The Future of Work and the 'Hyperbole Curve'

The perils and promise we imagine the future to hold are like a mirage on the horizon, reflecting a time that never really arrives. It is the perfect canvas for us to project our hopes and fears onto, always ahead, ominous or inviting. The result is that we fail to attend to the present and our recent past, and the clues they might offer to validate or diminish our fears and hopes. Our organizations and institutions are no different, made up as they are of imperfect and irrational individuals. Even in the face of clear examples to the contrary we often persist in assuming organizations to be rational actors, taking action based on the best information, dispassionately assessing the costs and benefits of various options before making a decision.