Topic
Business
Commentary
We interviewed three participants about their experience at the first Peloton Smart Retro Innovation Camp in Lahti. What were your expectations for the camp? “An international crowd interested in developing cities.” Ulla-Maija Kemppi, Citycon “New contacts. Expertise that we lack ourselves. Technical know-how.” Topi Saari, Meido “That it would open up…
The emergence of services and technologies in the intersection of physical and digital changes both. Rather than everything being digital or physical, everything becomes something else. This something else is currently being defined by “smartups”. Demos Helsinki along with a global panel of carefully selected panel of experts in startup acceleration,…
Did you know that a room booked via Airbnb produces 66% fewer carbon emissions per night than a hotel room? And that 80% of company leaders see immediate business opportunities arising from the depletion of natural resources? These two facts are intimately intertwined. The team at Demos Helsinki have published a major new report on the future of…
Demos Helsinki researcher Maria Ritola guest authors in the Näkökulma (transl. point of view) blog of the Finnish trading sector giant Kesko this week. Ritola’s text explores the new business opportunities arising around sustainable lifestyles. According to a new study by the communications agency Futerra 80% of business executives believe…
Publications
What if green skills were more than technical expertise? The Green Skills Radar helps Finnish organisations integrate transformative mindsets and leadership into sustainability strategies. With tools for skill assessments and practical recommendations, it guides teams to navigate change, fostering adaptability and collaboration for a successful green transition.
Our collective future depends on the ability of all organisations to not only react to changes in the world but recognise and embrace the agency they hold to intentionally build better future societies. The approach presented in this white paper is Demos Helsinki’s attempt to provide one concrete way out of the methodological dead end stifling the private sector’s capability for meaningful and ambitious transformation.
This manual presents a model for strategic partnerships between small companies (bees) and large companies (trees) for the co-creation and development of groundbreaking products and services. This need is particularly relevant in the field of consumer cleantech, where changes in consumer behaviour are often radical and systemic. Small companies and startups…
Projects
In this digital era, the prevalent use of algorithmic management in the workplace has created a new set of challenges for workers and labour unions. This project studies the profound effects of algorithmic management on workers and labour organising in the Nordic context.
In late 2022, Demos Helsinki facilitated a series of workshops to enable national agri-food organisations in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania to define new opportunities and risks by looking at long-term changes in agriculture. The Beyond Farming Collective — a 3-year programme led by Bopinc — aims to establish a…
Think Sustainably is an online service that incentivises and encourages sustainable choices in city living and urban tourism. Currently in use both in Helsinki and Tampere, it has been an essential tool for accelerating the cities’ transition to carbon neutrality. Cities can drive the transformation For a while now,…
People
Sinianna Kuosmanen
Sinianna is an expert in sustainable value creation, especially interested in the interplay between businesses and societies. Focusing on enhancing organizations’ agency within the sustainability transformation, She serves as our go-to guru for navigating the landscapes of corporate sustainability. With a firm belief that sustainability must be approached holistically, Sinianna…
Emilia Ståhlhammar
Emilia Ståhlhammar is a passionate professional working with both research and consultative projects at Demos Helsinki. With a deep curiosity and a strong sense of empathy, she is particularly interested in organizational transformations toward circular and regenerative practices. Emilia has previously worked with startups and large corporations, focusing on sustainability….
Otso Sillanaukee
Otso aims to ensure that Demos Helsinki is focusing on the right questions related to people and organisations’ agency in building a fair, sustainable, and joyful next era. His accountabilities include identifying impact opportunities, ensuring projects run smoothly towards their goals, and supporting the team’s wellbeing and motivation to tackle…
Vincent Lassalle
Vincent is a senior expert in the New Governance Team. He has been a practitioner, a consultant, and a writer on the topic of organisational innovation and societal change for over a decade. Prior to joining Demos Helsinki, Vincent’s already international career focused on innovation and spanned most of its…
Oona Frilander
Oona Frilander (M.Econ.) is a senior consultant at Demos Helsinki. She works to understand long-term societal change and rapid transformation of private, public and third sector organizations’ operational environments. Her expertise lies in strategic foresight and cross-sectoral partnerships for solving societal challenges. Oona is also is a lecturer through the…
Mikko Annala
We are a think tank with a mission. All our work is steered by our ethos and impact model and that’s why our CRO focuses on growing our relevance, and ultimately impact. Mikko ensures that step by step we work to lead the change we believe in while still making…
Roope Mokka
Roope is all about the future. For many the future seems scary, but where some see problems Roope sees solutions. He has an exceptional mindset to see the pathway for societal transformation. He gathers impactful alliances through various fields to work together with a shared goal. Whether it is learning…
Themes
Foresight is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for strengthening your societal relevance in a complex world.
You’ll forget most of today’s top brands – and this is why
October 12, 2015
Do these chief executives ring any bells: Cyrus Comstock, John Stephenson, Henry Fitz and Roy Stanhope? Thought so. 100 years ago everyone knew them as they were the most valued manufacturers of horse carriages, racing fiercely over market dominance. Obviously we don’t know them because of a now seemingly self-evident paradigmatic…