The Role of Futurists: Helping Organizations Plan a Path Forward

September 15, 2020
Hosted by Bonnie D. Graham

[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]

Guest Information

Episode Description

The buzz: “Futurology is concerned with ‘three P's and a W’, i.e. ‘possible, probable, and preferable’ futures, plus ‘wildcards’, which are low-probability, high-impact events, should they occur In The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin distinguished futurology – the business of prophets, clairvoyants, and futurists – from novelists, whose ‘business is lying.’” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurist From 2000 to January 2020, the business world was changing rapidly. Then Covid-19 hit and the rate intensified. Uncertainty soared and continues. Some companies were prepared for disruption. Others may never recover. Forward-thinking companies engaged futurists to predict and assess trends. What do futurists really do for business organizations? Once the pandemic hit, how well did they predict its impact? Can they help companies protect themselves for the future? We’ll ask futurists Mike Bechtel at Deloitte, and Timo Elliott and Tom Raftery at SAP to explain their role and share insights.

Think Tank Radio: Conversations in a Digital World

New shows weekly on VoiceAmerica Business Channel

Our world is shifting, changing, and digitalizing at a faster pace than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the way we live and work and, for business leaders, there are still many more questions than answers.

What is coming next and how can your organization prepare to thrive in an uncertain future?

Pour a coffee and join host and moderator Bonnie D. Graham for this timely series of conversations with cross-industry executives. Together, they will be uncovering new perspectives on topics spanning IT, innovation, and more.

Learn about the strategic approaches, and the technologies that power them, that can transform your organization and set it up for success in the years to come.

Think Tank: Conversations in a digital world. Presented by SAP, in collaboration with Microsoft and Intel. Now available on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel.

Bonnie D. Graham

Bonnie D. Graham produced and hosted her first live talk radio show in 1998 on AM1240–WGBB, Long Island, NY’s oldest terrestrial radio station. A few years later, she moved from terrestrial to Internet radio with her author interview show, “Up Close and Personal.” In 2011, working at the enterprise software leader SAP, she developed the concept for a weekly live global business thought leadership roundtable series on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel – and launched “Coffee Break with Game-Changers” on October 5, 2011. Over the next nine years, Bonnie D. created, produced and hosted 46 additional SAP series on the Business Channel, attracting millions of listeners around the world. Since becoming an independent broadcaster in 2019, she has developed and hosted live radio and podcast series on the Business Channel for eight additional organizations, as well as her own weekly series, “Read My Lips: Cool Conversations with Creatives with akaRadioRed,” on the Empowerment Channel. In 2023, her live-streaming “Technology Revolution: The Future of Now” series was ranked No. 6 on FeedSpot’s Top 70 Technology Podcasts to Listen to in 2023. What powers Bonnie D.’s passion for radio? She “loves speaking with smart people!”

This site is protected by Trustwave's Trusted Commerce program