Mal Fletcher comments

As 2012 opens up new possibilities for perceived breakdowns in public order and social structures, a growing discussion will emerge about the need to protect and promote family life. The particular challenges facing young adults will add to the sense that answers are not found merely in state intervention, but often in the home.

The benefits to children of stable and long-lasting family relationships are well documented in international studies. These will be increasingly highlighted by groups who are concerned about what they see as the postmodern 'redefining', or weakening, of the family unit. Meanwhile, other groups will increasingly call for a widening of the very meaning of 'family', to include a range of non-traditional relational possibilities. The debate will focus on issues of child welfare and adult rights.

We can expect to see the emergence of politically-savvy alliances between 'neo-traditionalist' parenting and child welfare groups across cultural, political and religious lines. These will proactively lobby government and media for a rethink, or at least a wider debate, on family and marriage issues.

Leadership & Public Trust

Aspects of the great British house-cleaning of 2011 will continue into 2012. Major public institutions will continue to be placed under the microscope over the ethics and accountability of their leadership.

People will require a more altruistic, values-driven and transparent version of public leadership to replace the pragmatic, grow-the-bottom-line approach of the last decade. Leaders of public institutions, as well as major corporate and civic bodies, will be required to be visionary - able to provide a positive context for change - and highly visible in tough times. Because of economic pressures and the instantaneous nature of digital communications, leaders will be required to take more personal responsibility for mistakes made under their watch.

In business, a new entrepreneurialism will emerge even within well established industries. Managers will be required to take initiative, relying less on established procedures and benchmarks and more on proactively finding out-of-the-box solutions. Management of present resources, whilst important, will not be enough; leaders will be expected to get ahead of the change curve, creating an environment in which their people have confidence to invent and innovate for future success.

We can expect to see educational institutions, the courts and organs of local and regional government being held to account by a much more engaged and proactive public. Debates about the proper roles of the media and press will continue. These will centre not only on the way news is gathered and the relationships between news-tellers and news-makers, but the role of media in shaping of the national mood in difficult times.

Innovation vs. Information

The continued explosion of data in the post-digital age will mean that the value of our contribution will not be judged according to how much we know, but how much we are able to innovate with what we know.

A new drive for innovation will emerge in 2012, within business (large and small), government, education and local community organisations. Driven by the need to solve problems with fewer financial resources, entrepreneurs will emerge with new approaches to seemingly intractable problems in every sphere of activity from manufacturing to medical technology.

Rapidly turning ideas into concrete realities will be greatly enhanced by new platforms for online collaboration, particularly by a more ubiquitous use of cloud-based personal computing. It will also be helped by 'crowd funding' - online venture capitalism which allows relatively large amounts of money to be raised by many small donors on the internet.

Governments, national and regional, will need to invest more time in encouraging, facilitating and supporting cultures of innovation. For example, local governments will need to pull together diverse business and community interests to brainstorm strategies for building clusters around certain industries - e.g. in renewable energy and technology sectors.

We can expect to hear much more discussion in the public square about the need for innovation and a greater political debate about generating funds for innovative solutions. Employers and parents will also push schools to teach problem-solving methods and skills and develop innovation in students.