TECHNOLIFE 2035- How is technology changing our future

Technology constantly evolves, usually slowly and insidiously but always just as surely. Things that are currently being developed in laboratories will be in the public domain as different products and applications perhaps as soon as in a few years time, and as more refined versions in around ten years time.

This book deals with the future of technology, and explores the influence new technologies may have on life within the next twenty years. It is divided into three parts, the first of which discusses technological development and the forces and counter-forces related to it. This section also reviews how advances in technology are forecasted, and what kinds of parties make these predictions, and provides examples of forecasts for the next couple of decades.

The second part of the book investigates the various areas of technology and their related trends. This section discusses current technological studies which may have concrete impacts in everyday life in a few decades, such as those in the fields of energy, transportation, biotechnology, materials, ICT, robotics, medical technology and space technology.

The third part of the book introduces the authors visions of how technology may develop by 2035, and presents three different scenarios, or future worlds. These will demonstrate the possible directions in which technological development can take us. The scenarios are introduced through two main characters, Romeo and Juliet (adapted from Shakespeares play) in the year 2035. Even though technology is constantly changing, the writers believe that, even years into the future, the significance of human relations will remain the greatest influence on human life.

(Written with Kari Hiltunen)

Buy the book:

https://www.amazon.com/Technolife-2035-Technology-Change-Future/dp/1443874604/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=elina+hiltunen&qid=1601837766&s=digital-text&sr=1-1-catcorr

FORESIGHT AND INNOVATION-How are companies coping with the future

FORESIGHT AND INNOVATION

Foresight and Innovation is a guide for readers that are interested about the future. The book introduces a concept of futurist thinking, which includes anticipating, innovating and communicating about the futures. These concepts show how various organizations, all over the world are thinking, communicating and creating a better future.

Buy the book:  https://www.amazon.com/Foresight-Innovation-Companies-Coping-Future-ebook/dp/B00HP4KJFK

WEAK SIGNALS IN ORGANIZATIONAL FUTURES LEARNING (Doctoral thesis)

This thesis addresses the issue of anticipating future changes through weak signals and the role of weak signals in organizational futures learning (OFL). The focus of the thesis is to examine weak signals and their related concepts and to test a tool, created by the author, for using weak signals to enhance organizational futures learning. This thesis consists of five articles that approach the dilemma of weak signals and organizational futures learning from different angles. 

In the existing literature there appears to be difference on opinion of the definition of weak signals. The meaning of the concept, weak signals, varies from researcher to researcher, and thus the understanding of weak signals and utilizing them in organization can be challenging. Sometimes weak signals are considered emerging issues or wild cards- some of the researchers consider them as first indication of change. This thesis introduces a new concept the future sign. This represents the holistic picture of future change. The future sign clarifies the discussion by presenting various dimensions of the change; signals, issue and their interpretation. 

This thesis also assesses the change process (signification process of the future sign), different kinds of signals in it and the role of actors in the change process. One of the outcomes of this assessment is that signals do not always reflect the true state of the emerging issue, which calls for digging into the primary sources of information. 

This thesis examines also organizational futures learning from different viewpoints, like the sources that are used for finding weak signals and the method for disseminating weak signals within organizations. A study asking "what are futurists' top sources for finding weak signals" revealed that one's personal contact network is appreciated the most. A Futures Window, a tool for disseminating weak signals in organization was also tested in this thesis. The study revealed that using visual weak signals in sharing futures information was received well.

Download the thesis here