washington business
In Their Words
Affectionately called a“ brain shaker,” Economist and Futurist Rebecca Ryan gave the keynote address at the Association of Washington Business Institute’ s first-ever Workforce Summit March 22 in Seattle. Ryan’ s mission is to encourage business owners, local governments and human resource professionals to plan 20 to 40 years ahead to ensure they have the knowledge transfer and talent necessary for the multi-generational workforce of today and tomorrow. It is a timely message as workplaces today experience a retiring boomer generation, increasing Generation X leadership and historic numbers of millennials and Generation Zs entering the workplace. Staff Writer Bobbi Cussins asked Ryan to explain how she moves leaders from short-term to long-term planning and why it’ s more important today than ever to understand how the workforce is changing and how to harness the opportunities the shift brings.
Rebecca Ryan
“ Filling a talent pipeline takes three to five years just for knowledge transfer. That assumes you have all the right people on the bench, ready to start working.”
For the benefit of our readers, can you explain what a“ futurist” is and how it pairs with your background as an economist?
In the same way that a historian studies the past, and a journalist reports on the present, a futurist studies the future and, in my case, tries to help people make sense of it and learn how to do so for themselves. My training in economics was very helpful. Remember all those charts and graphs you study in economics? Well, those are records of historic patterns, usually. In foresight, we try to anticipate where those charts and graphs will be in the future.
In your book,“ ReGeneration: A Manifesto for America’ s Next Leaders,” you discuss how America goes through seasons. What season is it now, what do you predict is next and how can employers prepare for the change?
America is currently in winter. Winter is a season when we traditionally ask,“ Who is America for, and what is America for?” You see those questions writ large in our current and previous president. I anticipate that by 2020, most of America will be in spring, or largely making the turn toward spring. The best way to prepare for this is to try to anticipate where your markets and residents will be, and be ready for that.
“ In the same way that a historian studies the past, and a journalist reports on the present, a futurist studies the future and, in my case, tries to help people make sense of it and learn how to do so for themselves.”
20 association of washington business