Institute For The Future

2004 Map of the Decade

"The future is an intersection of trends and aspirations, of memory and imagination."

History sets the course, but innovation and improvisation create discontinuities. Each year, the Institute for the Future (IFTF) seeks to map this sometimes-confusing grid of probabilities and possibilities to create a framework for thinking about the choices we face right now, today.

The 2004 Map of the Decade is a snapshot of the last year's research at IFTF. It focuses on five key areas that we have tracked in details: markets, places, people, practices, and tools. At the same time, it highlights six big shifts that will play a formative role in the future. Together these form a matrix that can help make sense out of the world we're co-creating, day by day.

We hope this map can provide a perspective for the many important conversations that will take place this year--in boardrooms and meeting halls, in conference and community spaces. Please feel free to contact us if we can contribute in other ways to these conversations.