Invited by Frederik and the team at Workday, the financial and Human Capital Management company with over 21,000 employees and $7.3 billion in revenues, to open its annual EMEA Customer Summit in London.
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Frederik and the team at Workday asked Matthew to give the opening keynote at the company's annual EMEA Customer Summit in London, where 300 of its top clients and new business prospects met to share their experiences and hear about the latest product developments and best practice. Workday helps companies analyse, organise and plan their financial and HR futures, work that matters more than ever as global change accelerates and extreme volatility becomes commonplace.
His keynote, The Future of Adaptive Planning, went to the heart of Workday's mission. Matthew showed how much can change in a single day, how single events can move global markets by trillions of dollars in hours, and how one proverbial butterfly flapping its wings can turn global tech markets upside down. Planning for the future was already incredibly difficult; in this environment it becomes almost impossible.
"Single events can move global markets by trillions of dollars in hours, all of which makes the act of planning for the future, which was already incredibly difficult, almost impossible."Matthew Griffin, London, March 2025
With AI on everyone's mind, he then looked at how the technology is accelerating the rate of global innovation, and what that means for company workforces, learning and development programmes, skills development and financial markets.
Matthew closed the session with a look at the future of autonomous companies and the post-digital revolution, in which organisations undertake intelligence transformation programmes rather than just digital ones.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Fixed plans cannot hold.
If one event can move markets by trillions of dollars in hours, an annual plan is out of date almost as soon as it is signed. Our trend data on the accelerating rate of change points the same way. Faster adoption and shorter corporate lifespans are compressing planning cycles.
People and skills must adapt too.
The keynote linked faster innovation to workforces, learning and development, and skills. Adaptive learning platforms tailor lessons to each learner, which suggests training can adjust as quickly as plans. Leaders should treat skills as a live input to planning, not a yearly review.
Intelligence, not just digital.
Matthew pointed to intelligence transformation rather than digital programmes alone. Autonomous organisations, where software agents act as staff and managers, are still at the testing stage. Productivity gains from this shift remain unproven, so plan in steps and measure results.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our plans would survive a single market shock in one day?
How quickly can our skills programmes change when our plans change?
Where are we running a digital programme when we need an intelligence one?
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.
It means planning must become continuous. Volatility is now the baseline, so leaders need shorter planning cycles, flexible workforce and skills strategies, and a clear view of how intelligent technology changes their business.
How does the accelerating rate of change relate to adaptive planning?
Faster technology adoption and shorter corporate lifespans compress planning cycles. That is the pressure behind the keynote's message that planning is now almost impossible by old methods. We advise acting now.
How do autonomous organisations relate to the post-digital revolution?
Matthew closed on autonomous companies and intelligence transformation. Our trend data shows software agents being tested as the workforce and management of firms with few or no human staff. It is early, so we advise exploring rather than committing.
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
Develop your own scenarios and turn them into strategy.
Strategic Foresight for Leaders sets out the latest foresight methods and shows how to develop your own scenarios and turn them into strategy, the discipline adaptive planning depends on.
