South Africa
What's New?

Banner Graphic.

FutureWorld News

8 September 2009 – Business day - Time to think radically

29 May 2009 – INOVUS Bodo
FutureWorld International Chairman praises Norwegian national innovation programme at INOVUS Bodo - May 2009 - watch the video...

15 May 2009 – Duke CE ranked #1 again by FT
FutureWorld's gurus have been a key resource for Duke Corporate Education globally for the past decade. This year Duke Corporate Education was ranked #1 again, for the seventh year in a row...Read more.

13 May 2009 – In conversation with...Wolfgang Grulke
Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT converses with Wolfgang Grulke of FutureWorld. Click here to read the full article.

12 November 2008 – FutureWorld powered by Deloitte launched in Latin America
A new joint-venture, 'FutureWorld powered by Deloitte' was launched in Latin America. Click here to read more...

21 July 2008 – FutureWorld Flash Survey 2008 Results
The results of the FutureWorld Flash Survey 2008 conducted earlier this year are now available. Click here to read more.

17 January 2008 – Giving identity theft the finger
PICTURE WALKING INTO a bank, placing your thumb on a fingerprint reader and drawing cash. Read more...

10 September 2007 – Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop and FutureWorld associate, dies
On 10 September a brilliant friend and associate of FutureWorld left this planet. Anita Roddick and I had often debated the future of the organization, what it could and might become, and worked with clients to execute these thoughts. Her views on the transformational potential of business are legendary. We will all miss her. As daughter Sam put it: "My mum won't die, she'll explode." That captures her spirit entirely. (By Wolfgang Grulke)

9 August 2007 – Wolfgang Grulke quoted by Microsoft
Wolfgang Grulke has recently been quoted by Microsoft in their Tech-Ed 2007 invitation....Read more

15 May 2007 – Autumn 2007 - Deep Impact Magazine
New partnership unlocks the future of business. Click here to read the article (in PDF format).

4 May 2007 – BEYOND GOLD
From humble beginnings, Harmony Gold has grown into the world's fifth-largest gold mining company. As ambitious as ever, it now plans to increase gold production by 50% within three years...Read more

4 May 2007 – THE PORTFOLIO LIFE
Wolfgang Grulke never wanted to be tied down by employees, a head office or an administration system. But he did want a business that would enable him to travel the world and help companies change their businesses by understanding the future better..Read more

4 May 2007 – NOT JUST A VIRTUAL REALITY
A new R200m partnership to inject fuel into the growth strategies of SA businesses has been formed by business and technology think-tank FutureWorld and Deloitte Consulting in Southern Africa...Read more

26 April 2007 – 'Sake-terroriste' nodig vir oorleef, meen kenner
Eet jouself voordat iemand anders jou opvreet - dis die raad wat die toekomskundige en uitvoerende hoof van FutureWorld Suid-Afrika, mnr. Neil Jacobsohn, vir sakelui het. "Moenie wag dat jou mededingers jou wys hoe jy klante moet behandel nie..."Read more

10 April 2007 – Look to the future to create radical growth
Medium size enterprises and large corporations stand to benefit from a new R200 million partnership that aims to help businesses create radical growth..Read more

27 March 2007 – NEW PARTNERSHIP TO UNLOCK THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS
Tuesday 27 March 2007
A new R200-million partnership to help South African businesses create radical growth has been formed by global business and technology think-tank FutureWorld and Deloitte Consulting in Southern Africa.
Read more

2 March 2007 – BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT - Business Day - Neil Jacobsohn
IT'S TIME to take the debate on climate change to a new level, beyond Al Gore and Nicholas Stern. It's time to focus on what we can do, rather than on whether there's a crisis.
Read more

30 October 2006 – Life 2.0 UPGRADED!
New technologies seem to be making human evolution irrelevant. We can choose to be whatever we want - stem cell organs, life extension and submarines in our veins! Whatever next? Book this keynote now!

1 July 2006 – Succeed magazine: What's keeping global executives awake at night?
Click here to read the article (in PDF format).

1 October 2005 – Business Hi-Lite: BEE & AIDS keep SA Execs awake
Click here to read the article.

23 September 2005 – Business Life
Wolfgang Grulke, CEO of FutureWorld International, on how his houseproud granny advised against procrastinating.
Do the Worst Thing First

1 September 2005 – Herald Business – Aids, BEE keep executives awake at nights, survey finds
Click here to read the article.

1 September 2005 – Business Day National – Local business 'takes eye off world affairs'
Click here to read the article.

31 August 2005 – SA business takes its eyes off the competitiveness ball
Click here to read the article.

15 June 2004, Marketing in the boardroom as an innovative challenge
Click here to read the article.

5 November 2002, The Insider Business Day - Eat more of the same in space
SOME scientists boast biotechnology advances are allowing them to create products nature neglected to provide.

Earlier this week futurologist Wolfgang Grulke told a Johannesburg audience US space agency Nasa now feeds astronauts fish cakes with no fish and steaks with zero cow input. So no change there fast food firms perfected that science years ago.

July 2002, Leadership Magazine - LESSONS IN RADICAL INNOVATION: South Africans Leading the World, By Wolfgang Grulke with Gus Silber, Published by @One Communications

GILLIAN WARREN-BROWN

In his prologue to Lessons in Radical Innovation: South Africans Leading the World, author Wolfgang Grulke boldly declares: “Innovation has become the economic religion of the 21st century, but on its own, innovation is no longer enough to differentiate you from ‘the bunch’. To thrive today, you need radical innovation.”

Before taking this thought any further, or explaining what he means by radical innovation, Grulke warns that the book is “not a roadmap to the territory called innovation”. In fact, he implies this is not a path for the faint-hearted and, unlike novels that keep the conclusion for last, he gives it right upfront, “just in case you’re in a hurry”.

This is what he concludes: “There is no guaranteed blueprint that can turn your successful business into an innovative business. There’s no golden bullet for radical innovation.” And if that’s still not enough to shake you out of your comfort zone, he suggests that failure is the best catalyst for innovation.

But then Grulke, chairman of the global business and technology think-tank FutureWorld and author of Ten Lessons from the Future, is not out to pamper egos. He sees himself more as a catalyst for out-of-the-box thinking.

If you get this far (page 2 of the prologue), and you haven’t been put off yet, you’re likely to be one of those willing to take the risks, to make that leap into the quicksand-under-your-feet world of radical innovation, where the stakes are high — and if you succeed, the returns are even higher.

This is the nub of the issue: if you continue to run your successful business as you always have, you will probably continue to be successful, and your business will grow in an “evolutionary” way. While this is not in itself a bad thing, it is also not the way “Top 100” companies got to be where they are.

But Grulke is not advocating a blind leap. In this savvy, highly practical book, he writes about the tools businesses can use to do things differently and the kind of leadership needed to make radical innovation work for you.

There are also simple graphics he calls the Creative Destruction matrix, which he and his team use to help businesses choose how to divide their resources — keeping some in the “evolutionary innovation” box and allocating a portion to “radical innovation”.

If words like “creative destruction” make you nervous, Grulke reassures: “Only radical innovation builds future markets and ensures future relevance.” And isn’t that what all businesses want?

To his credit, Grulke devotes the bulk of the book to examples of South African leaders and companies that have taken the leap — and succeeded. These include Mark Shuttleworth, Citadel and Deloitte & Touche.

These stories are a good counterbalance to his challenges. What they also say is that there are South Africans who are world leaders in this scary but highly fulfilling area of radical innovation. In fact some, like Johnnic, have completely reinvented themselves (transforming from a mining company into a media group).

Each of these chapters is followed by a neat summary of the lessons learnt by that company, and white space for you to record your own.

There’s also a section on how to apply what he calls “Strategic Thinking and Strategic Action” — how to learn from the future so that you can innovate radically.

The design of the book is unusual in the business genre — its typographic approach, using different font sizes in the text, can be a little disturbing, but nonetheless achieves its aim of emphasising certain points.

Above all, Lessons in Radical Innovation is an inspiring, energising book that challenges one’s notions of excellence and pushes the boundaries of growth into another dimension.

2 May 2002

Wolfgang on cover of

Wolfgang appeared on the front cover of the Finansies & Tegniek magazine. This is an Afrikaans magazine, based in South Africa. The title of the article was "New technology that will change your life".

19 February 2002 - Acclaim for the latest FutureWorld book
Click here for details and on-line purchasing of Lessons in Radical Innovation.

"Lessons in Radical Innovation is a MUST READ if you want to understand the new business paradigm and make the mind shift needed to develop business models for the corporate enterprise moving forward. A tremendous guide through the scary yet exhilarating landscape of innovation.

You can no longer rely just on the experience of past success, nor is pure innovation enough to thrive in future. RADICAL Innovation is the name of the game, and Wolfgang Grulke is the gamemaster!" Radames Soto- Managing Director, The Wall Street Journal Interactive

“Lessons in Radical Innovation is a highly readable and original book on innovation. It will educate, challenge and delight you, and should become required reading for any manager interested in building the markets of the future.” Professor Costas Markides, Robert Bauman Professor of Strategic Leadership and Chairman of the Strategy Department, London Business School

10 February 2002 - Latest Communication Released
Life 2.0 - the impact of emerging technologies, such as Biotechnology and Nanotechnology. Business Opportunities will abound! Personal implications are amazing! Upgrade now - Life 2.0 is available.

3 February 2002 - CHANGE IN BUSINESS, By LEON PADAYACHY, Sunday Times
Innovation is not an option - it's an imperative, says author

South Africa is one of the "most innovative" countries in the world, but people, businesses and government need to take the "innovative bit" between their teeth and generate more economic success. This is the message from renowned writer and business practitioner Wolfgang Grulke, who has just published a new book, Lessons in Radical Innovation.

Click here to read more about the serialisation of Wolfgang's new book, Lessons in Radical Innovation.

10 November 2001 - Prof. Andy Andrews and Terry Annecke Joins FutureWorld
Find out more on our Guru's Page.

1 October 2001 - FutureWorld Presents: Quantum Relationships
Find out more here...

30 September 2001, The Campaigner - Knee-jerk reaction of GM foods could be an own goal for economy
Click here to read the article.

FutureWorld Press Releases

31 August 2005, SA business takes its eyes off the competitiveness ball
Click here to read the article.

Adverts placed by FutureWorld - click the link to see the image: