Third Wave Planning is a Contact Sport
Futurist Alvin Toffler defined three waves of change. Because the fundamentals vary from age to age, it stands to reason that strategic planning should...
Knowledge is Power in Today’s R&D
Continuous rea and development is and always has been a key to survival for any organization – commercial or government.
The Rise of the Machine: Do Humans Have a Place in Security?
In contrast to humans, machines are compliant. In the coming years, we may find ourselves with a new set of problems as machines become...
With Space Commercialization, the Next Frontier is the New Normal
The commercialization of space that took hold in the 1990s is today’s new normal, bringing government and private organizations together to secure new frontiers.
Rise of the Machine 2.0: Security After the Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is giving rise to the Internet of People (IoP). We explore vital considerations as humans become an integrated part...
Technology and Pace of Innovation Demand a New Leadership Approach
Why leaders must consider the role of desynchronization on key issues and industries, and how they are managing the varying rates change to build...
Can Innovation Restore the US Infrastructure?
When we compare the level of focus put on new innovation to the needs of the US infrastructure, it’s apparent we need a way...
The Organization of the Future is Here. Is it Yours?
With the Third Wave, ‘The Organization of the Future’ has arrived, bringing with it an imperative to consider the three steps toward organizational transformation.
A Future Focus: What 2015 Means for 2025
As we move from 2015, Toffler Associates looks at why it’s more appropriate than ever to observe how the world is evolving, and to...
Exploring a New Image of the Future Proof® SME at Beyond SG50
Toffler Associates led a conversation at Beyond SG50 in Singapore to help SMEs clarify what it means to be Future Proof® in the rapidly...
The Future of Innovation: Transforming Today’s Organizations into Tomorrow’s Value Creators
Innovation is not a new concept. Adages like "change or die" have long been adhered to in the business world. However, the rapid pace of...
Space: Revolutionary Wealth
The exploding demand for data, bandwidth, and access to technology is putting a commensurate level of stress on the world’s resources and critical infrastructure. It...
Stewards of the Future: Boardroom or C-Suite?
In the new knowledge economy, in which constant newness is the norm, corporate and government leaders must possess an exquisite ability to anticipate and prepare...
The Future of Security: The Risk Resilient Organization
Companies are under persistent threat from all types of external sources. Compounding the risk are mistakes made by in-house network administrators, as well as everyday...
Workforce Knowledge is Key to Protecting Infrastructure
As the lines between traditional infrastructure sectors blur, it’s more vital than ever to prioritize the workforce in innovation and security discussions.
The Great Compromise: Balancing Security and Innovation
In light of the Bowman Avenue Dam story, Toffler Associates weighs the tradeoff between privacy & innovation, & what steps we must take to...
Stability and Jeopardy: The Impact of IoT on National Infrastructure
The convergence of devices and humans is reshaping how we live, and we must carefully manage every implication of integrating IoT into our critical...
The Human Side of IT Resource Implementation
Organizations must view IT resource implementation as a combined human-machine institution and involve users from the planning phase to manage toward productive change.
The Deep Fundamentals of War
As today’s wars have shown, future war will not be limited to defined geographies or governed by historic rules so our approach to warfare...
Organizational Learning is the Key to Solving 21st Century Issues
Organizational learning usually happens via individual or collective endeavors. In the 21st Century, collective holds the greatest potential for progress. See why.
How to Combat Threat with a Risk-Informed Cultural Mindset
As the threat universe expands, organizations must move past security compliance checklists to adopt a custom risk-informed cultural mindset. This is why.
New Thinking Never Gets Old: The Innovation Mandate
The pace and scale of innovation is forcing individuals, organizations and societies to transform, not just to Future Proof®, but to survive.
The Knowledge Age Organization Has No Ladder
The hyperconnectivity, globalization, and data in the Knowledge Age are forcing public and private entities shift to a horizontal organization for agility.
Do You Know How to Structure Your Horizontal Organization?
Understand the qualities of a horizontal organization and the steps necessary to create a model that empowers team members to higher levels of contribution.
Balancing Privacy and Security in the Pokémon Go Era
As cyber and terrorist attacks become regular news and Pokémon Go has people hunting dragons, we must find balance between personal privacy and collective...
Finding Your Place in the Innovation Ecosystem
To thrive in the innovation ecosystem, organizations must adopt a transformation mindset and build an agility framework that allows for collaboration and flexibility.
Why it’s Change or Die in the Brave New Biodigital World
Third Wave disruptions like biodigital convergence are forcing organizations and the people in them to fight against the natural human resistance to change.
How Flash Mobs and Unions Reveal the Future of Consumer Rights
Flash mobs and collective buying power offer models that reveal the role of competition in labor unions and the future of consumer rights.
Bio-Digital Convergence: The Human as Critical Infrastructure?
As bio-digital convergence advances from IoT to Internet of Humans (IoH), humans are Critical Infrastructure that must be approached with regard to possibility and...
Are You Certain You’re Prepared for Unpredictable Threat?
The future of global threat protection lies in our ability to build a unified, predictive security ecosystem (knowledge, security technology, and innovation).
What is the Right Education for the Emerging Global Workforce?
It’s time to re-think standardized education and consider what a Third Wave model looks like as we prepare the future workforce for the global...
How Can We Gain Clarity in the Geopolitical Chaos?
As geopolitical shifts continue to grow and expand their impact globally, successful leaders are defining a value ecosystem from within their organization.
How Can Blockchain Help You Create and Protect Value?
The advent of blockchain has already - and will continue to - disrupted how many organizations do business. Are you prepared to adapt?
Empowering the Global Workforce One Individual at a Time
This is what your organization must do to shift paradigms to engage the right talent in harmonized teams that can support a strong global...
Why Kindergarteners Always Win the Marshmallow Challenge
The Knowledge Era workforce faces broad, cross-industry issues so our education system must shift from linear thinking to teaching kids to think critically.
The Path to Your Organization’s Success is Paved with Failure
The only certainty in transformation is points of failure, but when they deepen understanding and certainty, they strengthen the future of the organization.
How to Harness Talent and Build Great Teams
Organizational wealth is generated through and harnessed by knowledgeable individuals. This is how to empower your teams to generate intelligence and value.
Your New Year’s Resolution to Change is Too Limited
As we start another new year, we consider how transformation and change are different, and why change is limited but vital to creating fundamental...
Why Crowdsourcing May Be the World’s Greatest Shared Asset
As more of the world’s population is connected and AI becomes a contributing global citizen, crowdsourcing stands to become the powerful shared asset we...
The Most Important Resource for C-Level Leaders is Human
As leaders strive to satisfy immediate and future opportunities and challenges, the demand for intelligent, empowered knowledge workers is greater than ever.
What Water Boundary Conflicts Tell Us About Critical Infrastructure
Water boundary conflicts highlight the need to revise Presidential Policy Directive 21 critical infrastructure for greater coordination and foresight.
AI is Worthless in the Absence of Human Judgment
Integrating cognitive technologies like AI, leaders must keep human talent in focus for the organization to optimize new information outputs and found time.
Why You Need to Conduct an Organizational Innovation Assessment
Similar to engaging Myers-Briggs to place people, an organizational innovation assessment using a shared framework will improve progress efficiency & outcomes.
Big Teaming is a Solution to the World’s Toughest Challenges
Big Teaming is a legitimate approach to engaging broad, disparate collaborative structures to envision, facilitate, and create progress around global issues
The Risk of Neglecting Human Value in the Innovation Solution
This is why, in seeking solutions in technology innovation systems and neglecting the value of their human workforce, organizations put their future at risk.
Do people still matter in a post-automated world?
As technology transforms and replaces human jobs, companies must hire and build a workforce capable of competing in a future where automation is the...
Take Care of Your People if You Want Your Organization to Thrive
How leaders enable the total wellbeing of their people has great relevance to the health, competitive position, and long-term success of their organization.
Perfect Innovation is a Dangerous Myth
The traditional notion of perfection is the enemy of modern reality. In an environment where time is compressed, great innovation is not fixed –...
Technology has Exposed the Gap Between Wealth and Poverty
The gap between wealth and poverty is widening, and technology is exposing the haves to the have-nots. We explore the impact of the shift...
Is Your Organization Prepared to Adopt Disruptive Technology?
With disruptive technologies forcing leaders to rethink their organization, change management is a smart way to discern the roles of strengthening and growth efforts.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: 4 Steps to Navigating Data for Business Success
Future business success will rely on the ability to use personal data to customize the experience for every individual. Businesses must consider more than...
What You Must Know to be Cyber Ready
Threat actors are keeping pace with legitimate enterprises, turning every innovation into a possible breach. Defense requires a multi-step cybersecurity strategy.
Preparing Cities for Smart Technology and Autonomous Vehicles
Urban areas striving to prepare for smart technologies and autonomous vehicles should look broadly at how to turn uncertainty into competitive advantage.
Welcome to the Fourth Wave? Cognitive Tech and AI are Reshaping Humanity
With the emergence of cognitive technology, augmented reality, AI and other bleeding edge innovations, humanity may be evolving toward the Fourth Wave.
The Experience Economy Comes Full Circle
The Experience Economy is coming full circle as customer experience focuses on satisfying fundamental human needs and personalized wants.
Infographic: The End of Traditional Market Segmentation
Organizations can no longer rest on segmentation in an era of widely accessible individualized data. Access to technology, the vastness of networks, and the...
Creating a Sustainable Culture of Innovation
Change or die. Disrupt or be disrupted. Innovation is not a new concept. Yet compelling forces in today’s rapidly changing, competitive environment make it nothing...
How to Engage AI in Organizational Decision Making
Organizations face constant revision to the decision making process – here’s how leaders can engage data and Artificial Intelligence to enhance resources and roles.
Infographic: The Future of Disruptive Technology
Toffler Associates’ perspective on the Future of Disruptive Technology is derived from our understanding of drivers shaping the future, insights from interviews with wide...
The Case for Data-Driven Decision Making in a World of Bias
A step by step guide for considering context, making sense of data, and putting bias and insights to use for confident decisions with lasting...
Humanizing AI: From Data-Driven Decisions to Insight-Driven Wisdom
Swarm AI augments machine learning and human intelligence to arrive at better decisions and predictions by harnessing the collective mind of a group of...
Why Leaders are Failing to Embrace Disruptive Technology (and How to Fix the Problem)
Many leaders embracing disruptive technologies focus on solving the wrong problems. Four questions can help them empower their people to meet the future head-on.
Cyber Risk to Your Organization’s Future Value
Organizations must anticipate future threats and take control of the risky environment.
Organizational Decision-Making in the Knowledge Age
Modern organizational decision-making has moved from mechanization to collaborative, data-driven, and human-centered to produce agile, effective, personalized solutions.
Create a FutureProof® Plan for the Cryptocurrency-Driven Economy
The future of money is frictionless, human-to-human, and cashless. Organizations should start to work through the risks and opportunities of cryptocurrencies now.
The Social Impact of Demassification and Desynchronization
Media distrust is a symptom of desynchronization and demassification. AI to speed fact checking and blockchain to track and verify sources can help restore...
Leading Through Disruption
Insights on disruption driven by new threats, emerging technologies, and global shifts from a diverse group of global executives brought together to share ideas, build...
Your Organization’s Future Operating Environment
Discover the six major forces shaping the future of industries, revealed by Toffler Associates' recent global executive survey. Gain valuable insights into the evolving...
Why Corporate Training is the Future of Higher Education
Traditional higher education is not designed to give workers the knowledge to thrive in business without additional corporate education. A solution exists.
Creative Approaches to a Stronger Cybersecurity Workforce
We propose three creative approaches for organizations that view the cybersecurity workforce as a cost rather than an investment in risk mitigation.
Trading Trust in NGOs for Trust in People
Trust in NGOs has declined as people movements have gained traction. For leaders, investing in either means first articulating a core set of operating...
Wealth Creation and Protection in Space
Toffler Associates assembled a diverse group of executive and new generation (NewGen) thought leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities related to creating and protecting wealth...
Data Trust and Privacy – The Risks of Constant Connectivity
As bio-digital convergence becomes the norm, trust and privacy are evolving, forcing people and businesses to consider who truly owns personal data.
The Enduring Value of a Simple Strategy
This simple four-step strategy approach helps to identify the path you need to take, which informs the strategy you need to build. Each step...
Is the Future of Work a Search for Shared Purpose?
As we consider our government and the future of work, we see that the impetus to pursue purpose has not changed, but how and...
Intelligence Led Enterprise Transformation
When considering how to develop a future-focused market intelligence capability it is important to consider the following actions as a start. They are human...
Societal Collision is the Future of Innovation
Points where opposing ideas come to a head can be clashes for dominance or opportunity for progress. The future of innovation will happen at...
Disruption 2030: The Drivers Shaping the Future
We collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate to explore future threats and technology disruptions over the next...
Facing Conflict and Opportunity in the Pursuit of Space
Business leaders must prepare for the conflict and opportunities already emerging as countries push into the competitive, congested, and contested space frontier.
How Cities Should Prepare for Smart Environments
With increasing volume and velocity, smart city technologies and autonomous vehicles are reshaping the structure of our cities and how we live and work...
The Future of Work and Workforce Agility
The future of work and workforce agility is uncertain, but not unknowable. Important changes in the environment htat directly impact the workforces of all...
Designing a Cyber Risk Strategy for the Human Operating System (HumanOS)
In this vlog, we explore the human as an operating system, and calculating cyber risk and strategy for a human-centric defense strategy.
Future Disruptive Technology: AI and Trust
Toffler Associates convened public and private sector executives, thought leaders, and technology builders for off-the-record discussions focused on exploring the implications of this future...
Here Are the Disruptive Technologies That Will Reshape Your Business
We explore what disruptive technology really means and how your business can understand and plan for the changes it will bring in 2019.
An Alternative to Cost-Benefit Analysis for Smarter Military Investments
The Department of Defense (DOD) is revising its military R&D and investment strategies to pursue more future value. This is the right approach.
Spotlight Session with Beth Comstock from Future Shock Forum
Deb Westphal talks with Beth Comstock about the organizational transformation she led at GE through the rediscovery of the company culture.
Is the Abortion Debate About Changing Notions of Humanity?
The abortion debate signals a deeper question about how technological advancements have changed our notions of humanity and society.
Celebrating Choice and Free Will in a Time of Artificial Intelligence
In the Knowledge Era environment, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are changing what it means to have choice. We learn the implications to optimize...
From Toddler to Team Leader – Educating the 2040 Workforce
With the disparate rates of progress between human and machine learning, how can education and government create parity for the 2040 workforce?
The Future of Sports Entertainment
Sport entertainment environments, players, fans, and participation mechanisms are changing dramatically and reshaping the sports entertainment economy.
Every Day is Game Day: Why Enterprise Resilience Matters
The 2019 World Series was extraordinary for Washington Nationals fans, and an incredible show of the need for resilience across baseball and every sector.
The Future of Smart Cities
A smart city is defined as an urban development that integrates information and communication technology (ICT) and the Internet of things (IoT) technology to manage...
Human & Organizational Mobility in a Post-COVID-19 World
COVID-19 has had and will continue to have a dramatic impact on mobility, from both a societal standpoint and an organizational one.
Change is Painful.Strong Executive Leadership Makes All the Difference
Change is inevitable. Leaders who understand and accept this fact of life empower their businesses to thrive now and in the future. Those that...
Partnerships: The Key to Security and Resilience in an Interconnected World
In a time when our nation feels more turbulent and vulnerable than any time in recent memory, leaders should look for partnership opportunities.
The Future of Resilience
At the beginning of this year, major disruption was on the horizon for the utilities industry. As the pandemic hit and fundamentally changed the way...
Selecting the Right Talent Model is a Strategic Decision in the Future of Work
In the future of work, organizational and business leaders need to give careful consideration to the different roles that make up their teams.
5 Signs Your Org Needs Futures & Foresight
Future-focused strategic planning minimizes risks and creates opportunities Over the past two decades businesses and organizations have reduced their planning horizons to just a few...
Exploring Potential Futures by Imagining If…
"Exploring potential futures” is a phrase we often use to describe our futures and foresight process that helps organizations understand, prepare for, and even...
Making Sound Corporate Security Decisions Means Empowering Your CISO
Empowering your organization's CISO to have a greater role in security as a whole, rather than just cybersecurity, protects the business.
A Compliance Mindset Leaves Your Workforce Woefully Unprepared for Cybersecurity
Compliance training alone still leaves your organization vulnerable; behavioral nudges and metrics that matter can enhance security.
Alternate Futures® Scenario Planning Finds Clarity in the Chaos
Alternate Futures® Scenario Planning allows leaders to “stand in the future” to test and experience the opportunities, risks, and consequences of various courses of...
What Your CISO Wants You to Know
CISOs from different industries - energy, finance, entertainment, technology - share concerns related to workforce vulnerabilities and how rethinking security enhances value.
Climate Scenario Analysis and TCFD Reporting
A CEO writes from 2030 to share what the company got right by embracing TCFD and using scenario planning to make climate-friendly decisions in...
Embrace Disruption: The Leadership Guide to Navigating Change and Driving Innovation
Neither innovation nor disruption is a new term, but leaders are compelled to understand them in new ways as the strategic business environment rapidly...
Dear Employers: Want Gen Z to Work for You? Address Climate Change
By 2025, Gen Z will comprise 27% of the workforce and one third of the global population. Our own Isaac Parham, a Gen Z...
The Future Belongs to the Innovators: Seizing the Opportunities Ahead
As individuals, we are acutely aware of the unprecedented pace at which the world is evolving, driven by technological advancements that are transforming every aspect...
TCFD Report Becomes a Fortune 100 Company’s 10-year Plan
How the VP of sustainability at a top 10 Fortune 100 Company transformed TCFD reporting from “just a checklist” into a 10-year strategic imperative.
The Art and Science of Wargaming
Wargaming is a vital exercise for military and commercial organizations to test concepts and strategies in a low-cost, low-risk environment through simulation.
Innovation is the Father of Necessity
How does true innovation occur? The key is looking within your organization to build an ecosystem that supports a process of successful disruption.
What will Gen Z leadership look like?
The Gen Z Leadership movement is coming sooner than you think. But what will Gen Z leadership look like? Think ahead to 2035. Hybrid workplaces...
Future of Work Disruptors
What does the future of work look like? Most organizations are trying to figure out what work will look like in the future. Understanding the...
Tech Scanning: Unlocking the Future for Strategic Advantage
In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, staying ahead of the curve is paramount for organizations seeking to maintain a competitive edge. Enter tech scanning—a comprehensive...
Workforce Digitization: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Future of Work
To help us make sense of an uncertain future, Toffler Associates is fortunate to work with our Experts in Residence, who represent a broad array...
The SEC’s Cybersecurity Rule: What You Need To Know And How To Prepare
SEC Cybersecurity Rule 2023 requires disclosing all material incidents and annual reporting of your cyber risk management process. Let us help.
Navigating Manufacturing’s Incremental Future: Key Findings for Industry Leaders
Manufacturing is no stranger to change. From the dawn of mechanization to today's data-driven automation, producers constantly adapt processes and business models. However, revolution tends...
The Convergence of Technology and Workforce: Key Takeaways for Building Future Resilience
Accelerating technological change is transforming how work gets done. As artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digitalization reshape roles and required skills, what is the path...
Year in Review: Toffler Associates’ Most Impactful Vanishing Point Blogs of 2023
Our strategic approach to understanding our clients' unique needs drives us to continuously explore a diverse range of future-planning topics. We take those topics as...
Dear Employers: Want Gen Z to Work for You? Address Climate Change
By 2025, Gen Z will comprise 27% of the workforce and one third of the global population. Our own Isaac Parham, a Gen Z...
Climate Scenario Analysis and TCFD Reporting
A CEO writes from 2030 to share what the company got right by embracing TCFD and using scenario planning to make climate-friendly decisions in...
What Your CISO Wants You to Know
CISOs from different industries - energy, finance, entertainment, technology - share concerns related to workforce vulnerabilities and how rethinking security enhances value.
Letter from the CEO: Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2022
Our CEO's takeaway as we move into 2022: We play an active role in creating the future through our decisions and behaviors.
A Compliance Mindset Leaves Your Workforce Woefully Unprepared for Cybersecurity
Compliance training alone still leaves your organization vulnerable; behavioral nudges and metrics that matter can enhance security.
Making Sound Corporate Security Decisions Means Empowering Your CISO
Empowering your organization's CISO to have a greater role in security as a whole, rather than just cybersecurity, protects the business.