Megatrends 2020 template

The Megatrends 2020 template is a useful tool for interpreting megatrends. One side of the template shows the general Megatrends 2020 picture to refresh your memory and the other side features a framework for teamwork and instructions for achieving a more detailed interpretation.

The 2020s – and actually the remainder of the century in its entirety – will be defined most by how we respond to climate change, decreasing biodiversity and many other environmental issues. That is why the urgency of ecological reconstruction is at the centre of the general picture. It is important to contemplate and discuss what it means for the area, sector or other aspect that has been chosen for review.

When it comes to other megatrends, a good starting point is to list trends related to them. In the template, there are questions under the main themes – power, population, economy and technology – that can help when listing the trends. The megatrend cards, for example, may also be helpful. After creating the list, you can also consider the entity formed by the trends under each theme.

Listing the trends helps you to create an overview of the changes that are interesting from the perspective of the topic being reviewed. However, to address uncertainties and questions that are essential for the future, you must look into the tensions between the trends. What are the questions that should be resolved now? In addition to identifying the tensions, you can think about their development: is one direction of development stronger than another? Can a completely new direction be found or will a state of tension remain?

Questions formed on the basis of the tensions help to discover solutions. What kind of future do we want to build together and how? There are many solutions. However, you should bear in mind that there might not be a solution for every question.

You can use the megatrend poster in strategy creation or as part of lessons, for example.