1Well, I've been talking to managers in a number of businesses,
2and reading surveys about the future of management.
3And what I'm going to present in this seminar
4is a few ideas about how the activity is likely to change in the next ten years.
5It isn't a scientific, statistical analysis -
6just some ideas for us to discuss.
7One area I want to mention is business markets,
8and I'm sure a really significant development will be a major increase in competition,
9with companies from all around the world trying to sell similar products.
10Consumers will have much more choice,
11for instance, food products sold in Australia might be manufactured in the USA, China, Finland and dozens of other countries.
12At the same time, mergers and takeovers mean that governments are actually losing power to major global corporations.
13We can probably all think of companies that exert a great deal of influence,
14which may be good for consumers.
15A third point I want to make about markets
16is that in the rapidly expanding economies,
17such as India, China, Brazil and Russia,
18demand is growing very fast.
19This is putting pressure on resources all over the world.
20I think businesses are becoming more open to external influences.
21In particular, companies are consulting customers more and more before making their business decisions.
22Companies are finding out what they want and providing it,
23instead of making products and then trying to sell them,
24which is the model of years ago.
25Another influence is that concerns about the environment will force manufacturers to extend product lifecycles,
26to reduce the amount of pollution and waste.
27And in some cases, regulation will need to be strengthened.
28Many societies are much more fluid and democratic,
29and the structure of companies is changing to reflect that.
30I think we're going to see a greater emphasis within companies on teams created with a specific project in mind.
31And when they're completed,
32the teams will be disbanded and new ones formed.
33More and more people see work as simply one part of their lifestyle,
34and not the most important one,
35and as the workforce is shrinking in some countries,
36businesses are having to compete for staff instead of being able to choose among a lot of applicants.
37Typical examples that will attract and retain staff are traditional ones like flexible hours and -
38something that has been made possible by advances in technology - remote working,
39with people based at their home, abroad, or almost anywhere they choose.
40Management styles will almost certainly continue to change.
41Senior managers will require a lot more than the efficiency that they've always needed.
42Above all they'll need great skills in leadership,
43so that their organisation can initiate and respond to change in a fast-moving world,
44where they face lots of competing requirements and potential conflicts.
45In most of the world, the senior managers of large businesses are mainly men in their fifties and sixties.
46The predominant style of management will almost certainly become more consultative and collaborative,
47caused above all, by more women moving into senior management positions.
48Many of the changes are influenced by developments in the wider economy.
49The traditional emphasis of business was manufacturing,
50and of course the service sector is very important.
51But we shouldn't overlook the growing financial contribution of IP, that is, intellectual property.
52Some books and films generate enormous sums from the sale of related DVDs, music, games, clothes, and so on.
53Another point I'd like to make is that although I've been talking about companies,
54one trend that they have to face is the move away from people working for the same employer for years.
55Instead, more and more people are becoming self-employed,
56to gain the freedom and control over their lives that they're unlikely to get from being employed.
57OK, well that's all I want to say,
58so let's open it up for discussion.