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Widely divergent views of the future exist at the current time. Almost all people, and the groups to which they belong, are so sure of their ideas that they are willing to do anything necessary to achieve their goals. Suggests that, given that humanity is now in charge of the future of the planet, it is essential that we reintroduce a commitment to civil dialogue and attempt to find common ground between apparently incompatible purposes. It is only in this way that we can benefit from today’s “insurmountable opportunities”. Discusses four possible scenarios of the future: a continuation of maximum growth and maximum employment strategy; a concentration on technological innovation; a return to the past; transformations in attitudes to success and reward systems.

“May you live in interesting times” goes an old Chinese curse. As you contemplate the times in which we live, expand your thinking beyond business. Remember that you have children and grandchildren whose needs and future you care about, and let's start turning that curse into a blessing. Recall Margaret Mead's revelation: “We are all immigrants into a new time.”

Robert Theobald and Bruce Lloyd discuss the need to rethink our social structures, priorities and what we mean by leadership. Presents the challenges facing the world, but especially for politicians and those involved in international agencies, in the millennium ahead.

We are facing a new kind of turbulence—a combination of social, technical, political, and market change—that is different than any experienced in previous human history. Today's adaptive organizations see turbulence as an opportunity for innovation and creativity.

The future beckons… a new millennium…

We need change. We need large‐scale change. We need immediate change.

Looks at the possible directions in which the information superhighway could take us, considering both the benefits of increased knowledge and subsequent increased participation and also the dangers such as the excess of raw information. Suggests that this information needs to be structured and packaged if it is to have a positive effect. Considers these points in a global sense in terms of humanity as a whole.

Global government is on the rise, and with it a devolution of power to the grassroots. Subjugating nature is out of fashion and ecological living is the new imperative. The next generation of leaders will emerge not from the political class but from ordinary communities, bringing with them new modes of learning and new definitions of intelligence.

Forces of international competition and innovations within organizations have led to the development of employee involvement programmes, including self‐managing work teams. The widespread use of such programmes poses special problems for human resource management. Outlines how the human resource management process and the role of the HRM professional can be changed to increase the effectiveness of self‐managing work teams.

The emerging technological work culture calls for a massive re‐education of the existing workforce, especially for the new careers emerging as a result of the revolutions in microelectronics, biotechnology and communication. In this monograph the author argues that for management it demands a new attitude toward employees as human capital. For the average worker, especially those displaced by the new technologies, it will require re‐education focused on skill development for new careers and service activities.