Taking the Future Seriously: Preparing for the Global Gigatrends

Abstract

Future business leaders will require a different general outlook and understanding of the role and purpose of business in society than is prevalent today. They will need to employ a range of leadership approaches to deal with a new range of issues. This, in turn, will entail the development of new leadership capabilities. One significant avenue of development in making leaders and the orgnisations they lead more ‘agile’ is to build scenarios around what this paper articulates as the global ‘gigatrends’ that are shaping economic, political, and socio-cultural landscapes. These gigatrends are discussed first individual, then in terms of some critical interactions. Implications for future leadership capabilities and executive education are then addressed.