We are hearing a lot of gloom and doom in the media about how our world will change forever.  The habits of thinking in small competing pieces of half formed information that are typical of mainstream media seem less and less useful and less authoritive as more and more people recognise the connectedness and complexity of human cultures and enterprise.  People who are creatures of habit and find it difficult to change, are nostalgic about the ‘good old days’ in the past,  and don’t like to think about the implications of change for them, are right to feel insecure and vulnerable when everything about them is changing.   Large institutions that are designed for stability and focussed on compliance are also places where people lack the authority (or responsibility) for creating change and adapting is often difficult and frustrating.

However, the above bleak outlook is the view from within a shrinking set of structures that were designed in the past and are no longer working. For many creative people in small and larger groups, our growing understanding of the world is resulting in emerging new capabilities, new opportunities and enterprises, and new technologies to enable us to prosper in abundant ways. Change is an opportuntity.  The challenge for most people is to consciously change our habits of thinking and doing and build from what we do now to a more productive social, cultural and institutional infrastructure going into the future.  It is in every person’s self interest to take account of what we now know, look forward, and take part in building the emerging future.

To change gear will require more thoughtful interactive communication and learning from shared experiences with unlike minded people who have had different experiences and possess different insights.  This is now possible with new networked technologies but requires a conscious change from the traditional normative, broadcasting approaches used in the media, formal business, and government settings.  Research suggests groups of people build a visionof  a working future by observing, listening and being listened to respectfully, asking questions, clarifying ideas, and building trust.  By working together experimentally in small considered adaptive steps, reviewing outcomes and the impact of what they are doing, and continuously ajusting, the risks of adapting to change can be managed.  Only through such communication, shared action and  insights gained from shared experiences with diverse people can new and effective ways of doing things be created and perfected.