Future of organizations:

How cooperation already determines productivity and success today



Abstract:

Organizations are facing a historic transformation: technologies such as AI, blockchain, and automation are not only changing markets but also the foundations of collaboration. The future belongs to those who combine cooperation, responsibility, and awareness – because productivity no longer arises from control, but from trust and collective intelligence.

Those who understand cooperation as a strategic resource today are shaping the future of their organization.

1. Where is the future? – Why organizations must now explore new paths



We are living in a time when established organizational models are increasingly reaching their limits. Classic hierarchies, centralized control mechanisms, and linear planning logics are becoming less and less effective in a highly complex, dynamic world – they are outdated models. At the same time, there is a lack of clear political impetus regarding the direction in which our social system should develop and the framework conditions that companies can expect in the future. This lack of clarity creates a twofold challenge: On the one hand, pressure is mounting due to technological, ecological, and economic changes; on the other hand, there is a lack of binding guidelines that could provide orientation. Companies are therefore forced to take action themselves – they must not only further develop their internal structures but also demand from policymakers the framework conditions that are essential for their survival, especially in European competition. This requires, first and foremost, a shared understanding: a vision of where we are headed and which organizational logics will be viable in the future.

2. Is the crisis merely a cycle or a collapse? Are health, sustainability, and knowledge emerging as new drivers?

Economic developments rarely proceed linearly. The economist Nikolai Kondratieff already pointed to the cycles of long-term innovation and growth waves in the 20th century. Each of these cycles was driven by a key innovation – the steam engine, the railway, electricity, the automobile, information technology. We are currently in the transition to the 6th Kondratieff cycle, which numerous researchers – including Leo A. Nefiodow (The 6th Kondratieff) and Erik Händeler (The History of the Future) – associate with the topics of health, sustainability, and a knowledge-based economy. From this perspective, it becomes clear: We are not facing an isolated turning point, but rather another period of upheaval in which new factors are shaping the foundations of value creation. While policymakers are still searching for direction, new opportunities are already opening up for businesses. These include, for example, the orbital economy – the expansion of economic activity into space – as well as the post-laboratory economy, in which prosperity is increasingly generated through data, energy, and intellectual property.

Patents, algorithms, platforms, and energy infrastructures are gaining a role similar to that once played by electricity or the automobile in the third and fourth life cycles. The difference: they are intangible, highly interconnected, and difficult to regulate globally. Companies must therefore learn not only to use labor and capital efficiently, but above all to strategically manage knowledge, energy, and intangible resources. Especially in this phase, where political guidelines are only vaguely formulated or even restrictive, entrepreneurial foresight becomes a key skill. Those who understand the sixth Kondratieff wave as a frame of reference recognize that we are not in random chaos, but in a transformation whose direction is discernible – towards health, sustainability, and a knowledge- and technology-driven economy.

3. Will blockchain, AI, and quantum computing reinvent organizations as key innovations?

If we understand the 6th Kondratieff cycle as a framework, then disruptive technologies constitute the visible driving forces of this new wave. They are the "key innovations" that—much like electricity or information technology before them—not only transform individual industries but also challenge the entire organizational logic of companies. Blockchain is transforming the understanding of ownership, trust, and transactions. It shifts power from central institutions to decentralized networks (see also Hellwig, Develop Your Own Blockchain) and thus challenges traditional business models based on control and hierarchy. Artificial intelligence goes even further: It not only automates routines but is beginning to take over thought and decision-making processes that were previously reserved for humans. This creates a new relationship between humans and machines—no longer as tools and users, but as partners in the process of value creation and innovation (according to Prof. Yasmin Weiß). Finally, quantum computers unlock computing power that makes previously unsolvable problems solvable in a short time. Their potential ranges from materials research and medicine to financial systems. They mark a radical acceleration – and thus a challenge for organizations whose structures are often designed for stability and predictability.

Particularly influential is the concept of synthetic realism: digital and hybrid spaces in which reality and virtuality increasingly merge. These platforms dissolve geographical boundaries, create entirely new markets, and, above all, transform the way people collaborate (New Synthetic Reality, Likes, and Gioia). Work, cooperation, and innovation shift to spaces that are neither purely physical nor purely digital, but rather represent a new form of reality. All these technologies share the common feature of undermining the existing logic of business—centralized, linear, and predictable. They generate uncertainty but simultaneously open up enormous opportunities. Their true impact lies in forcing organizations to redefine their culture, their forms of collaboration, and their value orientation.

4. Cooperation as the currency of the future? – Humans and machines in interaction

When disruptive technologies change the rules of the game in markets, the real test for organizations is cooperation. Neither blockchain, nor artificial intelligence, nor synthetic realism can achieve their impact in isolation – they demand new forms of collaboration. On the one hand, there is human-to-human cooperation. Organizations must learn to work beyond traditional departmental or company boundaries in networks, alliances, and ecosystems. Value creation increasingly arises where expertise is pooled and knowledge is shared. Here, trust, transparency, and shared rules become more important than power and control. On the other hand, there is human-machine cooperation. Artificial intelligence, data platforms, and automation systems are no longer just tools, but partners (Yasmin Weiß).

The challenge lies in integrating technology in a way that augments, rather than replaces, humanity; that empowers rather than disempowers. This dual challenge is particularly evident in the context of synthetic realism. As collaboration increasingly takes place in hybrid spaces, the foundations of cooperation shift: proximity, trust, and shared meaning-making must be established under entirely new conditions. Cooperation thus becomes the true currency of the future. Without it, even the best technologies remain ineffective. But with it arises the possibility of building antifragile systems that not only survive crises but grow from them—entirely in line with Nassim Taleb's concept of resilience in change (Nassim Nicolas Taleb, Antifragility).

5. From efficiency machine to responsible actors: The new role of companies

Cooperation alone is insufficient if it is not based on a shared set of values. Organizations are no longer merely economic machines for increasing efficiency. They are social actors that bear responsibility – for their employees, for their communities, and increasingly for global developments. Sustainability, energy costs, and social justice are no longer mere peripheral issues, but are moving to the center of corporate decisions. Herein lies the real challenge: it is not enough to introduce new technologies or build networks. The full impact unfolds only where organizations create cultures that enable responsibility. This means structures in which people are encouraged not only to work functionally, but also to think critically, seek meaning, and take responsibility for the whole. As Yasmin Weiß emphasizes, the focus of the transformation is not on technology, but on people. Maja Göpel (Rethinking Our World) also points out that a new economy is only viable if it is embedded in social responsibility. Politicians may hesitate to set clear guidelines – all the more reason for companies to take the lead and develop the rules of a new organizational culture.

6. Shaping the future instead of waiting: Cooperation, responsibility and innovation

The future of organizations will not be determined solely by technological advances or new markets, but by their ability to combine responsibility, cooperation, and awareness. The performance of organizations will increasingly be measured by how well they manage cooperation between people and between people and machines. This is no longer just about fulfilling basic ethical requirements such as workplace health – cooperation must be healthy, because it is becoming the decisive factor determining how we want to and can live together as a global community. Companies are therefore not only economic actors, but also co-creators of societal futures.

It is not algorithms or quantum computers that determine future viability. It is the people who work within organizations: through their thoughts, feelings, and actions. They are the ones who shape technology, develop markets, and test new forms of collaboration. In this understanding, organizations become spaces of resonance where economic interests, social responsibility, and individual development are brought into a new balance.

The appeal to decision-makers is therefore: Don't wait for clear political directives. Start shaping your organization today so that it not only survives in complex markets, but actively shapes the future. Those who create frameworks for cooperation, responsibility, and innovation are investing not only in competitiveness, but in the ability to jointly recreate the economy and society.

How do you see the need to realign your company's culture?

Your Michael Hösterey Beverungen, October 4, 2025

References

• Nefiodow, LA: The 6th Kondratieff. Paths to Productivity and Full Employment in the Information Age. Rhein-Sieg-Verlag, St. Augustin.
• Händeler, E.: The History of the Future. Social Behavior and Economic Structure in Transition. Oekom Verlag, Munich.
• Weiss, Y.: Blog “#42: Radical Better Learning”, [LinkedIn blog].
• Likens, S. & Gioia, L.: New Synthetic Reality, PwC Insights.
• Taleb, NN: Antifragility: A Guide to a World We Don't Understand. KlettCotta, Stuttgart.
• Göpel, M.: Rethinking Our World. An Invitation. Ullstein Verlag, Berlin.
• Hellwig, D.: Develop your own blockchain – A practical guide to DLT. Springer Gabler