FutureThink, How to Think Clearly in a Time of Change

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Future think reveals the breakthrough thinking techniques two leading futurists have developed to liberate your mind from its old assumptions, and sensitize it to the earliest signals of change so you can start responding while your competitors are still asleep.

Edie Weiner and Arnold Brown show how to overcome both personal and institutional biases, so you can see the big picture: both the forest and the trees. You'll learn how to recognize when trends aren't linear, and when tomorrow won't be 'just like today', only more so. The authors show how a football game can help you clarify your priorities in attracting and retaining customers, how the history of railroads can put the Internet into perspective, how the 'Law of Large Numbers' helps you recognize the drivers behind such powerful forces as deviancy and terrorism, why the law of entropy explains why benchmarking often fails, how to understand the profound implications of demography and much more. Above all, this book helps you act on what you learn and overcome the human tendency to reject or deny it. Grounded in science, supported by the authors' exceptional track record as futurists, Future think teaches the most important skill you can learn right now; how to manage the future.

Product Description

Future think reveals the breakthrough thinking techniques two leading futurists have developed to liberate your mind from its old assumptions, and sensitize it to the earliest signals of change. Future Think will ensure you are one step ahead of your competitors.

Edie Weiner and Arnold Brown show how to overcome both personal and institutional biases, so you can see the big picture: both the forest and the trees. You'll learn how to recognize when trends aren't linear, and when tomorrow won't be 'just like today', only more so. The authors show how a football game can help you clarify your priorities in attracting and retaining customers, how the history of railroads can put the Internet into perspective, how the 'Law of Large Numbers' helps you recognize the drivers behind such powerful forces as deviancy and terrorism, why the law of entropy explains why benchmarking often fails, how to understand the profound implications of demography and much more. Above all, this book helps you act on what you learn and overcome the human tendency to reject or deny it. Grounded in science, supported by the authors' exceptional track record as futurists, Future think teaches the most important skill you can learn right now; how to manage the future.

Features + Benefits

• Train the brain to see what's really happening -- and what's most likely to happen next.
• Overcome the denial that prevents you from acting on what you've learned about the future.
• By two world-renowned consultants who've helped more than 300 enterprises (including Merck, 3M, ARCO and Coca-Cola) predict and prepare for the future.

Backcover

"FutureThink stretches the boundaries of our perception and opens new avenues for development. Incisive and useful!"

-General Wesley Clark, U.S. Army (ret.), former NATO commander

"We have exposed many of our people to the thinking technologies contained in this book, and they have proven extremely useful. I recommend this book to anyone who needs to get a grip on what the future may hold."

-Beth Comstock, chief marketing officer, General Electric

"This primer on critical thinking is a vitamin-B shot to the brain. I loved it."

-Barry I. Herstein, senior vice president, International Marketing and Communications, American Express

"FutureThink helps to improve your insight and foresight in a time of rapid change. It also helps you to look beyond today in order to help create a better tomorrow."

-David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, U.S. Government Accountability Office

"Weiner and Brown have taken the innovative and far-reaching vision that earned them respect and admiration in the foresight community and translated it into practical advice for daily business decision-making. Their insights into social dynamics and corporate governance strategies are extraordinarily useful."

-Tim Mack, president, World Future Society

"This is a fantastic book-not the kind you read and forget. The thinking techniques of Weiner and Brown have been extremely useful to us and we would certainly recommend them to others."

-Claudia Kotchka, vice president, Design Innovations and Strategy, Procter & Gamble

FutureThink will help you discard the blinders that keep you from seeing what's really happening around you-so that you can anticipate waves of change and ride them to unprecedented success. Futurists Edie Weiner and Arnold Brown reveal breakthrough thinking techniques that can liberate your mind from its old assumptions and sensitize it to the earliest signals of change-so that you can start responding while your competitors are still asleep.

The authors show how to overcome both personal and institutional biases so that you can see both the forest and the trees. You'll learn how to recognize when trends aren't linear and when tomorrow won't be "just like today, only more so." The authors show how a football game can help you clarify your priorities in attracting and retaining customers, why the law of entropy explains why benchmarking often fails, how to understand the profound implications of demography, and much more. Above all, this book helps you act on what you learn-and overcome the human tendency to reject or deny the signs of change.

Grounded in science and supported by the authors' exceptional track record as futurists with clients such as Target Stores, Ernst & Young, and AIG, FutureThink teaches the most important skill you can learn right now: how to manage the future.

Overcoming the traps that stop you from managing change
Why individuals can't understand change and organizations don't respond to it

Revealing the hidden patterns of change
Trend/countertrend, spirals and pendulums, extremes and middles, multiplier effects, and more

Imagining new and better ways forward
Metaphors that free your mind to act rapidly and powerfully

Beyond "inattentional blindness": seeing what's coming up behind you
Practical techniques for supercharging your peripheral vision

What you can-and can't-learn from history
Predicting the future of the Internet, for example, from the history of railroads

The Law of Large Numbers: explaining many of today's most powerful forces
Recognizing the drivers behind everything from deviancy to terrorism

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