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Corset Economy, London (2026)

17/12/2021

Let's look to the year ahead!

A ritual that takes place at the end of each year is that countless experts and forecasters predict their key trends for the coming year.

We don’t like predictions, which tend to focus on the immediate at the expense of the more subtle but important longer-term drivers of change, yet it is always useful to keep an eye on the horizon.

Last month’s community call looked at the trends for 2022, and there was growing consensus that uncertainty is the ‘new normal’. The ‘Great Resignation’ and hybrid working trends ensure that the future of work provides both threats as opportunities for you to leverage.

Values are becoming more important, but equally challenging to uphold. Businesses everywhere are going to need to think how best to build authentic values into their DNA and communicate them effectively.

To read more check out our latest blog https://corseteconomy.com/trends-for-2022-what-to-pay-attention-to-in-the-new-year

📷 Krissana Porto on Unsplash

19/11/2021

Our kind of book section!

Spotted in the gift shop on a cheeky midweek visit. Gotta find creative inspiration right?!

Which one would you read first?

16/11/2021

As the nights are drawing in and the streets looking festive (anyone else in London? The lights are looking 👌 this year!) we’re looking to the year ahead.

What lies in store for 2022?

Join us this Thursday 8pm for our last community call of the year where we’ll look at a collection of what trends others are predicting and highlighting what we think are the ones to pay attention to.

Whether you’re thinking about your business or your career it pays to keep an eye to what the future holds.

For those not already signed up you can do so through the link in our bio or head to corseteconomy.com/join-our-community and you’ll get the link automatically on the day.

#2022

12/11/2021

Who's been following COP26? 🙋‍♀️

It got us thinking about the Three Horizons model we discussed in our last Community Call. When it comes to the environment and response to climate change we believe we're at a time of change.

We're moving out of H1 (business as usual) and firmly into H2 (the entrepreneurial, innovative space that defines what comes next).

But there's two ways H2 can go, H2- which pulls us back towards business as usual, or H2+ that pushes us towards a new future of H3, in this case one more sustainable and regenerative.

These are critical times and the decisions we take today will define the future we create. With the environment as much as any other issue.

If you want to read more about Three Horizons, climate change and the future economy check out our latest blog https://corseteconomy.com/exploring-3h-climate-change-and-the-future-economy

📷 Markus Spiske on Unsplash

20/10/2021

When it comes to using the future for innovation, we think it doesn’t get much better than the Three Horizons model. Created by our friend and colleague Bill Sharpe and others (see more at h3uni.org) 3H is a simple and intuitive tool that identifies 3 future perspectives that can be applied to any industry or context.

H1 is Business as Usual, this is what we see around us in the present but is likely to decrease in prevalence over time. H3 is the Emerging Future, that is not readily visible now, but is likely to become the dominant future. H2 is the bridge between the two, the entrepreneurial space that determines what future emerges in H3. This is the space for disruptive innovation!

We know this can seem a little abstract… So if you want to get practical join us tomorrow evening 8pm UK time for our free Community Call where Shirin will guide you through the Three Horizons model and show you how you can use it to explore your requirements for innovation. Just make sure to join our Community at corseteconomy.com/join-our-community!

18/10/2021

As the world adjusts to a new post-Covid landscape, we are all likely (and need to!) to be thinking more about innovation.

Innovation of business models and service offerings, as well as innovation of our personal skill sets.

Innovation requires thinking afresh, and we think one of the most useful frameworks to enable this is Three Horizons (3H), one of our favourite foresight tools.

Join us on Thursday for our community call where we introduce 3H, and discuss how we think it can help you to innovate more, and better, in the months to come. Definitely one for our entrepreneurial followers, or anyone interested in thinking more imaginatively about your own direction.

If you’ve not signed up to our community yet you can do so at https://corseteconomy.com/join-our-community and you’ll get your Zoom link automatically on Thursday.

14/10/2021

Just starting to feel a bit more human after The World’s Worst Cold knocked me, and then Shirin out last week.

Anyone else had this that’s been going around? After no cold & flu last winter this hit *hard*!

Taking it easy the next few days til we’re back to 100% but we’ll be back for October’s Community Call next Thursday and can’t wait to see some of you there! If you’ve not joined our community you can sign up on our website or through the link in our bio.

Til then I’m reminiscing back to balmy summer nights walking home to sunset over the Thames feeling totally healthy 💪

07/10/2021

Prepare for the future you want!

We’re having such fun visiting & taking part in some events (thanks !) this week. If you’re in London make sure to check out the space in Kings X or events all over the city this week.

For those of you who’ve learned about our you may be reminded of our Remaker scenario, with the rise of the artisan, crafts and value of sustainability.

While there are elements of each of the Corset Futures we like, Remaker is definitely the one we’re drawn to the most.

So while it’s great to prepare for multiple possible futures, it’s still worth putting your energy in the future you desire.

We talk a lot about the impact of external forces, but remember you have agency and where you put your energy matters.

So what future are you preparing and wishing for?!

01/10/2021

What can the Ganges teach us about identifying the future?

“From source to mouth, the Ganges is an extraordinary river in India, some fifteen hundred miles long. If you notice extraordinarily heavy monsoon rains at the upper part of the basin, you can anticipate with certainty that within two days something extraordinary is going to happen at Rishikesh, at the foothills of the Himalayas.”

Pierre Wack, head of Shell’s Group Planning, and one of the great innovators of scenario practice, used this Ganges example to explain his work. As he said, knowledge about the rains upstream could enable him to determine - with certainty - a 'predetermined' that would be happening downstream.

He explained that three days later there would be an extraordinary amount of water at Allahabad, south of Delhi while five days after that, in Benares, at the river’s delta there would be certain flooding. In his words:

“Now, the people down here in Benares don’t know that this flood is on its way, but I do. Because I’ve been at the spring where it comes from. I’ve seen it! This is not fortune-telling. This is not crystal-ball gazing. This is merely describing future implications of something that has already happened.”

Read more about these "predetermined" and unpredictable futures in our latest blog https://corseteconomy.com/trendwatch-how-predictable-is-that-trend

Source: Pierre Wack in Kleiner, A (1996) The Age of Heretics: Heroes, Outlaws and the Forerunners of Corporate Change. Doubleday.

28/09/2021

What is a signal event?

Every so often something happens that significantly disrupts the status quo and changes the trajectory we are on. We call these “signal events”.

A signal event is a shock to the system. There are an ever growing list of examples (particularly in recent years!) - Covid, Trump’s election, Brexit…

Signal events can accelerate a change that was progressing incrementally to its tipping point (e.g. Covid and working from home trends).

It can also push us in a completely new direction or create ripples of unintended consequences. When it comes to unpredictable trends they’re often a factor.

If you want to learn more about unpredictable trends check out our latest blog https://corseteconomy.com/trendwatch-how-predictable-is-that-trend

24/09/2021

Some lessons in recognising trends (by looking backwards)

When you’re developing your foresight skills, it can be really helpful to look backwards to practice looking forwards. The power of hindsight is a great tool for pattern recognition, the first step to improve your ability to recognise trends that matter.

We did this exercise last week with our Community Call participants and thought we would share it with all of you. Have a go practicing with your past - what trends could you spot?

Want more? Make sure to sign up to our Community (www.corseteconomy.com/join-our-community) and join us next month when we’ll be taking the lessons we’ve learned from looking backwards and start looking at the trends that matter for today.

20/09/2021

Why should you pay attention to trend lines over the headlines?

In foresight, we have little interest in the headlines, which are usually short-term snapshots of current fashion. We look for the trend lines, the patterns shaping key trends that have the potential to drastically shape our future.

Trend watching gives us the ability to look beyond the end of our nose and spot the things that are *really* going to influence our future, making us more aware of our context and how it’s changing.

If you’re being distracted by headlines that’s ok - that’s their job! Next time you do, start asking “why?” rather than “what?”. That’ll help you dive into the root cause of an issue and understand the shifts underneath it.

This can feel overpowering when you first start. Many of us feel a sense of overload, but, as Marshall McLuhan once said, “information overload becomes pattern recognition.” As these patterns emerge, we become increasingly able to join the dots and spot the trends.

Who’s up for the challenge? Let us know what you spot!

Corset Economy