Organisational futures: unprepared for the surprises to come

Quantitative research, with 1,000 organisations over four years, is the basis for an exploration of their views of future issues affecting them and, in particular, of changes in their structures and working patterns. The main impression, though is one of widespread conservatism, where they give a relatively low level of importance to the key issues which other research indicates may have the greatest impact on their long‐term survival. Thus, they report that the current form of structure is still overwhelmingly that of the traditional hierarchy. Although they show one indication of a more radical approach, in expecting hierarchical organisation to halve its share by 2020 AD, they do not look for major changes in stakeholder power (currently dominated, as might be expected, by shareholders and senior managers) or in the work activities that are undertaken; though the most prevalent form of activity is already that of “communication” in some form or other.