Navigating the Undercurrents of Radical Change

Insights from Jonathan Brill’s Rogue Waves, Chapter Two: "Ten Undercurrents Will Cause the Next Rogue Wave"

In his book Rogue Waves: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change, futurist Jonathan Brill, the 2025 Envision Greater Green Bay’s World Futures Day keynote speaker, warns that the world’s greatest disruptions rarely come from nowhere. Instead, they rise from deep “undercurrents”—powerful, unseen forces in the social, economic, and technological seas that shape everything above them. Just as ocean undercurrents dictate the motion of surface waves, these human and technological forces steer the tides of civilization.

Brill reminds us that no matter how fast you think the future is moving, it’s moving faster. To stay ahead, leaders must recognize that every macrotrend—the sweeping changes we see in markets or culture—is the sum of thousands of smaller, individual events. Within those events lie both risk and remarkable opportunity. The key is learning to recognize the patterns before they crest into full-blown waves.

The Ten Undercurrents of Change

Brill identifies ten major undercurrents shaping our future. Understanding where they intersect is the first step toward building resilient strategy: Continue Reading The Ten Undercurrents of Change here