19. Exploring future work scenarios | Jeff Saunders

Workplace Matters

Jeff Saunders, Director at the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, joins Ian for part 2 of the Workplace Matters Danish workplace mini-feature. CIFS, who have been around since the 60s, recently completed a seven-year six book collaboration with facilities services giant ISS with the publication of their ‘Future of Work, Workforce and Workplace’ capstone white book. Enjoy!

They discuss a particular future scenarios matrix which is developed in the first book, and then revisited in the sixth capstone book. It shows four possible futures, considering primarily the extent of automation versus the prioritisation of sustainability, which are called ‘fragmented world’, ‘capitalism reinvented’, ‘sustainable business’ and ‘the great transformation’.

As Jeff explains, these are possible scenarios which were created at the beginning of the collaboration to engage with future issues. They’re revisited in the most recent capstone book to reflect longitudinally about changes and timescales. Well worth a look...

Some links to take you deeper:

Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies website

ISS 2020 vision white book series plus lots of other content from servicefutures.com

ISS business forum video (with Peter, Ian and Jeff all speaking, with others) here

BIFM manifesto for change information