Why futures studies?
We can all agree that times are uncertain - and a tad gloomy. All the more reason to create insights about the future. Futures studies is a systematic way of anticipating what the future might hold. There are three principles that guide this domain:
- There are multiple futures
- We can imagine these futures
- We can shape what the future will be
During the course, the students tested various methods used in futures studies to envision how a community such as Vincit could be led to succeed 30 years on. Vincit was founded in 2007 to make sure that coming to work doesn't suck - not even on Mondays. But what will Mondays in 2050 look like?
What the future of work and leadership might look like
With the help of a Delphi panel (a method where both students and Vincit employees discussed driving forces and wild cards, and rated their level of uncertainty as well as impact in the future), the students created transformative scenarios depicting alternative images of the future leadership. So what do future leaders need to consider?
- Technology and especially AI are going to change the way we work.
- Time and place will become less important and work will be done when and where optimal.
- Purpose and meaning will be sought after in flexible project work and collaboration networks - and actively promoting well-being at work will be key.
- Mondays and the rest of the week should be fun.
- We all need to learn constantly to keep up with change.
Vincit and Laurea will continue our cooperation to co-create better Mondays. The next course will focus on how AI will shape work, leadership, and business.
Note: credits for the blog title go to a group of Laurea students who named their scenario "Make Mondays Magical"
