The Cone of Possibilities

The cone of possibilities is a helpful tool to explore what can happen in both the near term and the long term. When doing this exercise with leaders in workshops, we develop several scenarios for each category we focus on. Those categories are: the Empathy Paradox, the Algorithmic Enterprise, the Loyalty Rebellion, the Cult of Purpose, and the Integrated Organization. In the future world of the Empathy Paradox, organizations operate with a deep emotional sensitivity largely fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic that exposed the raw vulnerability of work and life. The Algorithmic Enterprise workplace of the future is driven by data and algorithms; optimization, not emotion, rules. In the Loyalty Rebellion future, long-term loyalty does not exist. Instead, employees view career success not as staying in one company but as creating “portfolio lives” that combine freelance projects, part-time roles, side hustles, and passion projects.