Global Networked Knowledge Society

Strategic ways forward in a rapidly unfolding new reality

"Society is always in a state of change, and in modern society
the pace of change continues to accelerate."  

Maarten Botterman, GNKS Consult

GNKS CONSULT

“It is time to open into a new reality: change is upon us, and we are now in a step change from what we used to know. Whereas we can hide from it successfully, for a while, ultimately it will affect us.

At the end of the 19th century, water carriers in Paris, France, were on strike as the waterpipes infrastructure that the city was building, bringing fresh water in every home, would take them out of business. Too often, it feels like that is what we are trying to do, today.

As nations, protecting what used to be important against change. As organizations, trying to continue to do what was needed, once - even if this is not what the market needs today, or tomorrow. And as people, just because we know what we have, and do not know what we would get if we change.”  

GNKS Consult was founded in 2006 by Maarten Botterman and conducts strategic and policy research and evaluation, building on excellence in understanding of the impact of the emerging Global Networked Knowledge Society. We make a difference by contributing to insights that help society and organisations to be sustainable in the long run.


GNKS builds insights on sound, objective and empirically-based analysis, with an important emphasis on the quality of the analysis and a balanced presentation of the findings, independent from any political or religious conviction.

WHAT WE DO

STRATEGIC POLICY ADVICE

The future is uncertain, by definition. However, based on what we know, today, and on our actions, we can help shape the future and contribute at our best ability. GNKS helps developing your way forward with a keen eye on todays’ trends as well as scenario thinking towards the future – identifying and addressing the key uncertainties that may unfold and deeply affect your business.


Foresight is key for insight.

POLICY EVALUATION

We can always learn from what we do – in retrospect learning what we could have done better, or thinking ahead of what the effect we want to achieve with our actions today: for this we follow the Ex Ante impact assessment methodology that is also used by the European Commission, UN organizations and other organizations as part of their commitment to better governance.


Think before you act.

GOVERNANCE

Organizations function best if there is good guidance from the Board level, based on good interaction with the executive staff and a good feel for the stakeholders’ needs and challenges over time. Setting up and running governance bodies benefit from expertise of many years experience in working with global Boards with a public interest focus.



In the end it's all about people.

MISSION

GNKS and its associates have a mission of informing decision makers at all levels in order to help them to open up beyond current experience to better understand how to effectively and efficiently address the reality of the Global Networked Knowledge Society.

GNKS Consult BV

GNKS and its associates have a mission of informing decision makers at all levels in order to help them to open up beyond current experience to better understand how to effectively and efficiently address the reality of the Global Networked Knowledge Society (GNKS). Read on...


Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman is GNKS Consult Director and independent strategic advisor on Internet Governance and related issues with 25+ year experience in guiding governments and major organizations on the economic/business and societal impacts of current and future internet innovations and technologies. Read on....

Jonathan Cave

Jonathan Cave is a GNKS Consult Associate, Senior Fellow in Economics at Warwick University, Economist Member of the UK Regulatory Policy Committee and Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute (Digital Ethics Research Group and Ethics Advisory Committee).

Read on...