The world is about to enter a pivotal decade. This decade is likely to be remembered as the launching pad to a very different future. The next ten years are marked by uncertainty, complexity, and an inability to predict how an overwhelming number of Dots Connect to shape the decade. In a 2018 post, I looked at some work by Karen Harris and others that focused on some of the Macro Trends that drive the decade. In the supporting insights report, the authors see volatility emerging from the Collision of Demographics, Automation, and Inequality. These three factors drive a very Turbulent 2020s and Beyond.

As the world ages, and the labor force participation rate drops, a catalyst for automation emerges. By 2030, the level of inequality in this base scenario poses considerable challenges for society.  At the far end of the spectrum, we could leave the coming decade  positioned for the third Tipping Point in human history. A tipping point is reached when the fundamental nature of being human changes. If we consider scenarios like blurring the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds, merging with machines, genetic engineering and others, a tipping point set in motion by the next decade is possible. This decade and its exponential progression was the enabling decade. The next decade determines where society goes from here.

In light of this, instead of the typical set of predictions for the coming year, I offer these macro trends and my hope for the coming decade: That we as a society work together to shape this next ten years and not let our post-decade future be determined by our inaction. If predictions is what you are after, here is a look at Building Blocks that Shape the coming Decade: