There are two main mindsets when thinking about the future of an industry. The first makes us believe that it's only possible to forecast the future. The second that it's possible to anticipate a future.

While these two views about the future seem very alike, there is a profound difference between the two.

The first mindset 'we can only forecast the future’ relies on two main assumptions:

1) An organisation can't influence the future of an industry.

2) The future of an industry depends upon a set of variables. It's possible therefore creating an algorithm which approximates the future order of an industry.

Companies that rely heavily on structure welcome and embrace this mindset. Ultimately, these organisations are only going to change when a particular shift in the industry is going to happen.

What's the point to challenge the status quo without certainty about the future?

The primary assumption behind the second mindset 'it's possible to anticipate change' is that organisations can influence the future of an industry. Not only, but companies can also create new industries.

​​People working in organisations embracing this mindset rather than forecasting an ‘uncertain’ future, prefer to act to anticipate it.

These companies don't rely on structure but upon action through the implementation of a set of projects. Each project is an experiment predicting a possible future.

Which of the two mindsets are you going to foster in 2018 for your organisation?