06/2023
This Is What the Future Looks Like – The Megatrends Shaping Tomorrow's World
Since ancient times, humanity has undergone profound transformations—time and again. This change, the evolution of humanity, and the adaptation to our environment often bring about radical shifts—a new world for us to navigate. These sweeping transformations, which completely reshape the world as we know it, rarely come as a surprise.
The Zukunftsinstitut refers to these phenomena as megatrends or “slow-motion avalanches.” While megatrends evolve gradually, they are immensely powerful and influential.
Researchers at the Zukunftsinstitut use megatrends to make these changes tangible and visible, predicting their scale and potential consequences.
Megatrends differ from short-lived trends or hypes, which only temporarily touch our lives, because they:
- Are multidimensional
- Simultaneously impact many areas of society
- Have rapid global effects
- Create long-term influence
Megatrends shape society, institutions, businesses, and individuals. They also serve as a foundation for critical decisions in business, politics, and personal life.
Futurists have identified 12 megatrends that explain and drive changes in our world—economically, socially, and technologically.
To navigate megatrends like connectivity, neo-ecology, or new work as a society, we need the right “soft” skills—or better yet, DeepSkills. Skills like shifting perspectives flexibly, acting with empathy, and communicating effectively have always been important, but they will become even more essential in the near future. These abilities will help us deal with the changes, disruptions, crises, and new challenges that megatrends bring.
This marks the beginning of an eight-part series where we will explore specific megatrends and the DeepSkills needed to engage with and shape these transformations.
Get a head start by exploring our skill model, featuring DeepSkills from our training programs, and learning more about the structure of our learning journeys. We’re happy to provide all the key insights.
Book a Demo Today.