Rating: 
Summary: COM 660 Book Review- Thinking In the Future Tense
Review: Jennifer James, an urban cultural anthropologist, writes the book "Thinking in the Future Tense" with the goal of helping us break down mental barriers and helping us think about the future. The book has many examples of failed and successful strategies, along with explanations on why they failed or succeeded.The author outlines several skills / strategies for dealing with change and preparing for the future. They include: - Seeing with new eyes: The ability to see new things from a different perspective - Recognizing the future: The ability to recognize trends and driving forces for change, and to predict what the future holds based on those trends - Harnessing the power of myths and symbols: The ability to see man's symbols and stories as powerful contributions to one's culture, and the power to switch / change those myths - Speeding up your response time: The ability to recognize change and react quickly, rather than being hesitant due to a lack of flexibility or under-informed preconceptions - Understanding the past to know the future: The skill of seeing organizational histories and cultures, and having positive management / leadership skills for the future - Doing more with more or less: Keeping a balanced lifestyle and maintaining positive energy in your life and workplace - Mastering new forms of intelligence: Realizing that there is more to intelligence than standardized testing, and unlocking the power of one's thinking to allow for present / future (new) tasks - Profiting from diversity: The skill and attitude of not discriminating against any minorities, and the realization that a diverse workforce will bring a broader perspective to a problem- thus allowing for better and more creative solutions Each of the above skills is illustrated through the book with many examples of how one can succeed or fail by either following or not following the described strategy. I learned many good skills that will help me adapt to the future and become a better fit to a changing organization. Often one's reaction is to fear the future and the unknown, and to cling to the past since it is more comfortable. However, the reality is that the past is behind us, and clinging to it will make us mentally stagnant and unprepared to deal with the present and future. I enjoyed reading the book and gained many new insights. Looking back I'm having difficulty remembering all of the mentioned examples, since there is almost one example every other paragraph. Some of the companies illustrated, such as IBM's inability to recognize the future of software instead of just hardware, were great at illustrating the skills one should develop for their futures. This book didn't touch very much on scenario building or other future planning methods, but more on the personal and organizational skills that one should incorporate into their lives to better deal with the future and change. I found the skills presented to be very useful and would recommend this book to those who want a competitive edge in dealing with the changes that will inevitably have an effect on all of us.
Rating:
Summary: COM 660 Book Review- Thinking In the Future Tense
Review: Jennifer James, an urban cultural anthropologist, writes the book "Thinking in the Future Tense" with the goal of helping us break down mental barriers and helping us think about the future. The book has many examples of failed and successful strategies, along with explanations on why they failed or succeeded. The author outlines several skills / strategies for dealing with change and preparing for the future. They include: - Seeing with new eyes: The ability to see new things from a different perspective - Recognizing the future: The ability to recognize trends and driving forces for change, and to predict what the future holds based on those trends - Harnessing the power of myths and symbols: The ability to see man's symbols and stories as powerful contributions to one's culture, and the power to switch / change those myths - Speeding up your response time: The ability to recognize change and react quickly, rather than being hesitant due to a lack of flexibility or under-informed preconceptions - Understanding the past to know the future: The skill of seeing organizational histories and cultures, and having positive management / leadership skills for the future - Doing more with more or less: Keeping a balanced lifestyle and maintaining positive energy in your life and workplace - Mastering new forms of intelligence: Realizing that there is more to intelligence than standardized testing, and unlocking the power of one's thinking to allow for present / future (new) tasks - Profiting from diversity: The skill and attitude of not discriminating against any minorities, and the realization that a diverse workforce will bring a broader perspective to a problem- thus allowing for better and more creative solutions Each of the above skills is illustrated through the book with many examples of how one can succeed or fail by either following or not following the described strategy. I learned many good skills that will help me adapt to the future and become a better fit to a changing organization. Often one's reaction is to fear the future and the unknown, and to cling to the past since it is more comfortable. However, the reality is that the past is behind us, and clinging to it will make us mentally stagnant and unprepared to deal with the present and future. I enjoyed reading the book and gained many new insights. Looking back I'm having difficulty remembering all of the mentioned examples, since there is almost one example every other paragraph. Some of the companies illustrated, such as IBM's inability to recognize the future of software instead of just hardware, were great at illustrating the skills one should develop for their futures. This book didn't touch very much on scenario building or other future planning methods, but more on the personal and organizational skills that one should incorporate into their lives to better deal with the future and change. I found the skills presented to be very useful and would recommend this book to those who want a competitive edge in dealing with the changes that will inevitably have an effect on all of us.
Rating:
Summary: For anyone ready to be a part of the future
Review: Today's world and the world beyond will observe the growth and use of technology, the further creation of a global community and our increased interdependence on one another. Jennifer James, cultural anthropologist and author of a timely book, "Thinking in the Future Tense" claims that in order for a person to survive in this world of rapid change, a person must adapt to the change just as rapidly. Thus emerge eight skills - perspective, pattern recognition, cultural knowledge, flexibility, vision, energy, intelligence, and global values that all leaders must acquire to do their jobs more effectively and to ensure their place in the future markets. At some points in the book, attaining these skills may seem to simple or just requires some common sense. As the old adage goes: Easier said than done. But if a person is serious about being a valuable addition to the future, there needs to be a degree of awareness and a desire to work at it. I believe that is why the book was written. Overall, the book is an easy read. Anyone, not only those in leadership positions can read the book to be mindful of what the future will look like and what abilities will be required to live in it. James introduces the skills with thoughtful chapter titles. Explanations are simple and thorough with realistic, everyday and true-to-life examples. Communication and psychology theory is creatively expressed in plain vocabulary that anyone can understand no matter what field he or she is in. Therefore, success and competitive advantage in a global market, and the skills to ease into the up and coming world is available to anyone who reads this book.
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