Signals from the Future: Leading in a world of invisible disruptions

The Philippines just had an election on May 12 and with Filipinos so used to political maneuverings and the entertainment-colored lens with which the candidates were viewed, the results came as a major surprise.

- ALMA RITA R. JIMENEZ

Many candidates that emerged as winners came from the periphery — those that did not expect to win but ran nevertheless in hopes of good governance. And a number of those who rode on the crest of surveys that predicted them winning, lost. Entertainers, political clans, traditional politicians banking on their status and influence that served them for many years did not see the loss coming. Unexpected, therefore unprepared — and all this happened without warning signs.

This Philippine experience mirrors the state of the global order today. Disruptions are moving stealthily, more subtly, are harder to detect, and remain invisible until we feel their effects cascade across industries, economies, and nations. They move beneath the surface, altering the landscape before many realize a shift has occurred.

The past few years had been trying times as business leaders contended with visible disruptions — a global pandemic, economic shocks, social upheavals, and disruptive technological advances, among others — testing their resolve and agility to navigate the effects. Rising above these crises took a while, but pivots are easier because the “enemies” are known and therefore can be managed. What happens when these changes are imperceptible forces that ripple quietly but are no less profound?

A FUTURE WITHOUT A BLUEPRINT