Rating: 
Summary: Book Review COM660
Review: According to Jennifer James, urban cultural anthropologist, many people view the future with fear and dread instead of anticipating the change with excitement. The aim of the book, Thinking in the Future Tense, is to provide the framework to help readers analyze and organize the past as well as the present and prepare for the future. To survive the journey to our potential future, the author discusses 8 skills that are necessary; perspective, pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, flexibility, vision, energy, intelligence, and global values. Those skills are useful to have control in current situation and future. Skills that the author discusses are relatively common sense to some people; such as stress management, self-assessment and importance of having a sense of humor. However, it is worth writing about. The book is progressive but comforting at the same time because the author explains why we fear the change and what we should know.
The author's writing style is very simple and clear cut with a lot of examples. The book is easy to read, understandable, entertaining in parts, encouraging and optimistic. It is a good book for the individuals who are interested in business planning and leadership skills. I have a few criticisms of the book. First, some of the author's analyses of the examples are too simplistic. For instance, the author asserts that IBM never saw the implications for the future because the company dealt with hardware, not software. Secondary, I agree with a lot of the author's opinions; however, her political opinion surface far too often in the book and it appears in areas not necessarily relevant. Third, I anticipated by reading this book, I will gain insight on future forecasting and scenario making. However, the book did not cover in depth on the issue. Overall, this book provides a good basic understanding of how to analyze the present, to be aware of the change and to be flexible for better future. As the author says, the key to the future is in our mind.
Rating:
Summary: Book Review COM660
Review: According to Jennifer James, urban cultural anthropologist, many people view the future with fear and dread instead of anticipating the change with excitement. The aim of the book, Thinking in the Future Tense, is to provide the framework to help readers analyze and organize the past as well as the present and prepare for the future. To survive the journey to our potential future, the author discusses 8 skills that are necessary; perspective, pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, flexibility, vision, energy, intelligence, and global values. Those skills are useful to have control in current situation and future. Skills that the author discusses are relatively common sense to some people; such as stress management, self-assessment and importance of having a sense of humor. However, it is worth writing about. The book is progressive but comforting at the same time because the author explains why we fear the change and what we should know.
The author's writing style is very simple and clear cut with a lot of examples. The book is easy to read, understandable, entertaining in parts, encouraging and optimistic. It is a good book for the individuals who are interested in business planning and leadership skills. I have a few criticisms of the book. First, some of the author's analyses of the examples are too simplistic. For instance, the author asserts that IBM never saw the implications for the future because the company dealt with hardware, not software. Secondary, I agree with a lot of the author's opinions; however, her political opinion surface far too often in the book and it appears in areas not necessarily relevant. Third, I anticipated by reading this book, I will gain insight on future forecasting and scenario making. However, the book did not cover in depth on the issue. Overall, this book provides a good basic understanding of how to analyze the present, to be aware of the change and to be flexible for better future. As the author says, the key to the future is in our mind.
Rating:
Summary: Prepare Yourself for the Future!
Review: Althought, "Thinking in the Future Tense" is a book written for business professionals that offers eights skills for future preparation and better leaderships, but these skills can also be used for individuals. Jennifer James presents these eight skills and describes them in eight chapters where she explains each skill in detail, lists other important factors that are related, and also gives real-life examples, which makes the book fairly easy to read. James writes that having a new mind is one of the important skills that people need to think in the future tense because people will need new and open minds to accept and adapt changes. She also lists the other sevens skills: recognizing the future, harnessing the power of myths and symbols, speeding up the response time, understanding the past to knwo the future, doing more with more or less, mastering new forms of intelligence, and profiting from diversity. You will be self-examining to find out if you do think in the future tense or not as you read along. The book presents the guidelines for successful exploration of the future. This book has been really useful and helpful in my preparation for the future. Some skills that James lists are being used at other situations everyday without people realizing it. Mastering new forms of intelligence is one skill that I find most useful not only in preparation for the future, but also for daily use because I learned to view things from a different angle with a different aspect, so I can become be more flexible. I highly recommend this book because it is very important, as title of the book, to think in the future tense.
Rating:
Summary: Prepare Yourself for the Future!
Review: Althought, "Thinking in the Future Tense" is a book written for business professionals that offers eights skills for future preparation and better leaderships, but these skills can also be used for individuals. Jennifer James presents these eight skills and describes them in eight chapters where she explains each skill in detail, lists other important factors that are related, and also gives real-life examples, which makes the book fairly easy to read. James writes that having a new mind is one of the important skills that people need to think in the future tense because people will need new and open minds to accept and adapt changes. She also lists the other sevens skills: recognizing the future, harnessing the power of myths and symbols, speeding up the response time, understanding the past to knwo the future, doing more with more or less, mastering new forms of intelligence, and profiting from diversity. You will be self-examining to find out if you do think in the future tense or not as you read along. The book presents the guidelines for successful exploration of the future. This book has been really useful and helpful in my preparation for the future. Some skills that James lists are being used at other situations everyday without people realizing it. Mastering new forms of intelligence is one skill that I find most useful not only in preparation for the future, but also for daily use because I learned to view things from a different angle with a different aspect, so I can become be more flexible. I highly recommend this book because it is very important, as title of the book, to think in the future tense.
Rating:
Summary: Create your mind by thinking about the future
Review: E-book review: Thinking in the future tense
After discussing with some classmates who have read the same book which is ??Thinking in the Future Tense- A Workout for the Mind??, everybody agreed this book is easy to read and understandable. The author- Jennifer James, uses a lot of common sense to describe how we can prepare for the future. Since Jennifer James is an anthropologist, she uses a lot of anthropological words and life examples to make the book more readable. Basically, the book tells us why we need to think about the future, what should we do before future happens, and how to develop abilities to deal with happening future by using thinking skills. My major is concentrated on telecommunication, I therefore agree with a lot of technology points in this book; this is the other reason that I found out the book is pretty interesting to me. Jennifer James is a experienced scholar, the short stories she uses and suggestions she comes out with in this book which are all very familiar to our common life. By concluding to this book, I have developed some future idea about how future is going to be in my mind. Everybody can make up your own future world, it doesn't need to be reasonable because it depends on people's point of view about the virual future. Expanding your view of future further is always helping your brain ability to be more creative and flexible. The book is the right one which can create you talent to face the prospective future.
Rating:
Summary: Thinking in the future tense
Review: Have you ever thought what you will be in twenty years? Have you ever thought what our earth will be in the future? An urban cultural anthropologist, Jennifer James, helps people examine the past, present, and move into a pattern of thinking with the future in mind. Jennifer James¡¦ book, Thinking In The Future Tense, is a thought-provoking book, and teaches people to change themselves in order to face the future. She clearly shows that what people need is a new mind. Nobody can stay the same; therefore, they have to teach their minds to adapt to change. James discusses eight skills-- perspective, pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, flexibility, vision, energy, intelligence, and global values. They are actually useful in our lives; for example, the first four chapters are both insightful and practical in its ability to apply to our life. Having a clear perspective keeps your body and mind in balance. Recognizing what will be happened coming up with some specific ideas leads people to think more. Noticing the changing of myths helps you adapt to different experiences. Staying in the lodge keeps people from change. Systemic thinking helps people to find out what is going on. Adjusting to diversity assists people to succeed in the future. These skills seem useful to me, especially as I can relate to the experiences. This book also makes me think about changing the future. With some questions and surveys, the book takes people on self-examination, and makes it possible to change their lives. After reading the book, it will make readers ready for the new century's challenges.
Rating:
Summary: A New Matrix for the Millennium
Review: In her book Thinking in the Future Tense, author and business speaker Jennifer James reveals a global matrix for "Thinking" in the new millennium. James succinctly weaves her background in urban cultural anthropology with business savvy to offer "common-sense" advice on how to survive the transformation shifts we are experiencing in the new millennium. As James explains it, "Today, we all stand in a vortex of technological, economic, demographic, and cultural change... Our brains must adapt to our changing environment...nothing less than the remaking go of man and woman into a more civilized form than our ancestors" (1996, p. 13). Although the book tends to fall back on the "self-help/mystical" rhetoric of the past decades James nonetheless touches on the fundamental survival skills for an evolving culture, one that should be based on respect for diversity and interdependent prosperity. James presents a compelling interpretation of myths and symbols in her chapter "Harnessing the Power of Myths and Symbols" and explains in lay mans terms the power of symbols and "myths" throughout our culture. In fact humanity has always been fascinated with the power that philosophy and mythology has had on our evolving civilization though out the centuries. James touches upon many of the same core beliefs associated with scholar Joseph Campbell's historical research on the parallels with emerging cultures and the inter-relationship between man and myths. Campbell comments, "I t would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation. Religions, philosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sleep, boil up from the basic, magic ring of myth" (1949, pg. 5). Every culture identifies with the "hero's quest" and indeed even modern society is captivated with the deeper meaning of myths and their role in culture. James identifies many of the same qualities a "hero" must have in order to be a leader in the new millennium and how to successfully maneuver out of old paradigms that include gloom, cynicism, paranoia and delusions of Armageddon that emerge in changing times. James matrix for survival in the new millennium is essential for any future educator, politician, scientist, or business leader. The fundamental steps outlined in her chapter titled "Understanding the Past to Know the Future," is in fact essential reading for any emerging leader. James also seamlessly blends a synthesis between philosophy, science, and mythology as survival tools for the altering landscape of the 21st century. James gives us the power to analyze old values and beliefs systems and shows us how to "rethink" how these old paradigms into a global matrix for the new millennium.
Rating:
Summary: A New Matrix for the Millennium
Review: In her book Thinking in the Future Tense, author and business speaker Jennifer James reveals a global matrix for "Thinking" in the new millennium. James succinctly weaves her background in urban cultural anthropology with business savvy to offer "common-sense" advice on how to survive the transformation shifts we are experiencing in the new millennium. As James explains it, "Today, we all stand in a vortex of technological, economic, demographic, and cultural change... Our brains must adapt to our changing environment...nothing less than the remaking go of man and woman into a more civilized form than our ancestors" (1996, p. 13). Although the book tends to fall back on the "self-help/mystical" rhetoric of the past decades James nonetheless touches on the fundamental survival skills for an evolving culture, one that should be based on respect for diversity and interdependent prosperity. James presents a compelling interpretation of myths and symbols in her chapter "Harnessing the Power of Myths and Symbols" and explains in lay mans terms the power of symbols and "myths" throughout our culture. In fact humanity has always been fascinated with the power that philosophy and mythology has had on our evolving civilization though out the centuries. James touches upon many of the same core beliefs associated with scholar Joseph Campbell's historical research on the parallels with emerging cultures and the inter-relationship between man and myths. Campbell comments, "I t would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation. Religions, philosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sleep, boil up from the basic, magic ring of myth" (1949, pg. 5). Every culture identifies with the "hero's quest" and indeed even modern society is captivated with the deeper meaning of myths and their role in culture. James identifies many of the same qualities a "hero" must have in order to be a leader in the new millennium and how to successfully maneuver out of old paradigms that include gloom, cynicism, paranoia and delusions of Armageddon that emerge in changing times. James matrix for survival in the new millennium is essential for any future educator, politician, scientist, or business leader. The fundamental steps outlined in her chapter titled "Understanding the Past to Know the Future," is in fact essential reading for any emerging leader. James also seamlessly blends a synthesis between philosophy, science, and mythology as survival tools for the altering landscape of the 21st century. James gives us the power to analyze old values and beliefs systems and shows us how to "rethink" how these old paradigms into a global matrix for the new millennium.
Rating:
Summary: Can you recognize changing trends?
Review: Jennifer James' "Thinking in the Future Tense: A Workout for the Mind" is easy to read and comprehend, yet delivers on providing challenging exercises to assess one's own mind. Our perceptions are clouded by our culture and our previous experiences, and James offers ways to clear our perception. James asserts that all change is bordered by changes in four areas: technology; economy; demographic patterns; and cultural transformations. Too often business leaders, and all people in general, refuse to recognize these changes and continue on the path of "business as usual" which can often lead to a company's demise. To better envision the future and take advantage of its opportunities which are necessary for ensuring a healthy and prosperous organization, James describes eight skills necessary to understand and adapt to change: perspective; pattern recognition; cultural knowledge; flexibility; vision; energy; intelligence; and global values. By noticing that the lines for women's public toilets continued to get longer and longer, one might have realized that many women no longer remained at home and entered the workforce and began attending sports events. It took too long for experts to realize the changing women's roles in society, which was evident in the trend of growing public bathroom lines. Everyone passed these lines, but who took notice? By reading this book, perhaps you can prevent missing the signs that portend future changes. Reading science fiction books and looking at recent paintings are ways of helping to visualize the future. I especially enjoyed the chapter on diversity. I agree wholeheartedly that eating Mediterranean cuisine is not the same as having interactions with Egyptians or Turks and learning from them. You probably work with or live near a great diversity of people, but have you taken the time to get to know them? Tolerance is not the same as acceptance, and we can all profit from experience with diversity. As the marketplace becomes more global, cultural sensitivity is paramount. This book is a must-read for current managers as well as all those preparing for the workforce of the future.
Rating: 
Summary: The Future: Something to Shoot For
Review: Jennifer James' introduction to Thinking in the Future Tense begins with the tale of lifelong dream - climbing the Himalayans. In many respects the book appears to continue as an uplifting dream - one of human society living together in openness and reason. James' dream seems strikingly similar to the one Martin Luther King, Jr. described in his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, one where people "are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Such dreams are noble ones. James identifies eight skills needed in order to "think in the future tense." These skills are perspective, pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, flexibility, vision, energy, intelligence, and global values. For her, when one embraces each of these skills an enriching, exciting, and rewarding future will follow. By recognizing change and going with the flow of it, one can harness it to personal advantage is her logic. Four trends that are drivers of new products and services include increasing complexity and customization, miniaturization, multitasking, and mind/body adaptability. These trends pose new challenges as well as new opportunities for long established businesses and budding entrepreneurs alike. Coping with the rapid change ushering in the future requires a skillful blend of high energy, lifelong learning, good communication and negotiation skills, financial skills, and a balanced lifestyle. As workers gain greater flexibility in employment, the value of security diminishes. A sense of humor and critical thinking skills will allow future professionals to thrive in a diverse environment with people of varied races, ethnicities, and gender. Inclusive approaches to diversity contribute to a broader pool of ideas, therefore to a competitive edge. James, like King, dreams of a marketplace and workforce of strong alliances, less tyranny, new civility, and more nonviolence. Let's hope they're both right.
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