V - The magazine of the VOLLMER Group - 2019

all branches of society and last for decades. These are reflected all over the globe, even if it's not at the same time or to the same extent. Each of these forms a line on the Megatrend Map. The stations are their sub-trends, which also trigger counter-trends, such as neo-nationalism as a polar opposite to globalisation, or digital diet and re-analogising as responses to digitalisation. There are numerous overlaps and interactions with other megatrends. EDUCATION IN FLUX A tangible example is the “know­ ledge culture” megatrend. What was once knowledge for the elites alone, reserved for select groups of society, is now accessible to a large part of the world's population thanks to the Inter- net, with a near explosive tendency. This is especially the case for tertiary knowledge. Universities are rethinking and opening their gates. They're more engage with disciplines like probabili- ty theory, system and evolution theo- ry, cognitive psychology, philosophy, socioeconomic theory and neurosci- ence. From their research, they create publications, articles and submissions and mental techniques that offer inspiration. One key feature of their work: “When we advise management teams, we don't give explicit decisions or recommendations. We try to shake things up and unsettle them – in a positive sense. So that management teams can see the world in a different light, and discover their own future,” explains Matthias Horx. TRENDS AREN'T INSTANT With their sharpened senses, the future researchers diagnose current trends and think them through further. Which are just a flash in the pan and which will stick with us? Are they relevant to Germany or Austria, or are they globally influ- ential? Which influence individual people, and which influence society as a whole, economy and politics? And, most importantly of all, what kind of trend could appear in opposition to it? “One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to see the future as linear,” says Horx. “But the world just isn't like that. The world deals in tipping points, fissures and surprises.” Megatrends are elemental for future research. Deep-rooted transformation processes, which influence nearly Red, green and blue lines, bending and crossing over one another. They have a start and an end, with individual sta- tions in between and central meeting points. But they're not named “Central station” or “Paddington” like you might expect, rather “Neo-Ecology”, “Connectivity” or “Silver Society”. Stylised like a map of a metropolitan transport network, these form the Megatrend Map; an abstract rep- resentation of complex trends in play today that will shape our lives over the next few decades. This is the result of numerous analyses by the future insti- tute and an important springboard and tool for future researchers. ZUKUNFTSINSTITUT THINK TANK The Zukunftsinstitut (Future Institute) was founded in 1998 by the journalist and futurologist Matthias Horx. With sites in Vienna and Frankfurt, and around forty experts from different fields, it is now one of the most influential think tanks in Europe. Its goal is to dispel false predictions for the future, take away fears and present change as an opportunity. To do this, the researchers examine the ideas that people from the past had about their future. They examine what actually happened, when, how and why – and what didn't happen too. They ask a plethora of questions and We try to shake things up and unsettle them – in a positive sense . One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to see the future as linear. DURABILITY MEGATREND SPOT 1 Half-life: At least 50 years 16 PERSPECTIVES