Bernard Marr - Business Trends in Practice: The 25+ Trends That Are Redefining Organizations

BERNARD MARR

This edition first published 2022
2022 by Bernard Marr

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Marr, Bernard, author.

Title: Business trends in practice : the 25+ trends that are redefining organizations / Bernard Marr.

Description: [Hoboken, NJ] : Wiley, 2022. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021033030 (print) | LCCN 2021033031 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119795575 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119795599 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119795582 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Business forecasting. | Business21st century.

Classification: LCC HD30.27 .M353 2022 (print) | LCC HD30.27 (ebook) | DDC 658.4/0355dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021033030

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021033031

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover Image: rvika/Getty Images

To my wife, Claire; my children, Sophia, James, and Oliver;
And everyone who will be inspired by these trends to make the world a better place

Our world is rapidly changing and the pace of change has been accelerating. Business leaders tell me all the time how challenging it is to keep up with the pace and extent of change, and I couldn't agree more. I'm frequently staggered by the pace of change, particularly (although not exclusively) in technology advancements and I say that as someone whose job title is futurist!

That, in a nutshell, is what sparked the idea for this book. I wanted to provide business leaders with an accessible overview of the key trends that are transforming the way we do business. In my advisory work with companies and government organizations, I noticed that the same transformative forces seem to be coming up again and again, irrespective of the size of the organization or the industry in which they operate. This book pulls those insights together in one place. My goal is to give business leaders a chance to learn from other industries and build a business that is more successful, more resilient, and better equipped for the changes coming our way. In short, this book is designed to help you ride the wave of transformation.

I believe the role of any futurist is to be practical. So, far from describing some sort of futuristic business utopia, I cut through the hype and distill each of the business trends into practical insights insights that business leaders can translate into action.

To help with this, I include plenty of real-world examples to show how other organizations are adapting and responding to change. There are use cases from all kinds of businesses, big and small, from startup eco toilet tissue makers to traditional manufacturers to tech giants, and a whole lot in between. I'm keen to demonstrate that the trends in this book apply to all organizations, regardless of size and industry.

Here's what else to expect from this book:

• In , we'll start by exploring the forces both societal and technological that are driving the massive changes taking place.
• Then, in , we'll look at the impact of these trends on key industries to illustrate just how transformative their collective impact is. (I must stress that I had to stick to just the most important industries here. But if your industry isn't featured, please don't skip this part many of the insights will no doubt be relevant to your own industry.)
• focuses on the key consumer trends that are emerging today trends that will likely prompt a rethink of your products and services, and how to deliver them.
• Building on the consumer trends, is all about key trends that impact how businesses operate internally. In other words, as well as rethinking your products and services, you'll also have to rethink how your business is run.
• And in the final chapter, I'll pull these (often interlinked, sometimes disparate, even contradictory) trends together into some broader key lessons and takeaways. These are the things I want to leave you with as you look to the future.

As well as helping business leaders ride the wave of transformation, there is also a loftier goal at the heart of this book. As you'll see in the next chapter, it's not just businesses that are being impacted by these transformational forces; society as a whole is facing enormous changes and challenges. By building better businesses, we can collectively tackle the issues facing our world and create the future we want to live in. If this book plays a small role in that very big task, I'll be happy.

This is a book about business trends. But no business operates in a vacuum. Organizations are constantly shaped by the world around them. And that's why we start our journey here, with some of the biggest trends emerging in politics, economics, and society.

In this chapter, I outline five major global shifts that business leaders must take into consideration as they plan for the future. This is not just a nice to know chapter; these trends have very real business implications (you'll find some practical lessons at the end of the chapter). Each global shift outlined in this chapter indicates where future business opportunities may lie, meaning the most successful organizations of the future will be those that address and move with these shifts. The flip side, of course, is that these global shifts also pose risks for businesses, particularly the risk of being left behind. As a result, many businesses will end up sidelined, overtaken by their more forward-thinking competitors.