Current. Archives - Six Fingers

Look like a Dragonfly

Author: Bart van Leeuwen

We’re all familiar with the stories of companies like Kodak and Blockbuster. They were overtaken by challengers who offered the same value but made it more accessible and removed frustrations for consumers. Startups that, at first, seemed too small to change the market but ultimately caused the downfall of these organizations. Why do large companies fail while small startups disrupt the market? Blockbuster and Kodak, like everyone else, had access to key transformative insights but chose to wait rather than take action.

Our failure to recognize the signs of change in time stems from a fundamental human bias: we are linear thinkers. We immediately notice major changes but struggle to see and grasp slow transformations. Early signals are often dismissed as noise or irrelevant anomalies. Most of the time, they go unnoticed because they arise in areas organizations aren’t paying attention to.

6 January 2025

Beware of the annual plan without Questions.

Author: Rob Adams

Where December is marked by Christmas, the end of the year is defined by drafting annual plans. A process that has become more of a habit than a meaningful ritual. What could be an inspiring activity where creativity and forward-thinking go hand in hand has, for many organizations, turned into an exercise in filling out spreadsheets. It has become a routine, pre-scheduled task aimed at planning down to the last decimal. But shouldn’t it be about looking ahead and challenging ourselves?

A year plan without questions is like a body without a brain. Everything gets executed, but the intelligence is missing. Having answers means you possess knowledge. Asking the right questions means you possess intelligence.

16 December 2024

Gen X (1965 – 1980)

Author: Luuk Huijsmans

Let us introduce you to Generation X. A generation that isn’t equally represented in the media compared to Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z. As a result, you might not immediately picture a “typical Gen Xer” in your mind. In fact, most Gen Xers we spoke to didn’t even know they were part of this generation.

Members of this generation were born between 1965 and 1980, following the Baby Boomers. Like every generation, they were shaped by the circumstances in which they grew up, which now influence their norms, values, and beliefs. Fortunately, apart from the obstacle of busy schedules, it’s not difficult to reach or speak with Gen Xers. We interviewed colleagues, friends, and unfamiliar Gen Xers to answer the question: “What defines Generation X?”

26 November 2024

Key Learning Indicators (KLIs) as a Long-Term Steering Instrument

Author: Rob Adams

The future cannot be predicted—that much is certain. However, you can prepare for it and invest in gaining more control. Building your adaptive capacity to interpret and act swiftly is crucial in a world where the environment is constantly changing. The more you know, the more you perceive, and the better you understand which questions will be relevant for the future.

A high ROL (Return on Learning) represents this forward-thinking mindset in organizations. Achieving steep learning curves holds immense value, as without these lessons, it is impossible to tackle complex challenges or fully recognize and seize opportunities.

7 October 2024

Non-linear Thinking

Author: Rob Adams

Traditional forms of strategy development carry a high degree of arrogance. The underlying assumption is that there is a role to play in the future and, moreover, that the company will even exist at that time. The existing organization and sector are central, and the strategy is stretched into the future. This is fine, of course, if the current role remains relevant and the existing dominant logic still holds true. Thus, the strategy is, as it is elegantly put, recalibrated.

However, this static way of working creates a significant problem when the future demands a new perspective. We live in a time where systems increasingly influence each other in non-linear ways.

20 June 2024

The Silent Generation

Author: Luuk Huijsmans

With freshly bought apple pies and a can of whipped cream under our arms, we are on our way to the Zonnehof care facility in Tilburg. It’s time for a good conversation over a cup of coffee with the ‘silent generation.’

The silent generation was born between 1928 and 1945. Today, they are between 79 and 96 years old. They grew up during or just after the Second World War and experienced the complex reconstruction of the Netherlands—a period in which they dutifully did what was necessary. In order to build toward a brighter future, hard work was required. Many did not experience any form of luxury or wealth, yet there was no complaining. In contrast to the silent generation, the Baby Boomer generation is otherwise known as the protest generation. The contrast between these two generations’ peaceful and protesting natures led to the name ‘the silent generation.’

16 May 2024

Do you belong to the 2 percent?

Author: Rob Adams

As we age, our brains become less capable of seeing, let alone coming up with, new and innovative solutions. A notable study demonstrating this is research conducted by George Land.

How can you select the right creative engineers and scientists who need to work on groundbreaking innovations? This question preoccupied George Land at NASA in the 1960s.

18 April 2024

Why does the word "non-judgmental" not exist?

Author: Rob Adams

Non-judgmental. A word not recognized by Word. And the Dutch dictionary Van Dale returns the result ‘No result for non-judgmental. The word is misspelled or it is not in the free dictionary.’

Isn’t it strange that judgment exists but non-judgmental does not? As if making a judgment has a right to exist and collecting non-judgmentally does not. Isn’t the problem that situations are already considered with assumptions, standards, and whatnot, causing crucial insights to be unseen, unheard, and uncollected?

25 March 2024

In Conversation with Gen Z

Author: Luuk Huismans
Your teenage daughter is sitting at home on the couch, FaceTiming one of her friends. Slang like “GOAT” and “delulu is the solulu” are hitting you over the head. At this moment, you may feel older than you are. You refrain from asking your daughter what all those things mean, as it would be embarrassing and ‘boomer’. We’ve interviewed a group of young Gen Z-ers to ask the questions you don’t get to ask at the dinner table.

Allow us to introduce Gen Z, also known as the “iGeneration,” born between 1997 and 2010. There are currently around three million Gen Z-ers in the Netherlands who are studying or just starting their careers. Here are some characteristics of Generation Z:

🛜 Known as ‘digital natives’ because they grew up with the internet.
🏳️‍🌈 Embraces and is accustomed to more diversity.
🌩️ Known as a melancholic generation, partly due to concerns about climate and a well-informed understanding of mental health issues.
☯️ Grew up in uncertain times and therefore has a greater need for stability, both socially and financially.
✊Represents strong social and political views and considers these views in day-to-day decision-making.

Six Fingers engaged in a conversation with some Gen Z-ers to find out if they identify with the stereotypes and assumptions about their generation.

17 January 2024

Current

The obvious importance of Future Thinking

Autor: Rob Adams
30 years ago, people were taken aback by the idea that in the future, everyone would have a computer network in their homes, and electronic mail communication would become a reality. The concept of media entertainment without leaving your home was considered entirely bizarre. And yet, here we all are, living in that world.

Here are some future questions to ponder: Will Antarctica become the major geopolitical problem due to access to marine food, essential minerals, ores, and energy sources? How will AI alter our work and affect our identities? What will be the impact of VR on sports experiences and concerts, reshaping the role of stadiums and stages?

17 October 2023

Current

In a time of wars

Autor: Rob Adams
In a time of wars, polarization, short-term thinking, profit-seeking, turning a blind eye to scientific evidence and a failure to respond collectively to the destruction of our environment, hope may not be the wisest thing. We see icebergs appear and, like the Titanic, we continue to watch and talk rather than act and change course. And we know how it ended with the Titanic.

Right now, because of all matters that demand attention, there seems to be no time for long-term thinking, if there ever was any. After all, the future has no voice yet, while the here and now are constantly screaming for attention. Thereby, thinking about the future can be postponed by another day each day, for today often demands immediate action and attention.

12 October 2023

Current

Every problem has already been solved

Author: Rob Adams
Every problem has already been solved. The solution in one sector can be of significant value to another sector. Many organizations and governments continuously focus on their own sector.

This way of thinking is traditional benchmarking. However, organizations within the same sector face similar problems and obstacles and think and operate according to the same dominant logic. This is a significant reason why much innovation comes from new entrants in a sector.

2 October 2023

Current

Adaptive capability is crucial

Author: Rob Adams
Adaptive capability is crucial. As humans, we operate under the assumption of a predictable and controllable world, a risky assumption as demonstrated by chaos theory.

In 1961, American mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz worked on a computer model at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The model aimed to make predictions about the atmosphere and, consequently, the weather. During simulations, he noticed deviations and realized that the model yielded different outcomes each time. His initial thought, naturally, was that the computer model might be flawed, as humans, after all, aim to explain everything. However, his assumptions proved to be wrong.

3 September 2023

Current

Beware of averages

Author: Rob Adams
You can stand with your left leg in water at a temperature of 1 degree and stand with your right leg at a temperature of 73 degrees. You will be pretty comfortable on average, but both legs will die.

The logic within organizations, formed by seeking unanimity, tends toward average thinking. And that is a great danger. Avoiding discussions that deviate from average thinking can seriously jeopardize the future. But as humans, we simply like to avoid or postpone conflicts to another day, each day.

24 July 2023

Current

From the Age of Knowledge to the Age of Intelligence

Author: Rob Adams
We are approaching an era where we are transitioning from a time of knowledge to a time of intelligence. Knowledge is everywhere and becoming increasingly accessible. Just as I.T. once provided a competitive advantage to large companies but was eventually caught up by Moore’s Law, the same will happen with knowledge.

While large companies may currently hold a knowledge advantage, technology (think A.I.) will swiftly erode that advantage. In transitions that call for breakthroughs, expertise can become a barrier to the future. The focus for governments and companies will need to shift from providing the right answers to asking the right questions.

6 July 2023

Current

A Call to Democracy

Author: Rob Adams
It is nearly impossible to implement long-term policies in a multi-party political system, where strategic and personal interests take precedence in decision-making. We have witnessed an explicit example of this last night with the resignation of the Rutte-IV cabinet. Short-term thinking predominates.

However, we have reached a point in our history where we can no longer solve our problems using the old and existing ways of thinking. We are grappling with significant challenges for the future, be it climate, urban development, construction methods, energy, or security arrangements. New perspectives are imperative and urgently needed.

14 June 2023

Current

Once, we lived in a cave.

Author: Rob Adams

Without questions and wonder, the future remains closed. However, we live in a time of answers, not a time of questions. You see it every day. In a society where politicians fight each other based on their beliefs, countries battle over dogmas, and believers engage in conflict due to their interpretations of God. And you see it in your surroundings. Teachers instructing children to provide correct answers, parents going crazy over the question “why,” and organizations persisting in their dominant logic no matter what happens.

The world seems to be stuck, with complex problems strangling each other. Many systems are entirely stuck. Look at education, healthcare, the energy transition, and housing. Of course, I see that too. However, I believe in and recognize the power of asking new questions to explore the future from diverse perspectives. Optimism is justified when we find and ask the right questions.

Education

How will we learn in the future?

Education is the key to a world with more opportunities and equal chances for everyone. Six Fingers collaborates on improving the quality of education and creating a more effective education system.

Learning is undergoing a significant change. ChatGPT, digitalization, and remote learning – are just a few developments that are affecting the forms of education in the future. These developments also impact the teacher’s profession, who will have to keep up with these changes. But that’s not the only influence – the world of work is changing too. New professions will emerge, so the content taught in education will also change. Add a new audience who is raised with technology and thinks and works differently than teachers, and it’s clear that the shifting dynamics are creating a dilemma zone. Holding onto and improving the existing system is not the solution; the world of education needs to innovate.

Data

How can we comprehend the explosive increase in data and technology?

Approximately 65 percent of the world’s population (around 5.6 billion people) are connected to the internet. Besides, 30 billion IoT devices are also constantly connected to the internet. In 2021, they created 79 zettabytes of data. Predictions suggest that in the next three years, more data will be produced than in the past 30 years.

This astonishing rapid growth is primarily driven by digital technological innovation by a handful of Big Tech companies that view the world as their market. They utilize the most advanced influencing technologies to achieve their goals based on the data they obtain. They turn their customers into products in exchange for “free” services.

Cities

Can mobility improve livability in cities?

The time we live in offers the opportunity to return to the drawing board and rethink livable cities. As a society, we seem to be on a mission to make systems as efficient as possible. But the question of whether those systems actually contribute to our well-being and happiness needs to be asked more according to us.

In the current design, the system’s efficiency and, as a derivative, urban planning for cars are central. It seems as if cities are made for cars, not for people. Smart cities have dominated the past decade. We use technology as a goal rather than a means, with the system’s efficiency as the outcome.

Consciously or unconsciously, we view mobility through an efficiency lens. Challenging this is vital for innovation.

Food

What does the world of food look like in 2033?

The importance of food does not need to be explained. It is a necessity and, at the same time, a source of pleasure and social gathering.

After the Second World War, many countries proclaimed, “We will never know hunger again.” Pursuing this idea has led to a one-sided view of food production and extreme efficiency. It was a significant gain back then, but if we don’t change this perspective, it will be a significant loss in the future. With a growing global population, more agricultural land is required, and livestock demands more food and water. However, there is an increasing scarcity of these resources.

How do we change consumer preferences? What new forms of agriculture are conceivable? What will the landscape look like in ten years from now? What role can packaging play in extending product usage? Are new forms of food imaginable?

Living

How do we build and live in the future?

The boundaries of the construction system have been stretched considerably. Currently, over 400,000 Dutch citizens are in search of housing, and 5.8 million homes require renovation. It’s an enormous challenge.

For 75 years, the construction industry has invested in concrete and stone. The focus was on building faster, more efficiently, and more affordably, with less emphasis on well-being and the world we live in.

We need to think and act differently to find breakthrough solutions and address current issues. We believe it is possible. We are optimists. Seventeen years of research into solutions have equipped us with the tools to offer affordable, sustainable, and healthy solutions. Together, we can accelerate with consideration for the world we and future generations inhabit.

National Committee of the 4th and 5th May

How will we commemorate World War II on May 4th and 5th in the future?

What does the future of May 4th and 5th look like? How can we ensure that remembering remains valuable for everyone in the Netherlands? And how can we ensure that the lessons of the past will stay on the radar in the future? Big questions without easy answers.

Peace and freedom are an obviousness to the Dutch. But peace is a shared project to which everyone can and must contribute.

You would think that we are still aware of the atrocities of World War II. However, that is not the case. Research from 2023 shows that 23 percent of young people born since 1980 doubt the persecution of Jews during World War II. It also appears that a third to more than half of them know little about the genocide. Alarming, but also a fact. What are we doing wrong as a society when history fades from memory?