Managing the future

Abstract

This article argues that managing the future requires an overhauling of existing paradigms of management thinking given the new context of human affairs. This context is characterized by the following important shifts relating to humans, their institutions and world views: globalization or the idea of humanity in a planetary sense, revolutionary advances in information technology and genetics causing us to rethink our notions about what it will mean to be human and the increasing power and influence of humans over other humans, the environment and other systems that have empowered us to govern evolution. The article highlights the absence of any organized mobilization to rethink the now obsolete ideas and concepts of management and outlines some ideas that must be taken into account in articulating a new paradigm. This paradigm constitutes a systems view with the unit of consideration being the planet and humanity first with multiple identities coming secondary to the global community. A human civilizational code of ethical principles would necessarily articulate behaviour norms in service to a consensus set of values and behaviour standards of benefit to all humanity.

Citation

Velamoor, S. (2000), "Managing the future", Foresight, Vol. 2 No. 3, pp. 249-251. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680010802645