Anne Lise Kjaer is the Founder and Director of kjaer global (UK), a leading trend agency which has for over ten years provided global companies with innovation. Kjaer’s exceptional eye for trends is matched by an original and inspiring way of translating fledgling concepts into commercial success stories. Using holistic principles kjaer global creates future concepts for the next generation of consumers.

Anne Lise Kjaer has a background in design. Fifteen years ago she started to publish trend reports that lead to working with some of the world’s leading brands such as ACNielsen, IKEA, Johnson/Johnson, KBC, McKinsey, Nokia, Philips, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Sony, Toyota and Unilever. Danish by birth, she has lived in Germany and France. Since 1992 she has been based in London.

The future is not somewhere we go. We create the future. Today thinking out of the box is a trend and a reaction against our “speed society”. How often do we ask ourselves “what do I really want for my future?” but then don’t take the time to think about tomorrow’s world – or people. When working with the future, it is important to understand that there is not just one answer to the future, but many. As both individuals and corporate entities, the challenge is to establish what is sustainable and meaningful in order to discover untapped opportunities.

In the Conceptual Age organisations that foster creativity, visionary, fast-cycle learning, and flexibility should respond effectively to the pressures of today’s innovation-driven marketplace. It has become increasingly obvious that we are entering a new era where value sets are shifting. Since we have already discovered that money can’t buy happiness, we are looking elsewhere for meaning. Today we may see self-actualisation or “growth needs” and social responsibility at the top of the pyramid but tomorrow’s individuals want “emotional consumption”. Businesses must deliver the goods, empowering people on all levels.

New paradigms are needed when addressing the future employee. It is not sufficient to just offer material benefits, you also have to offer the emotional and ethical benefits to the (dimensions of) workforce tomorrow (people). In short, companies have to rethink the rules of engagement. The single biggest challenge will be managing and anticipating the needs of the workforce. Flexibility must replace rigidity due to the age-span and diversity of tomorrow’s people. For companies to inspire respect and maintain loyalty, they must seek to embrace deeper human and conscience-led values.

Of course, for HR teams this poses an unusual set of challenges. The current culture is both hedonistic and anxious, individualistic and humanitarian, health conscious and yet indulgent. We are witnessing a surprising synthesis between living in the now and worrying about tomorrow; freedom and commitment; individualism and philanthropy. This marriage of opposing forces simply intensifies two major principles in today’s society: the quest for efficiency and success alongside the ideal of happiness and quality of life.



So how can this balancing act work for companies and individuals alike? The starting point is to understand the social pressures at work and then anticipate the, sometimes contradictory demands, of your workforce. One perfect example of conflicting desires is the company car policy co-existing alongside a desire to work for a company with a zero carbon philosophy. In order  to resolve such dilemmas and empower people, companies must practise multi-dimensional thinking. The most successful brands and companies of the future will be those who “think from the outside in”, rejecting internalised corporate speak in favour of a cool-headed assessment of the whole picture.

In order to understand this multi-dimensional approach, you need to build up a Trend Atlas – a handy device for decoding the broader cultural context of social trends. Trend mapping is a shortcut to create clarity our of complexity. Trend intelligence is essential for business on all levels – including HR strategy.

Neuroscience divides the brain into two sides, left and right. This ties in perfectly with a multi-dimensional philosophy. The left brain is identified as analytical, good at breaking the whole into components and looking at details, whilst the right is synthesis, specialist in weaving components into a whole and seeing the bigger picture. What will be essential in the future is holistic thinking. People who only lean on logic and rational thinking end up starving the best part of the mind. Tomorrow’s successful leaders will be “wholebrain” thinkers and practitioners.

The key to understanding people is to tap into their emotional and spiritual dimension where a much broader wish-list contributes to that all-important job satisfaction rating. This is critical to the future success of flexible HR programmes. For a holistic strategy there are four key dimensions – and individuals must be engaged on all four for success.



The Scientific Dimension

In a society driven by performance pressure, convenience and health benefits are top of people’s agenda. Many workers perceive that they have less time and more stress and question the logic of the long hours working culture, even wondering aloud whether efficiency is just another word for cost-cutting. But on the positive side, talent is drawn to success. Engaging with the New Economy is crucial if you want to attract – and just as importantly retain – the right people.

The Social Dimension

Increasing social awareness and a caring attitude will define and shape businesses in the future. The convergence of work and leisure has become an everyday reality and flexibility, convenience and personal expression are expected by the “patchwork” society. Increasingly, choosing your employer might depend not just on the salary package but on flexibility and less tangible assets from company crèche to holiday entitlement.

The Emotional Dimension

In a “Perma-Youth” Society, personal wellbeing will take on a whole new meaning. The World Health Organisation has predicted that by the year 2020, 60% of diseases in the western world will be stressrelated.

People will make choices according to their personal ethics and emotions as well as their practical needs. From free pampering treatments and chill-out rooms to “green offices”, corporations need to re-examine both the working environment they create and the working ethics they promote.

The Spiritual Dimension

 Finding inner peace is essential in a high pressured society where time is our most priceless commodity. This is the hardest dimension to anticipate or satisfy, but it is certain that corporations need to demonstrate that they understand the pressures and engage with the issues facing our society.


Once you start thinking in this multi-dimensional way, workplace packages can then be divided up quite neatly. The scientific dimension covers financial packages such as salary, company car, bonuses, health benefits, pensions and so forth. Pensions and health benefits do overlap into the social dimension, which is also where training and mentoring as well as such aspects as a company crèche, the office environment, gym and canteen fit in. On the emotional dimension, again there is overlap as training and mentoring clearly have emotional benefits, since they help people to grow and develop. Other nurturing add-ons to that job package might include sabbaticals, opportunities for volunteering or company-wide charitable efforts. And finally charity and volunteering have a clear spiritual dimension, enabling people to feel better about themselves and their role in the community, whilst self-actualization and selfdevelopment on all levels can be explored.

From a European perspective, many countries are looking at new ways to make people feel more fulfilled. The Danish employment model is an interesting one to look at. Denmark simply does not have enough employees, so companies have woken up to the fact that they need to make themselves as attractive as possible to work for in order to get the best people. This has led to an emphasis on offering quality of life and freedom or flexibility.



However, that does not necessarily mean working from home, for example. This option is not always a luxury, as many seem to think. Some people simply do not have enough physical space in their home, others miss the social dimension of office life, yet others do not have the self discipline. This example highlights the need to take an individual approach. For some people working from home means that they will get a lot more done; for others it is a miserable experience. We must move away from the old school “one size fits all” approach and acknowledge that there are different types of people within the workforce. I think of it as human equity. If you can mix and match your people, just as you might your products, and then give them the best tools and support, then you will be a winner.

In conclusion, increased competition, changing workforce demographics and a shift towards knowledge-based and more creative conceptual work are requiring companies to place a higher priority on improving their workforce. Within the next few years, the phrase “going to work” will become meaningless. Work will become what we do, not a place we go to. Work, time and place convergence are redefining the workplaces of the 21st century.