Powerful times : rising to the challenge of our uncertain world

We're Not Just Living Through An Age Of Change. We're Experiencing A Change Of Age: The Most Profound Inflection Point In Human History Since The Enlightenment. That's The Thesis Of This Remarkable New Book, Powerful Times. From Terrorism And Nuclear Proliferation To Emerging Technologies That Could Change The Nature Of Humanity To The Rise Of New And Innovative Economic Powers, Eamonn Kelly Weaves Together Seven Powerful Dynamic Tensions That Will Fundamentally Reshape Human Life In The Coming Decades. Kelly Offers Breakthrough Insights Into How These Tensions Will Conflict And Interact To Create Huge Waves Of Change Beyond Anything We've Seen Before. Using Scenario Thinking Techniques Pioneered At Royal Dutch/shell And Nurtured At Global Business Network, Kelly Evokes The Different Futures That Might Unfold As A Result Of The Interplay Of These Dynamic Tensions - And The Profound Implications For Society And Business. This Book Will Help You Prepare For What's Coming - And Transform This Moment Of Uncertainty And Complexity Into Unprecedented Opportunity.--jacket. 1. History Unleashed -- Five Centuries Of History Coming Undone -- Gobbledygook And The Gorilla -- Mental Maps And Paradoxical Certainties -- Making Sense Of A Transformative Era -- I: What's Happening?: Predicting The Present -- 2. Clarity And Craziness -- Clarity -- Craziness -- 3. Secular And Sacred -- Secular -- Sacred -- 4. Power And Vulnerability -- Power -- Vulnerability -- 5. Technology Acceleration And Pushback -- Technology Acceleration -- Pushback -- 6. Intangible And Physical Economies -- Intangible -- Physical -- 7. Prosperity And Decline -- Prosperity -- Decline -- 8. People And Planet -- People -- Planet -- Ii: What If?: Changing For The Challenges Ahead -- 9. Governance -- An Emerging Global Governance -- Local Innovations In Governance -- A Rising Second Superpower -- 10. Innovation -- Innovating For The Base Of The Pyramid -- Sustainable Solutions -- Education And Learning -- Iii: What's Next?: Scenarios For The Next Decade -- 11. Three Snapshots Of The Future -- New American Century -- Patchwork Powers -- Emergence -- Iv: So What?: Acting In An Era Of Transformation -- 13. Creating Our New Future -- The New Realities For Business. Eamonn Kelly. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Understand the most revolutionary human transformation in four centuries... and prepare for it! We're not just living through an age of change: we're living through a 'change of age': the most profound inflection point in human history since the Enlightenment. That's the thesis of Eamonn Kelly's remarkable new book Powerful Times. From terrorism and nuclear proliferation to emerging technologies and economic globalization, Kelly weaves together 7 powerful 'dynamic tensions' that will reshape human life in the coming decades. Kelly offers breakthrough insights into how these tensions will conflict -- and how they'll resonate, creating giant waves of change beyond anything we've ever faced. He takes on the truly big questions. To answer pivotal questions, Kelly draws on breakthrough 'scenario planning' techniques he pioneered: techniques hundreds of top organizations now rely on. Simply put, this book will help you prepare for humanity's most profound transition in 400 years. For every executive, strategist, manager, entrepreneur, public policymaker, and citizen interested in the trends that will most powerfully impact business and life in the coming decades. Eamonn Kelly, the CEO and president of Global Business Network, the renowned future-oriented network and consulting firm, has for over a decade and has been at the forefront of exploring the emergence of a new, knowledge-intensive economy, and its far-reaching consequences for society, organizations and individuals. He has consulted with senior executives at dozens of the world's leading corporations in virtually every leading business sector; with key global and national public agencies, and with major philanthropic foundations. Kelly co-authored What's Next: Exploring the New Terrain for Business and The Future of the Knowledge Economy, and authored GBN's 2003 Scenario Book. Understand the most revolutionary human transformation in four centuries... and prepare for it! We're not just living through an age of we're living through a 'change of age': the most profound inflection point in human history since the Enlightenment. That's the thesis of Eamonn Kelly's remarkable new book Powerful Times . From terrorism and nuclear proliferation to emerging technologies and economic globalization, Kelly weaves together 7 powerful 'dynamic tensions' that will reshape human life in the coming decades. Kelly offers breakthrough insights into how these tensions will conflict -- and how they'll resonate, creating giant waves of change beyond anything we've ever faced. He takes on the truly big questions. To answer pivotal questions, Kelly draws on breakthrough 'scenario planning' techniques he techniques hundreds of top organizations now rely on. Simply put, this book will help you prepare for humanity's most profound transition in 400 years. For every executive, strategist, manager, entrepreneur, public policymaker, and citizen interested in the trends that will most powerfully impact business and life in the coming decades. Eamonn Kelly, the CEO and president of Global Business Network , the renowned future-oriented network and consulting firm, has for over a decade and has been at the forefront of exploring the emergence of a new, knowledge-intensive economy, and its far-reaching consequences for society, organizations and individuals. He has consulted with senior executives at dozens of the world's leading corporations in virtually every leading business sector; with key global and national public agencies, and with major philanthropic foundations. Kelly co-authored What's Exploring the New Terrain for Business and The Future of the Knowledge Economy , and authored GBN's 2003 Scenario Book . Cover Contents Acknowledgments Preface CHAPTER 1 History Unleashed Five Centuries of History Coming Undone Gobbledygook and the Gorilla Mental Maps and Paradoxical Certainties Making Sense of a Transformative Era SECTION 1 What’s Happening?: Predicting the Present CHAPTER 2 Clarity and Craziness Clarity Craziness CHAPTER 3 Secular and Sacred Secular Sacred CHAPTER 4 Power and Vulnerability Power Vulnerability CHAPTER 5 Technology Acceleration and Pushback Technology Acceleration Pushback CHAPTER 6 Intangible and Physical Economies Intangible Physical CHAPTER 7 Prosperity and Decline Prosperity Decline CHAPTER 8 People and Planet People Planet SECTION 2 What If?: Changing for the Challenges Ahead CHAPTER 9 Governance An Emerging Global Governance Local Innovations in Governance A Rising “Second Superpower” CHAPTER 10 Innovation Innovating for “The Base of the Pyramid” Sustainable Solutions Education and Learning SECTION 3 What’s Next?: Scenarios for the Next Decade CHAPTER 11 Three Snapshots of the Future New American Century Patchwork Powers Emergence SECTION 4 So What?: Acting in an Era of Transformation CHAPTER 12 Creating Our New Future The New Realities for Business Endnotes Afterword: Using This Book in Your Life and Work Five hundred years ago, Nicolo Machiavelli, the Second Chancellor of Florence, was asked by the city's ruling council to investigate why Pandolfo Petrucci, the Lord of neighboring Siena, was so inconstant in his behavior and so prone to intrigue. From terrorism and nuclear proliferation to emerging technologies and economic globalization, Eamonn Kelly weaves together seven powerful 'dynamic tensions' that will reshape human life in the coming decades