The Future Business … Reinventing the corporation for an age of relentless change … from atoms to bytes, legacy to foresight, efficiency to agility … how a new generation of companies thrive in a new world

May 22, 2025

We live in a time of great promise but also great uncertainty.

Markets are more crowded, competition is intense, customer aspirations are constantly fuelled by new innovations and dreams. Technology disrupts every industry, from banking to construction, entertainment to healthcare. It drives new possibilities and solutions, but also speed and complexity, uncertainty and fear.

As digital and physical worlds fuse to augment how we live and work, AI and robotics enhance but also challenge our capabilities, whilst ubiquitous supercomputing, genetic editing and self-driving cars take us further.

Technologies with the power to help us leap forwards in unimaginable ways. To transform business, to solve our big problems, to drive radical innovation, to accelerate growth and achieve progress socially and environmentally too.

We are likely to see more change in the next 10 years than the last 250 years.

  • Markets accelerate, 4 times faster than 20 years ago, based on the accelerating speed of innovation and diminishing lifecycles of products.
  • People are more capable, 825 times more connected than 20 years ago, with access to education, unlimited knowledge, tools to create anything.
  • Consumer attitudes change, 78% of young people choose brands that do good, they reject corporate jobs, and see the world with the lens of gamers.

However, change goes far beyond the technology.

Markets will transform, converge and evolve faster. From old town Ann Arbor to the rejuvenated Bilbao, today’s megacities like Chennai and the future Saudi tech city of Neom, economic power will continue to shift. China has risen to the top of the new global business order, whilst India and eventually Africa will follow.

Industrialisation challenges the natural equilibrium of our planet’s resources. Today’s climate crisis is the result of our progress, and our problem to solve. Globalisation challenges our old notions of nationhood and locality. Migration changes where we call home. Religious values compete with social values, economic priorities conflict with social priorities. Living standards improve but inequality grows.

Our current economic system is stretched to its limit. Global shocks, such as the global pandemic of 2020, exposes its fragility. We open our eyes to realise that we weren’t prepared for different futures, and that our drive for efficiency has left us unable to cope. Such crises will become more frequent, as change and disruption accelerate.

However, these shocks are more likely to accelerate change in business, rather than stifle it, to wake us up to the real impacts of our changing world – to the urgency of action, to the need to think and act more dramatically.

The old codes don’t work

Business is not fit for the future. Most organisations were designed for stable and predictable worlds, where the future evolves as planned, markets are definitive, and choices are clear.

The future isn’t like it used to be.

Dynamic markets are, by definition, turbulent. Whilst economic cycles have typically followed a pattern of peaks and troughs every 10-15 years, these will likely become more frequent.  Change is fast and exponential, uncertain and unpredictable, complex and ambiguous demanding new interpretation and imagination.

Yet too many business leaders hope that the strategies that made them successful in the past will continue to work in the future. They seek to keep stretching the old models in the hope that they will continue to see them through. Old business plans are tweaked each year, infrastructures are tested to breaking point, and people are asked to work harder.

In a way of dramatic, unpredictable change, this is not enough to survive, let alone thrive.

  • Growth is harder. Global GDP growth has declined by more than a third in the past decade. As the west stagnates, Asia grows, albeit more slowly.
  • Companies struggle, their average lifespan falling from 75 years in 1950 to 15 years today, 52% of the Fortune 500 in 2000 no longer exist in 2020.
  • Leaders are under pressure. 44% of today’s business leaders have held their position for at least 5 years, compared to 77% half a century ago.

Profit is no longer enough; people expect business to achieve more. Business cannot exist in isolation from the world around them, pursuing customers without care for the consequence. The old single-minded obsession with profits is too limiting. Business depends more than ever on its resources – people, communities, nature, partners – and will need to find a better way to embrace them.

Technology is no longer enough; innovation needs to be more human. Technology will automate and interpret reality, but it won’t empathise and imagine new futures. Ubiquitous technology-driven innovation quickly becomes commoditised, available from anywhere in the world, so we need to add value in new ways. The future is human, creative, and intuitive. People will matter more to business, not less.

Sustaining the environment is not enough. 200 years of industrialisation has stripped the planet of its ability to renew itself, and ultimately to sustain life. Business therefore needs to give back more than it takes. As inequality and distrust have grown in every society, traditional jobs are threatened by automation and stagnation, meaning that social issues will matter even more, both globally and locally.

A new generation of businesses

In an era defined by disruption, businesses around the world are undergoing profound transformation. No longer can companies operate with the same assumptions, structures, and models that defined success in the 20th century. The “future business” is emerging as a new breed of organization—adaptive, intelligent, sustainable, and deeply connected to the world around it. Driven by converging forces such as rapid technological innovation, sustainability imperatives, geopolitical realignment, and economic volatility, the nature of business is shifting in fundamental ways.

We are not just seeing marginal improvements but deep rewiring of how companies create value, engage with stakeholders, and evolve. The question is no longer how to optimize the old system, but how to reimagine business from the ground up for an uncertain, fast-moving, and interconnected world.

Having a megatrend mindset

The future is more uncertain and complex. Future businesses must thrive amidst ever greater ambiguity –  more foresight, learning faster, being adaptive, and building resilience into their DNA. However the macro directions of change are clear, fundamentally challenging how businesses work, and where they focus.

Megatrend 1: Converging tech … AI, quantum computing, robotics, and biotech are converging to radically reshape industries. Generative AI could add $2.6 to $4.4 trillion in global economic value annually (McKinsey, 2023). The synthetic biology market alone is projected to grow to $100+ billion by 2030. Automation, smart systems, and deep tech are transforming how value is created—making innovation faster, cheaper, and more scalable. The fusion of AI, biotech, robotics, and quantum computing will create entirely new industries, products, and capabilities.

Megatrend 2: Climate crisis … Environmental risk is now economic risk. Climate change, resource depletion, and consumer expectations are forcing companies to adopt sustainable models. $4.3 trillion in annual climate damages projected by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 2.5°C (Swiss Re, 2021). The global market for clean energy technologies will surpass $1.2 trillion by 2030 (IEA, 2023). The era of extractive capitalism is being challenged. Companies face growing regulatory and market pressure to decarbonize, shift to circular models, and build climate-resilient operations.

Megatrend 3: Societal reorder … An aging population in the Global North, youth bulges in the Global South, and growing urbanisation will reshape labor markets, consumption, and health systems. By 2035, people aged 65+ will outnumber those under 18 in most OECD countries. 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 (UN). Over 90% of global population growth from now to 2050 will occur in Africa and Asia (UN). Businesses must adapt to new generational needs, health demands, urban infrastructure pressures, and talent migration.

Megatrend 4: Economic shifts … The global order is shifting from unipolar to multipolar, with rising powers reshaping trade, alliances, and global governance. By 2030, Asia will account for over 60% of global GDP growth (World Economic Forum). The Global South will comprise more than half of the global middle class by 2035. Over 75% of global manufacturing capacity now lies outside the G7 (World Bank). Economic gravity is shifting, and businesses must rethink supply chains, alliances, and growth strategies around new regional centres of influence.

Megatrend 5: Reinventing work … Technology, automation, and cultural shifts are reshaping the nature of work, skills, and organizational design. 40% of current job skills are expected to change in the next 5 years (WEF Future of Jobs Report, 2023). 85 million jobs may go unfilled by 2030 due to a lack of skilled talent, potentially costing the global economy $8.5 trillion (Korn Ferry). 77% of Gen Z workers say company values are more important than salary (Deloitte, 2023). Organizations must compete for purpose-driven, digitally fluent talent while reimagining leadership, learning, and hybrid work.

Reinventing organisations

Traditional businesses were optimized for efficiency, stability, and scale. Now, companies prioritize agility and resilience over rigid efficiency. They are restructuring to move faster, make decisions closer to the customer, and respond dynamically to change. Transformation used to be episodic; now it’s continuous. Companies must reinvent not just once, but as a habit—strategically and culturally.

The core drivers of business value have shifted to intangible assets—data, software, brands, algorithms, and culture. These are harder to see but more scalable and valuable. There’s a growing focus on sustainability, purpose, and ethics. Leading firms now embed ESG goals into their business model—not as charity, but as a competitive advantage.

Long-term planning is being replaced by real-time sensing, experimentation, and iteration. Businesses are using AI, data analytics, and digital twins to simulate, test, and adapt on the fly. Innovation is no longer confined to R&D labs. Leading firms tap into open innovation, crowd-sourcing, and co-creation with customers and partners.

The focus has moved from selling products to delivering experiences and outcomes. Subscription models, access-based services, and embedded experiences are rising. Businesses are shifting from standalone products to platforms and ecosystems that create and capture value across a broader network of partners, customers, and developers.

  • From Backwards to Forwards: Organisations are driven by future opportunities rather than legacy capabilities. They embrace foresight, scenarios and collaborations to anticipate what next, rather do what they’ve always done. DBS Bank in Singapore uses future-focused “strategic war-gaming” to stress-test decisions.
  • From Efficiency to Agility: Stable markets found advantage through efficiency and standardisation, while dynamic markets demand agility and resilience. Apple redesigned its supply chains after COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions, prioritising redundancy and regional flexibility.
  • From Shareholders to Stakeholders: Business needs to be than a money machine, more a platform for mutual value creation between all stakeholders. Unilever integrates social, environmental, and governance metrics into long-term strategy alongside profit.
  • From Hierarchy to Networks: The old command and control structures drove stability and efficiency, but have given way to more decentralised, more collaborative organisation models. GitLab operates as a remote-first, asynchronous, global team with radical transparency.
  • From Products to Platforms: Producing physical products and services have been replaced by new business models that are ecosystems of partners, driven by data and technology. Shopify enables millions of merchants through a scalable, API-driven commerce platform.
  • From Linear to Circular: As business recognises its role in society and responsibility for the environment, circular and regenerative (give more than take) systems replace old linear value chains. IKEA has committed to becoming fully circular by 2030, including designing all products with reuse and recycling in mind.

In this environment, the most successful businesses are those that treat change not as a threat but as a capability. They build the muscle for transformation—structurally, technologically, and culturally—so that they can evolve faster than the world around them.

Being future-ready

The most future-ready organizations are those that treat reinvention not as an occasional strategy but as a continuous state of being. These companies operate in a state of “permanent beta”—constantly evolving, experimenting, and preparing for the next wave of disruption before it arrives. They understand that long-term success doesn’t come from defending existing models, but from boldly letting go of what made them successful in the past and embracing the uncertainty of what comes next.

The dominant metaphor for this mindset is the S-curve: the lifecycle of growth that begins with experimentation, rises through scaling, and eventually levels off in maturity and decline. Future-ready businesses don’t wait for stagnation. They intentionally jump to the next S-curve—whether through new technologies, products, markets, or business models. In fact, they often disrupt themselves before competitors or external shocks do. This requires strategic foresight, cultural agility, and a tolerance for ambiguity that most traditional organizations struggle to maintain.

Take Microsoft, for example. Its transformation under Satya Nadella from a software-licensing giant into a cloud-first, AI-driven platform company was not a defensive move, but a proactive reinvention. It cannibalized its own legacy products, bet early on open-source and cloud technologies, and reimagined its purpose around empowering others. Similarly, Netflix moved from DVD rentals to streaming—and then again to original content—each time destroying a still-profitable business to make room for the next.

These organizations don’t view change as a threat—they see it as fuel. They embed experimentation into their culture, reward learning over perfection, and build structures that allow for rapid iteration. Amazon’s “Day One” philosophy is a well-known example, a mindset designed to keep the company in startup mode regardless of its size. Leaders of future-ready companies cultivate a culture of curiosity, encouraging teams to test, fail, and adapt without the fear of blame.

Moreover, future-ready companies don’t merely focus on digital tools or efficiency—they reimagine their value in ecosystems. They understand that being adaptable also means being open: to partnerships, new customer needs, and entirely new industries. Tesla isn’t just a car company—it’s a platform for energy, AI, robotics, and infrastructure innovation. DSM is no longer a chemicals firm, but a biosciences pioneer reshaping food, health, and materials.

To operate in permanent beta is to accept that the game is never won. Future-ready organizations embrace uncertainty as the new normal, transformation as the new routine, and learning as the only true competitive advantage. In doing so, they don’t just survive disruption—they create it. They lead not with certainty, but with vision, agility, and a restless drive to build what comes next.

Here are some of the most future-ready businesses globally—companies that are actively transforming, innovating, and positioning themselves for leadership in a rapidly changing world. These organizations stand out for embracing technology, sustainability, adaptability, and purpose:

Patagonia: Purpose as Strategy

Patagonia has long defied traditional business logic, reinvesting profits into environmental activism and regenerative agriculture. In 2022, it went further—its founder Yvon Chouinard transferred ownership to a trust and nonprofit designed to fight climate change. This radical model puts purpose at the core, not just as marketing but as governance. Patagonia proves that the future business can be both deeply principled and profitable.

Schneider Electric: Digitizing Sustainability

Headquartered in France, Schneider Electric reinvented itself from an industrial equipment maker to a global digital energy management and automation firm. It provides smart energy solutions that help other businesses reduce emissions and waste. Through IoT platforms, AI analytics, and services, Schneider blends sustainability and digitization, offering a template for how legacy firms can reinvent themselves around global needs.

DBS Bank: Startup Culture

Singapore-based DBS Bank transformed from a traditional state-run bank into a digital innovation powerhouse. It adopted agile practices at scale, flattened hierarchies, and empowered cross-functional teams. Its “platform organization” enables it to respond to shifting customer needs with speed and experimentation, making it one of the most tech-savvy banks globally.

Tesla: Energy Ecosystem

Tesla didn’t just build electric vehicles—it built an entirely new system of mobility, energy storage, charging, and AI-enabled autonomy. It merged software and hardware in a way that traditional carmakers struggled to match. Tesla’s vertical integration, open innovation model, and iterative product updates through software are blueprints for future industrial businesses.

ASML: Deep Tech

Dutch company ASML produces the world’s most advanced semiconductor lithography machines—essential to chip manufacturing. ASML is a quintessential “invisible business” powering global innovation. Its ability to lead in a hyper-specialized, capital-intensive, and geopolitically sensitive sector shows how future businesses must navigate complexity while dominating niche ecosystems.

Strategic business design

Such future-ready companies consistently demonstrate a set of core attributes that allow them to adapt, lead, and grow in a world of constant change. These shared traits go beyond sector or size; they reflect how these businesses think, operate, and evolve:

  • Strategic Foresight: Future business anticipate change and proactively reshape their business models rather than reacting passively. They use scenario planning, real-time data, and trend analysis to inform decisions. Microsoft, as an example, shifted from a license model to cloud-first, subscription-based services—years ahead of competitors.

  • Intelligent Systems: Future businesses are embedding AI not just into products, but into the very fabric of decision-making, forecasting, and customer engagement. Examples include Amazon’s AI-driven supply chain and Salesforce’s AI-enabled CRM tools.

  • Agile Architecture: They build modular organizations that can flex, pivot, and scale. This includes using microservices in tech infrastructure and cross-functional squads in organizational design.

  • Regenerative Thinking: They don’t just aim to “do less harm” but to “do more good”—whether through circular design, regenerative agriculture, or inclusive employment models.

  • Radical Transparency: Trust is currency. Open strategy, published roadmaps, stakeholder reporting, and community co-creation are becoming new norms—seen in companies like Buffer, Notion, and GitLab.

  • Continuous Reinvention: Perhaps most critically, they treat change as a constant. Companies like Microsoft, once stagnant, reinvented themselves under new leadership, embracing cloud, open source, and cross-platform ecosystems.

Looking Ahead

The business landscape of the 2030s will look dramatically different. Climate shocks, AI breakthroughs, demographic shifts, and geopolitical fragmentation will challenge every assumption about value, work, growth, and leadership. The companies that thrive will not be those that predicted the future with certainty, but those that designed themselves to evolve.

Future businesses are not defined by industry, size, or geography—but by mindset. They see complexity as opportunity, technology as a partner, and sustainability as strategy. They reject zero-sum thinking, build networks over silos, and lead with purpose rather than compliance.

This is not just a moment of transformation. It’s a redefinition of what business is, what it is for, and what it must become. The future business is already emerging—bold, adaptive, and designed to thrive in the age of relentless change.

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