What's Next?: Exploring the New Terrain for Business [Hardcover]

Eamonn Kelly (Author), Peter Leyden (Author), Members of Global Business Network (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2002

Who better to help us foresee how emerging trends will help shape the agenda for business in the first decade of the twenty-first century than Global Business Network, the renowned futurist think tank and strategic consulting firm, where some of the greatest minds from these fields converge and converse? In What's Next?, GBN's President, Eamonn Kelly, and its "knowledge developer," Peter Leyden, weave together fresh, new insights from expansive interviews with many of the Network's key thinkers, including: Stewart Brand on civilization, Mary Catherine Bateson on cultural change, Paul Hawken on the anti-globalization movement, Esther Dyson on Russia, Kevin Kelly on thinking globally, and Francis Fukuyama on biotechnology. The result is a thought-provoking, and inspiring guide to the ideas, concepts, and forces that will influence business in an era of increasing uncertainty-and opportunity.Visit the GBN website at www.gbn.org.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kelly and Leyden, of Silicon Valley- based consultancy Global Business Network, chat with 50 "remarkable people," including entertainers like Laurie Anderson and geographic demographers like Joel Garreau, about everything from China's role in world politics to biotechnology, while trying to figure out how these trends mesh. After everyone's chimed in, the authors propose that the 21st century's successful business leaders will be those who develop an "adaptive advantage" over their competitors, learning to gauge the culture as effectively as the marketplace. They further suggest such corporate-minded entrepreneurs will be the most likely candidates to develop creative solutions for the world's toughest problems. The enthusiasm for corporations isn't unexpected, given Leyden's pro-globalization stance in 1999's The Long Boom, which he co-authored; and much effort is spent explaining why today's recession hasn't nullified those earlier predictions for a prosperous future. One analyst compares the wave of failed dot-coms to "regular brushfires to... make space for fresh growth," while another believes increased antidepressant usage created fearless investors, who pumped the market up to unsustainable levels. With so many people discussing subjects outside their specialized fields, the reflections swerve from insightful to inane, and despite the authors' attempt to structure the book thematically, there's still a disjointed feel to what is, essentially, a hodgepodge of excerpted transcripts. "Things are going to be wild and crazy much sooner than we expect," one contributor warns (as if they weren't already!), but for all the speculation, the book's only practical advice is to learn how to think fast.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...a solid demonstration of the GBN's mantra that 'none of us is as smart as all of us.'" -- CIO 12/15/03

"An avowedly atypical book...The insights offered by What's Next should be a boon to business leaders interested in new perspectives." -- The Futurist, January-February 2003

"Genuinely different...like giving individual readers the impression that they are attending a rather grand seminar at a prestigious resort." -- The Independent - London, 11/2/02

"Not your usual management how-to, this collection is all big, thought-provoking ideas." -- Wired, October, 2002

"Read this book to understand the current chaotic corporate world and to help prepare yourself for...changes and opportunities coming." -- Library Journal, November, 2002

"The value of "What's Next?" is its ability to stimulate and provoke." -- Miami Herald, 11/11/02

"What's Next brings together some of the clearest thinkers of our generation in dialogue concerning the planet's future." -- Seattle Times 12/16/02

"[A] splendid book, intelligently organized." -- Future Survey, September, 2002

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; New edition edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738207608
• ISBN-13: 978-0738207605
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,870,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Futurism that's both thought provoking and relevant, July 4, 2003

By 

PAUL FARRINGTON (ENGLAND, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's Next?: Exploring the New Terrain for Business (Hardcover)

This very readable book was given a favourable mention in last year's 'Wired' magazine. It presents informal, interview style responses to topical questions affecting the future landscape of business. The 'What' in 'What's Next' includes Economic trends, Public policy, Ethics, Biotechnology, Terrorism and many more. Futurism is often a distracted and boffinish business, in which little or no practical advice is offered as to how to use its predictions. This text however has a strong strategic skew. It targets a business reader with a view towards orienting long term business strategy to take advantage of emerging and yet to emerge trends. If you want informed medium and long term predictions this is a good resource, particularly if you have an interest in technology investment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many big ideas about the future, as you'd expect from GBN, March 7, 2003

By 

Craig Schmidt (Needham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Next?: Exploring the New Terrain for Business (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book. It is a collection of short 1-2 page quotes from one of the GBN members espousing their views on a given topic. The quotes are arranged by topic, so you get a whole range of viewpoints on the big issues that the world may face in the next 10 years.

The GBN members make their points in a very entertaining fashion, full of good quotes and stories. I found it to be densely thought provoking. You want to stop and ponder after every few pages. You may not agree with all of what they say, but the GBN has an interesting world view.

If you're unfamiliar with GBN, be sure to check out the GBN book club recommendations on their website. It is a collection of some of the most interesting books I've read.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars shaping forces, March 31, 2005

By 

Jonathan G. Curtis "game player and book reader" (Worcester MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Next?: Exploring the New Terrain for Business (Paperback)

A large variety of forces are shaping our future, and the book aims to explore the many forces. There are many views about many subjects, and the book provides interesting samples.