambient Communications

Institute for the Future researchers Mark Frauenfelder and David Pescovitz talk with University of Southern California roboticist Nora Ayanian about what robots can learn from humans working together, and vice versa.

Teaching Robots Teamwork

Institute for the Future researchers Mark Frauenfelder and David Pescovitz talk with Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Alien Hunting

In less than ten years, more than a half billion people will be trying to earn a living in the on-demand economy. It’s up to all of us to make sure this new economic system works for everyone.

To help spark transdisciplinary research and development of Positive Platforms, IFTF’s Workable Futures Initiative, with the support of the Ford Foundation, hosted Positive Platforms Jams at our offices in Palo Alto while fellow travelers in our global network held satellite events at community hubs and hacker spaces in Helsinki, Milan, Barcelona, Dublin, and other cities around the world. 

During the Positive Platforms Jams, Designers, engineers, policymakers, and labor organizers gathered for two days to hack away on platform prototypes, replicable design frameworks, new financial tools, data management systems, and methods to tease out the hidden problems inherent in many platform models.

Hacking the Future of Work

Over the next decade, today's connected world will be explosively more connected. Anything that can be distributed will be distributed: workforces, organizations, supply webs, and more. The tired practices of centralized organizations will become brittle in a future where authority is radically decentralized. Rigid hierarchies will give way to liquid structures. Most leaders—and most organizations—aren't ready for this future. Are you?

It's too late to catch up, but it's a great time to leapfrog. Noted IFTF futurist Bob Johansen goes beyond skills and competencies to propose five new leadership literacies—combinations of disciplines, practices, and worldviews—that will be needed to thrive in a VUCA world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. This book shows how to (1) forecast likely futures so you can “look back” and make sure you're prepared now for the changes to come, (2) use low-risk gaming spaces to work through your concerns about the future and hone your leadership skills, (3) lead shape-shifting organizations where you can't just tell people what to do, (4) be a dynamic presence even when you're not there in person, and (5) keep your personal energy high and transmit that energy throughout your organization. 

We spoke to Bob about his visionary book, which provides a vivid description of the ideal talent profile for future leaders. It is written for current, rising star, and aspiring leaders; talent scouts searching for leaders; and executive coaches seeking a fresh view of how leaders will need to prepare. To get ready for this future, we will all need new leadership literacies.

Bob Johansen on the New Leadership Literacies

Sam Woolley recently joined Institute for the Future as a Research Director and was previously the Director of Research at the Computational Propaganda Project at Oxford University. We asked Sam to share highlights of his research showing how political botnets—what he calls computational propaganda—are being used to influence public opinion.

The Future of Computational Propaganda

This is an excerpt from noted IFTF futurist Bob Johansen's book, Full-Spectrum Thinking, which goes beyond skills and competencies to propose five new leadership literacies—combinations of disciplines, practices, and worldviews — that will be needed to thrive in a VUCA world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.

This book shows how to (1) forecast likely futures so you can “look back” and make sure you’re prepared now for the changes to come, (2) use low-risk gaming spaces to work through your concerns about the future and hone your leadership skills, (3) lead shape-shifting organizations where you can’t just tell people what to do, (4) be a dynamic presence even when you’re not there in person, and (5) keep your personal energy high and transmit that energy throughout your organization. 

To learn more about Full-Spectrum Thinking, visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/617262/full-spectrum-thinking-by-bob-johansen/

BROADER SPECTRUMS OF MEANING a New Game of Hope - for upload

Brought to you by the visionary minds at Institute for the Future, this captivating series delves deep into the ever-evolving landscapes of science, technology, and culture. In each episode, IFTF's distinguished researchers engage in riveting conversations with the world's most innovative scientists, engineers, trailblazers, and thought leaders, who are redefining the course of our collective future - here and now. 

In this season, "Future Now" shines a spotlight on the bold endeavors to revolutionize enterprise and business practices. Our gripping discussions explore the pursuit of more humane, inclusive, and equitable outcomes, providing you with an exclusive front-row seat to the breakthroughs that will define tomorrow.

Future Now - Institute for the Future

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