The future most probably will be hybrid, but the proportions of work-from-home and in-office time are far from settled — This reflection is already leading many to focus on the in-person, face-to-face moments that matter for collaboration, alignment, community, and so on.
Cube farms need to be redesigned and fundamentally challenged — Much of today’s office space won’t meet the needs of tenants and workers in a hybrid world. There will be surplus of space and a scarcity of offices purpose-built for hybrid work.
The energy impact of big data and AI — When many countries and big corporates are seriously acting to curb energy usage and climate-affecting emissions, AI and big data are scaling up. This pits two positives against each other — The power of AI and big data to improve efficiencies, insights, outcomes, and living standards and the need to consume less energy to mitigate global warming.
COVID-19 is a (hopefully) temporary phenomenon, but it will have a wide range of long-term economic effects that we have barely begun to understand. As just examples, COVID-19-driven changes to the commercial real-estate market will have material negative impacts on the budgets of every major city and developed country for years to come. And labor shortages plus global supply chain stories will continue to grow. 2022 will be about slowly coming to grips with what it all means.
Cybersecurity — It’s going to attract much attention in 2022. It demands our attention because it affects everyone’s safety as we all live online nowadays.
ENVISIONING A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Complex issues seldom have easy answers. Decarbonization and the energy transition in service of sustainable, long-term growth will take collective will in the coming years — The effects of climate change became increasingly visible in 2021. The COP26 meetings drove a number of commitments as leaders reckoned with what it will take to stabilize global temperature increases at 1.5°C and achieve other energy-related sustainable-development goals.
Tackling these challenges successfully will require experimentation, speed, and broad coalitions for change.
Thank you so much for being a part of everything we do Have a fabulous New Year!
