Powerful Times

The author, CEO of Global Business Network and associate of the Monitor Group, draws our attention to the era of uncertainty into which companies are now entering.
Section 1, which constitutes more than two-thirds of the book, describes moves likely to change our world, through seven paradoxes, each covered in separate chapters, e.g. the move toward a more transparent, but also more confusing world, the move toward greater wealth, but also greater poverty, etc. Despite the rather artificial structure, which is sometimes contorted to present each topic in the form of a paradox, each chapter is highly instructive and filled with interesting facts and well-chosen anecdotes. This entire section possesses the rare quality of being both informative and pleasant to read.
The much shorter three following sections seem somewhat less helpful in our view. Nonetheless, we would like to draw attention to chapter 10, which warns of the probable diversification of sources of innovation, and chapter 12, which explains why companies could be forced to rethink their priorities. The appendix offers a simple methodology, in the form of structured questions connected with the topics covered in the book, for those who would like to practice forward thinking.