Uncharted: How to Map the Future

A thought-provoking read which explains the impossibility of predicting a certain future, but using experiments, working together and staying open-minded results in a more probable future.Remarkably this book was written just before the Covid-19 pandemic!Even though futures are impossible to predict, by having shared, passionate guiding principles or an inspiring vision can increase the chances of reaching our goals even with extreme uncertainty, where we only need to look at how art and cathedrals are created as evidence of this.The book touches on how traditional management is addicted to masterplans and want safety and certainty, not creativity and risk that come with experimentation, which as a result constrains their chance to map a safer future. This section reminded me of Waterfall vs. Lean/Agile.More automation is a common prediction of the future, but Margaret explains that this comes with a risk of falling into a trap: more need for certainty, more dependency on technology; less skill, more need. The more we depend on machines to think for us the less good we become of thinking for ourselves."Making the future is a collective activity...the capacity to see multiple futures depends critically on the widest possible range of contributors and collaborators."

This book is full of stories, told with affection. Heffernan describes a range of situations in which the future is not and cannot be foreseen. There are a number of take aways. Who knew, for example, how important friendship is? "Just in time" businesses without any inventory slack have no-where to hide in a crisis, even if they appear to be the most efficient.What we all need to do is plan for different scenarios. We don't know what will happen in the future, but if we imagine a range of future events (even a pandemic!) we might be better prepared.

A good variety of stories,

None of our problems resolve on their own. We are connected by systems and structures that require the wisdom of all of us. But how do you do that? "Uncharted" take you into the skill sets, minds sets and cases that can change the world. A book about vision and visioning and the skills you need to get there (together). Bravo!

Great bookReally gets you thinking about futures and complexity