The Great Remobilization: Strategies and Designs for a Smarter Global Future

by Olaf Groth, Mark Esposito (Editor), Terence Tse (Editor)

Overview

How the turmoil of recent years gives leaders an unprecedented opportunity to redesign global strategies and systems and to remobilize toward a smarter, more resilient, and equitable future.

How can leaders faced with tremendous global upheaval create more resilient and trustworthy systems? In The Great Remobilization, Olaf Groth, Mark Esposito, and Terence Tse (along with research partner Dan Zehr) diagnose tectonic shifts in the global economy with an eye toward designing a smarter “operating system” for the world. Through their FLP-IT (forces, logic, phenomena, impact, and triage) framework for strategic leadership, the authors chart a path forward, providing guidance for a new breed of “design activist leader.” Focusing on key tectonic shifts they call the Five Cs—COVID and pandemic management, the cognitive economy and crypto, cybersecurity, climate change and carbon management, and China—they examine the implications that new forces and logics will have on countries, organizations, and individuals.

Drawing from one hundred interviews and conversations with top-level executives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, diplomats, generals, scholars, and other leading experts from around the world, the authors show how to create new inclusive visions with the aim of rebuilding the trust that will allow for both human and economic growth. Insightful and forward-thinking, The Great Remobilization powerfully illustrates the rare opportunity that we have in this historic moment to actively redesign our fragile, overpressurized global systems and develop new strategies and leadership approaches for the future. Authored by three scholar-practitioners, their synthetic perspectives and insights are at once rooted in deep research and focused on relevance for leaders and their organizations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262047937
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	10/17/2023
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.87(d)

About the Author

Olaf Groth is CEO of Cambrian Futures and Cambrian Labs, professional faculty at UC Berkeley Haas, Hult IBS and UT Malaysia, and co-author of The Great Remobilization and Solomon’s Code. He advises executives, investors and policy makers on AI, emerging tech, global strategy, and the global economy and contributes as an expert to the World Economic Forum and major media outlets globally.

Mark Esposito is Professor of Economics at Hult International Business School, Professor of Public Policy at Mohamed Bin Rashid School of Government, and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. He is a Harvard social scientist with affiliations with the Center for International Development at Harvard Kennedy School, at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science and the Davis Center for Eurasian Studies. He has been affiliate faculty of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, under the mentorship of Prof. Michael E. Porter. He advises governments in the GCC and Eurasia regions and is a global expert of the World Economic Forum. He co-founded Nexus FrontierTech, a Machine Learning research lab and The Circular Economy Alliance, an EdTech firm.

Terence Tse is Professor of Finance at Hult International Business School, Affiliate Professor at ESCP Business School, and Visiting Professor at Cotrugli Business School. He is cofounder and executive director of the AI company Nexus FrontierTech. He also cofounded Excellere, a think tank. A highly sought out speaker, he is coauthor of The AI Republic and Understanding How the Future Unfolds, and the author of Corporate Finance: The Basics.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1
I 
1 From Crises to Opportunities: FLP-IT Forward 23
II Forces
2 Red Hot Cataclysm: Geopolitical Curveballs 49
3 Flexibility or Feudalism: Digital Actors Adrift 69
4 Inside Out: Tech on the Brain 93
III Logic Phenomena
5 Connected, Not Convergent: Integrating a Fragmented World 107
6 Catching Mice: Governing in a Trustless World 123
IV Impact and Triage
8 The Chaos Ahead: Practicing Pivots toward Opportunities 151
9 The DAL Manifesto: Designing a Smarter World 171
Conclusion: The Road to Remobilization 201
Acknowledgments 207
Notes 211
Index 223

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The Great Remobilization provides an essential framework for mastering the deeply systemic and structural transformations occurring in global society and for reestablishing trust in our future.”
—Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

“In an age of increasing complexity, it’s refreshing to have a compelling and well-thought-out heuristic to anchor your approach to an ever-changing world. This book is that tool.”
—Christophe Le Caillec, Deputy CFO, American Express
 
“The future can seem unknowable, hopelessly uncertain, and complex. The Great Remobilization cuts through the confusion to make sense of the trends, phenomena, and powers shaping all of our futures. It is practical, insightful, and positive. It is what the future looks like.”
—Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove, Founders, Thinkers50
 
“The Great Remobilization sets out a treasure trove of inspirational ideas and concepts providing tools for future leaders who can cultivate new pathways for building prosperous ground to a more sustainable and innovative future for our globe.”
—Aura Salla, Member of the Finnish Parliament
 
“The Great Remobilization takes on all of the massive forces upending our world today—from COVID to climate change and geopolitical tensions—and presents an easy-to-grasp framework for analyzing those forces and identifying global solutions.”
—Ann Harrison, Bank of America Dean, Berkeley Haas School of Business; editor of Globalization and Poverty
 
“Well-articulated moral paean and call to action on much-needed re-creation of global de-risking systems and governance structures that have not keep pace with technological change. Looking far beyond current geopolitical memes, stresses criticality of China as tectonic force that must be part of any solution.”
—Paul Triolo, Senior Vice President for China and Global Technology Policy Lead, Albright Stonebridge Group

“The world is moving in many contradictory directions at once, making it harder than ever to divine the future. This unique compendium is an essential blend of analysis and prescription, both embracing complexity and coaching us on how to navigate it. Essential reading for leaders of today and tomorrow!”
—Parag Khanna, Founder of Climate Alpha; author of Connectography and Move
 
“The last major shift in the world order followed the destruction of World War II. We are now faced with the task of building for Globalization 2.0. This book does an excellent job of highlighting the process we must employ to build a more resilient globalization with a cognitive economy.”
—Keith Alexander, CEO, IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc.
 
“We can all sense we are living a world of flux, a liminal moment, between an old state of things and the new. Many have sought to understand the sudden volatility of the systems that compose our lives by looking at the systems of energy, food, finance, society, and, of course, the environment. But Groth, Esposito, and Tse elevate our understanding to the next level. They point out the growing interconnections of each of these systems and thereby offer humanity a framework to create a new system of systems with the potential to establish a world that works for humanity and Earth.”
—Kaihan Krippendorff, Founder, Outthinker; author of Driving Innovation from Within
 
“This book is ambitious in scope and panoramic in coverage. The authors have crafted a robust framework for governmental and enterprise decisions (and actions) for today’s discombobulated world order. They have a command over the issues facing society and a knack for weaving anecdotes and deep insights from experts as they outline their novel approach.”
—David J. Teece, Professor, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business

“Groth, Esposito, and Tse shine a light on a new set of converging crises, from new forms of colonization driven by multiple powerful forces to extreme inequalities, digital risks, and a planet in peril due to the effects of irreversible climate change. But they go beyond a mere recitation of problems; they also provide a framework that leaders across all sectors can use to analyze the impact of these crises, ensuring that no crisis goes to waste. The goals are lofty: renewed international relations and resilient societies based on equity, sustainability, peace, and prosperity. A tall order, but the book delivers—brilliantly.”
—Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; author of The Slow Pace of Fast Change

“It is hard to argue against the benefits of the globalization model we have seen in the past thirty years, but it’s due for a major revision. The FLP-IT model proposed in this book challenges the current global framework, effectively articulating the shifting baselines and the assumptions that shaped the current global order. Most importantly, it provides a framework to develop a new playbook that considers the central roles of technology, climate change, and China. The authors leave you with no shortage of creative ideas for new strategies, programs, and institutions to shape Globalization 2.0 in the most sustainable, equitable, and antifragile ways.”
—Rajat Agarwal, President, Henkel China

Editorial Reviews

Shortlisted for the 2023 Thinkers50 Strategy Award
 

"Olaf Groth, F95, FG97, and co-authors Mark Esposito and Terence Tse offer a framework to identify and seize opportunities to create a better global 'operating system.' This new OS, they believe, will help the world cope with economic upheavals caused by what they call the Five Cs: COVID-19, the cognitive economy and crypto, cybersecurity, climate change and carbon management, and China’s increasing geopolitical power. Achieving the authors’ goal—to 'promote agency, equity, sustainability, resilience, and greater welfare'—starts with recognizing that traditional, top-down reform efforts have been futile. Leaders, societal institutions, and social movements, they write, 'need to become design activists who are willing to tear down what’s not working...and rebuild global systems for a better world. A tall order, but they make a strong case."
—Fletcher Forum of World Affairs


“Praised for its compelling and well-thought-out heuristic, ‘The Great Remobilization’ is seen as a vital tool for navigating the increasing complexity of the modern world. It is recognized for its ability to provide an accessible framework for analyzing massive global forces and identifying solutions. The book is acclaimed for addressing the full spectrum of challenges facing the world today, from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change and geopolitical tensions, making it a significant read for leaders and decision-makers aiming to navigate and shape a smarter global future.”
—Forbes

From the Publisher