Disruption is no longer merely a single or recurring event, but a steady state, expanding its impact. In short, while disruption has always existed, it is now disrupting itself.
Thriving on Disruption
“Over the past few years, we have given hundreds of keynote talks and courses on decision-making in uncertain and disruptive environments. There is one question which we consistently get asked from participants: Where can we find a comprehensive guide to help us make sense of our complex, nonlinear, and unpredictable world? Given the overwhelming interest, we decided to write The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption.”
- Roger Spitz, Chairman Disruptive Futures Institute
If you’re looking for a book about disruption based on overused innovation examples, cliché corporate anecdotes, and trite observations about how “technology will save us,” this isn’t the book for you.
Welcome to the world’s capital for understanding disruption and uncertainty. Every day, events are presented as “historic” and “unique”, but unprecedented is now becoming the norm. “It has always worked” and “success” are poor teachers for what lies ahead. Unfortunately, many people and organizations assume that the world is predictable, stable, and linear. These implicit beliefs are neither accurate nor helpful.
Data, trends, and past experiences are not a proxy for the future and are no longer sufficient to address today’s systemic challenges. In fact, they provide a false sense of security in our ever-changing, contradictory world.
Today, staying relevant means developing the capabilities to prepare more imaginatively - both for resilience to shocks and for capturing new opportunities. The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption will show you how.
To flourish in our increasingly complex, unpredictable, and nonlinear world, we must understand the velocity, trajectory, and magnitude of the underlying drivers of change, whether technological or otherwise. Doing so requires casting assumptions aside, throwing out the old playbooks, rewiring our mindset, embracing the unknown, and taking agency of our own futures.
The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption is about exercising our agency as a superpower to drive hope despite the existential risks ahead. In being intentional about freedom and choice, we are empowered with pathways to craft the futures we want. Despite the unknown, there are plentiful opportunities for those who learn to make sense of them and seize them as they emerge.
Welcome to the era of uncertainty. Let’s go!
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Authors
The authors of the The Definitive Guide to Thriving on Disruption are Roger Spitz in collaboration with Lidia Zuin. A foresight strategist, venture capitalist, and writer, Roger’s expertise lies at the intersection of futures studies, systems thinking, and sustainable value creation. Lidia is a journalist, science fiction writer, and professional futurist whose work is focused on innovation, emerging technology and trends, virtual reality, and gaming.
Our fresh perspectives are only possible thanks to the collective voice of our extensive set of diverse interdisciplinary contributors, spanning the globe across all generations and fields of life.
Roger Spitz
Based in San Francisco, Roger Spitz is President of Techistential (Climate & Foresight Strategy) and Chairman of the Disruptive Futures Institute. Roger has given over 100 keynote talks globally, is a frequent contributor across leading media, and has guest lectured at many of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions.
Roger has two decades of experience leading investment banking and venture capital (VC) businesses, advising CEOs, founders, boards, and shareholders, evaluating their most strategic transactions, competitiveness, and disruptions ahead. He sits on a number of Advisory Boards of companies, Climate Councils, VC funds, and academic institutions worldwide.
Techistential’s renowned Governance, Impact & Sustainability foresight practice works with boards, leadership teams and their organizations globally to rethink sustainable value creation. Roger is a sought-after advisor and speaker on systemic change and climate strategy. He is a partner of Vektor Partners (Palo Alto, London, Berlin), a VC firm investing in the future of mobility, as well as a member of the Advisory Council and an LP investor in Berkeley SkyDeck fund.
As former Head of Technology M&A with BNP Paribas, Roger advised on over 50 transactions globally with deal value of $25bn. He launched the bank’s US Mergers & Acquisitions practice in San Francisco and built its European Technology investment banking franchises in London and Paris.
Roger has lived in 10 different cities across three continents, and is bilingual English & French.
Lidia Zuin
Dr. Lidia Zuin is a journalist, science fiction writer, and professional futurist. Lidia is the Technology Foresight Director for Techistential, and Faculty & Chair of the Center for Science Fiction at the Disruptive Futures Institute.
Lidia holds a PhD in Visual Arts and a Master’s Degree in Semiotics. She publishes regular columns on global emerging trends and has presented several TED talks (including on science fiction and technological innovation, biohacking, transhumanism, and the future of species).
Originally from São Paulo in Brazil, Lidia was head of Innovation & Futures at UP Lab and professor at Istituto Europeo di Design, teaching “Foresight & Futures Studies: Exponential Technologies” in their post-graduate Strategic Design & Innovation program. She moved to Malmö, Sweden, in 2022, where she is a technical writer with technology leader Neo4j. Lidia is also a researcher in Emerging Tech with Envisioning.