| In today’s world, the only
thing for certain is change. Who could have predicted how the tragic events
of Sept. 11, 2001, would have forever shaken the global aviation
landscape? That “homeland security” would enter our
lexicon and become a major extension of defense companies’ technological
repertoires? Or that the Internet would this quickly become as
easily available and reliable in the air and on cruise ships as
it is on the ground? As Boeing has seen, events, rapidly advancing technologies,
and demographic and geopolitical shifts have already led to seismic
changes in global competition, and promise to further alter the
world in upcoming decades. We’re all more connected than
ever, and that means happenings in one region of the world most
assuredly will have a ripple effect across the globe. “Are our customers going to have a new set
of problems to address?” said Paulina Bendaña, Boeing
International Relations director of Strategy and Programs. “How
can we get ahead of the game to help them have the solutions they
need? What is our future workforce going to look like? How do we
position ourselves in terms of people resources?” While Boeing certainly is focused on immediate
and near-term execution, it’s equally critical for this increasingly
global enterprise to develop a long-range framework designed to
make it a formidable and agile competitor for years to come. That’s
why the company is taking steps today to invent and shape future
realities, rather than merely responding to them when they come
along. But what may these realities look like in, say,
the year 2025? Will we be traveling through metro areas in personal
vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles, a la “The Jetsons”?
Will airplanes become so e-enabled that technology will allow them
to diagnose their own problems before they even become problems?
Boeing Frontiers asked nationally known global
futurists, experts on international studies, and Boeing business
unit and International Relations strategy specialists what factors
will most contribute to the world we’ll face a little more
than 20 years from now. And how they expect the Boeing enterprise
to be positioned to capture pieces of the global pie.
So using demographic forecasts, economic projections,
expected technological advances—and taking a good look at
the Boeing core competencies outlined in the “Vision 2016” statement—this
forward-looking team made some educated guesses. Just how good? We’ll have to look backward
in 2025 to find out. |
