Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
Leadership sessions forWorkdayMBP PartnersPwC Middle EastABP GroupRichmond EventsFirst Abu Dhabi Bank
Featured inBloombergThe Wall Street JournalThe Telegraph
The host's verdict
A riveting speaker whose stories of the not-so-distant future drive understanding and action.
Ann Boyd, Cherwell
Sarah and Ian invited Matthew to keynote the Cherwell European Conference in Reading, sharing the bill with Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the world's "greatest living explorer". The event's title was "Adapt or Die", a theme both speakers know well from very different perspectives: Matthew once rowed 3,500 miles across the Atlantic, from Gomera to Antigua.
He opened by pointing out that organisations that fail to adapt rarely die suddenly. More often they slowly fade away and then die in relative obscurity. Drawing on his 2009 Atlantic row with a friend, he argued that adapting to a challenging environment is not a matter of dumb logic or an idly constructed generic strategy. It needs a full appreciation and deep understanding of the environment you are heading into, and it has to be done with intelligence.
"In today's world organisations that fail to adapt won't just suddenly die, they'll more likely slowly fade away and then die in relative obscurity."Matthew Griffin, Reading, May 2018
To make the point, he took the voyage at face value: get from Point A to Point B as quickly and safely as possible. On that logic the ideal vehicle is a tank, since it is nearly indestructible, and the best food is free range chickens. Measured against the real environment, both ideas look ridiculous: tanks sink, so you need a boat, and chickens need space, which is in very short supply on an Atlantic rowing boat.
Whether in exploration or business, you need a firm understanding of the conditions you will face, and the right tools and mindset for the job. In a business world where change is accelerating and the environment is becoming more alien and complex, Matthew showed how fast that world is moving, what it means for every sector, and what people can do to future proof themselves.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Decline is slow and quiet.
Firms that fail to adapt rarely collapse overnight. They fade, then end in obscurity. A leadership team can miss that drift because no single day looks like a crisis.
Generic strategy fails in real conditions.
A plan that looks sound on paper can fall apart when tested against the actual environment. The row showed this clearly. Leaders need a deep understanding of the conditions ahead, plus the right tools and mindset.
The environment is getting harder to read.
The Accelerating Rate of Change trend points to faster technology adoption and shorter corporate lifespans. The Record Business Insolvencies trend shows failures climbing as crisis support ends and borrowing costs bite. Both reward teams that read conditions early.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which conditions are we heading into that we do not yet understand?
Where is our strategy generic rather than built for our environment?
What would slow fading look like in our business, and who would spot it?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
What does the Adapt or Die session mean for organisations?
It means decline is usually gradual, and that adapting needs real knowledge of the environment ahead, not an idly built generic strategy. Organisations that read their conditions with intelligence are better placed to change in time.
How does accelerating change relate to this session?
The trend points to faster technology adoption and shorter corporate lifespans, which compress business planning cycles. That raises the cost of slow adaptation. Its action rating is Act now.
How do record business insolvencies relate to adapting?
Business failures are climbing to record highs as crisis support ends and borrowing costs bite. It is a visible sign of firms that did not adapt in time. Its action rating is Act now.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Organisations must grow at the speed of change.
How to Build Exponential Enterprises shows what it takes to build an organisation that grows at the speed of change, the practical answer to the adapt or die challenge Matthew set out.
