PART I
WHAT FUTURE?
Better Futures for Working and Living
By putting ourselves into different possible futures, by becoming open and willing to embrace the uncertainty and discomfort that such an act can bring, we can imagine new possibilities. We can find optimistic futures; we can find paths forward; we can move beyond hope into action.1
ANAB JAIN
Even futures that used to be impossible will become possible due to office shock. As futurists we focus ten years ahead and think futureback to what’s next and only then to the noisy now. All kinds of possibilities will be available for those who are future-ready. Office shock is an unprecedented opportunity.
Office shock—abrupt, unsettling change in where, when, how, and why we work—will get more intense, both worse and better.
The purpose of part I is to answer the question, “What future?” Our scenarios for offices and officing are aspirational but achievable.
Chapter 1 introduces the futureback method and the full-spectrum mindset to help you create better futures for working and living. With these tools, you will be able to envision what offices and officing could become in the future. The big lesson is that office shock will demand clarity to thrive in an increasingly chaotic future devoid of certainty. Futureback will help you avoid being stuck thinking only present-forward in today’s chaotic times. You must prepare to be surprised. You must develop what we call flexive intent.
Full-spectrum thinking is about recognizing patterns across gradients of possibility. Thinking full-spectrum has the potential to reveal things we have in common that are hidden in plain view. A full-spectrum mindset encourages nuance. It provides a mindset for bridging the narrowness of categorical thinking that plagues communication in these polarizing times. A full-spectrum mindset will empower you to make the choices necessary to bring about a better future.
Chapter 2 provides historical context and our take on the evolution of workplace and technology. This history is what will make distributed office work possible in ways that would have been difficult to imagine even a few years ago. History yields patterns, while thinking futureback yields clarity.
In chapter 3, we will use futureback to imagine futures of working and living before they happen. We will enable you to look back with clarity on the spectrums of choice for offices and officing that individuals, organizations, and society will need to create a better future for working and living.