Future Literacy.
Future competence in the real estate industry
Raphael Gielgen, Trendscout Future of Work Life & Learn, Vitra – Imagine walking into a building that is more than just a structure of concrete, steel or satisfied ESG standards. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem that adapts to the needs of its users while providing solutions to local and global challenges. This vision is not a distant dream, but an immediate imperative, a mandate for all stakeholders in the real estate industry.
A snapshot
Das Berufsleben der meisten von uns spielt sich in einer klaren und geordneten globalen Landschaft ab. Eine Landschaft, in der jeder seine impliziten Annahmen und Überzeugungen darüber, wie die Welt funktioniert, verankert hat. Diese werden nun zunehmend infrage gestellt oder lösen sich auf. In einer Welt, die sich durch rasanten technologischen Fortschritt, demografische und ökologische Herausforderungen ständig verändert, wird die Fähigkeit, zukünftige Trends und Entwicklungen zu verstehen und darauf zu reagieren, immer wichtiger.
What is Future Literarcy?
Future literacy refers to the knowledge and skills needed to anticipate, understand and respond to future developments. It involves the ability to analyse trends, develop scenarios and think critically about a possible future, going far beyond mere trend forecasting. For the real estate industry, this means developing a deep understanding of how technological, environmental, social and economic changes will affect the places in which we live and work.
Future Literacy the example of SME real estate portfolios
Adapting to technological change: Family businesses or SMEs need to adapt to the latest technological trends, such as smart home technologies, sustainable building materials and methods, and digital platforms for real estate management. Future literacy enables real estate professionals to understand and integrate these technologies efficiently.
Sustainability and environmental awareness: With climate change and the increasing importance of sustainability, real estate projects need to be more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Future literacy promotes a deeper understanding of environmental challenges and their integration into real estate development.
Economic resilience: The ability to anticipate future economic changes is critical to the stability and profitability of real estate investments in family businesses and SMEs. Future literacy enables better risk management and the development of resilient strategies.
A culture of flexibility and adaptability: Future literacy promotes this culture in family businesses and SMEs. This means encouraging all stakeholders to develop and experiment with new ideas, while respecting the existing processes and traditions of the SME or family business.
Living future literacy
CODIC has set itself the goal of adopting a definitive position and being a leader here. This is done with the claim to be a pioneer in the development of a new value-based standard for real estate development and investment. The foundations for this have been laid since the summer of 2020.
Interdisciplinary cooperation: The real estate industry is complex and interacts with many other sectors such as technology, finance, urban planning and environmental sciences. CODIC relies on co-creation with experts from these fields to gain a broader understanding of future developments.
Fostering innovation: A culture of innovation that questions everything fosters the development of future literacy. This includes encouraging experimentation, allowing mistakes to be made and learning from them, and implementing ideas that respond to future trends. This is part of CODIC’s DNA.
Networking and sharing: Building a strong network and regularly exchanging ideas with colleagues, experts and thought leaders provides valuable insights into future trends and challenges. This exchange is an integral part of CODIC’s daily work.
Customer focus: Customer needs and expectations are constantly changing. A deep understanding of the customer perspective helps CODIC anticipate and respond to future market trends.
Breaking new ground
This is the basis for establishing a true and resilient culture of innovation in the real estate industry. It encourages creativity, risk-taking and openness to new concepts and ideas. It enables all stakeholders to adapt quickly to changing market conditions, integrate new technologies and respond to evolving customer needs.
