OREANDA-NEWS. April 04, 2016. Sheryl Connelly, the in-house Futurist for Ford Motor Company, led members of the Ford Retired Engineering Executives (FREE) group through an engaging overview of the Looking Further With Ford 2016 Trends last week.

Statistics show that nearly two-thirds of adults say the world is a worse place to live today than it was when they were growing up. Everything from increased terrorist attacks, to losing faith in political leaders, revered organizations and beloved icons like Brian Williams and Bill Cosby, people are looking locally for their heroes.

“As we put ourselves in this context we wondered what it would be like for 2016 and we found out that even though we have a dire outlook, most people can’t stay there,” Conelly said. “So we asked what are we going to do to lift ourselves up in 2016?  We set our sights on three different areas related to inspiration, ingenuity and a stronger sense of identity.”

Heroes
People look more locally for homegrown heroes. Hero in this sense does not mean performing extraordinary acts of courage, but showing unprecedented acts of compassion and community service – redefining what it means to be a good neighbor.


“Mark Fields challenges everyone in the company to find ways to make the world a better place,” Conelly said. “That’s why we are exploring if mobility is the way Ford can play a role in that goal. If we can help people channel their hero potential then we are that much further along.”

The Swiss Army Life
The idea of self-reliance comes from being disillusioned by business and political leaders.
“Consumers are more willing to spend or invest in products that give them durability, versatility, and adaptability,” Conelly said. “It’s not necessarily that we want more things, we want fewer things as long as they can serve our needs for a much longer time period.”

People are keeping cars for 10- 11 years, and customers around the world say that they plan to hold on to their cars for a much longer period. In the U.S.  this trend is strong with the millennial generation.  In 2008 only 30 percent of 16 year-olds got their driving licenses and were more interested in having access to a car instead of ownership.

“This is a daunting task, but the good news is that older millennials in their 30s  are settling down and starting families and one of their top vehicle brands of choice is the Ford brand,” Connelly said. “Especially SUVs , getting back to the idea where we want things that deliver utility, versatility and durability.”

Time Poverty
“We live in a world that never sleeps,” Connelly said. “The great irony of the technical advances of those digital devices that everyone is holding is that it was sold to us on the premise that it would save us time.  Instead, they blur the boundaries between personal time and professional engagement. It can be liberating in most ways but it can make most people feel on call all the time.”

Retiree, Ed Wiley asked Connelly who within the company was her customer and how did they use her data?

Connelly responded, “Thank you for your question, I will talk to anyone who will have me.” The audience laughed. “I started 12 year ago and different groups asked us to speak about the trends. We spent a lot time thinking what those trends would mean to designers or engineers and would tell them here is how you design a better car or how to engineer a better car.

What we found was that we went through great lengths to earn credibility and then shot ourselves in the foot when we tried to tell people what to do with the information. Instead we learned to say let me tell you what Nike is doing with info, or what cell phone companies are doing about multitasking.

My goal is to collaborate with internal customers and subject matter experts and take this information to discover something that neither of us could have discovered alone. This work means nothing unless engineers, product development, HR, IT, or purchasing, takes it and translates it into something meaningful for Ford Motor Company.”