Most of us know Alvin Toffler as the author of “Future Shock”. Those who have read even one of his books would definitely be his fan. I through this post would be giving more facts about Toffler which I got through internet.
This eminent personality has changed the lives of people. His books have changed the way one thinks and perceives this world. His work has influenced presidents, prime ministers and top leaders around the world.
Here are the books that he has written -
- Future Shock (1970)
- The Eco-Spasm Report (1975)
- The Third Wave (1980)
- Previews & Premises (1983)
- The Adaptive Corporation (1985)
- Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century (1990)
- War and Anti-War (1995)
- Revolutionary Wealth (2006)
Here are the lists of people who are inspired by the Toffler Books-
- Hugo Chavez, The President of Venezuela and Kim Dae Jung, former President of South Korea (they both read Toffler while they were political prisoners )
- Bill Clinton and Al Gore , former President and Vice President of United States.
- Mikhail Gorbachev, former head of state of USSR
- Zhao Ziyang , former Prime minister of China
- Lee Kwan Yew, former Primeminister of Singapore
- L.K. Advani, India’s Political Leader
- Mexico’s Vicente Fox
- Mahathir Mohammed, Malaysia’s former leader
- Ted Turner inspired by Toffler works started CNN in 1980.
- For Steve Case, the Third Wave struck him like “a lightning bolt” and led him to his co-founding AOL.
- J.D. Power cites Toffler as its mentor.
- Toffler is ranked among the world’s top advisors to management.
Here are some of his forecasts -
- Crack of Soviet Union
- Reunification of Germany
- Rising power of the Asia Pacific region
- Shift from mass manufacturing to services and knowledge work
- The Digital Revolution
- The increasing importance of communication
- The success of cable television
- Outsourcing
- Customized production
- Nano and Bio- Technology
- Temporary Organization forms
- Corporate restructuring
- All the above forecasts were made decades before they became global headlines. And unlike the predictions made by Bejan Daruwala, these had reasoning behind them.
This explains why Toffler is ranked among the world’s top advisors to management.
Here are some of the bright spots that his book have made-
- The Third Wave became the second bestselling book in China after the speeches of Deng Xiaoping as Deng and Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang deliberately used it to help launch the reform program that has since led to China's amazing rise. The TV version of the book that Heidi Toffler, as head of Triwave Productions, created in collaboration with Japanese and Canadian TV companies drew audiences all over China - many people bicycling ten miles to view it.
- Event today many Chinese still refer to “The Third Wave” as “the book that changed China”
- His books are considered as one of the most read books by CEOs all around the world.
- The architect of the new Singapore, former Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew, told South Korean daily Joong Ang IIbo that Powershift was a key influence on his thinking
- In 1995, on assuming the office of Speaker in the House of Representatives, Republican Newt Gingrich urged Congress to read a short list of key books. That list included works by Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, de Tocqueville - and Toffler.
- With the publication of War and Anti-War in 1993, the Toffler’s' influence spread to national security authorities in Washington and, before long, around the world. Former Defense Secretary William Cohen speaks of the Toffler's "visionary brilliasnce" and helped launch their book with a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Since then the book has been translated and cited in military studies in many countries--including China
- “Future Shock” was turned into songs by Herbie Hancock and Curtis Mayfield, as well as a record label, a hip-hop dance group, a game called Terminator: Future Shock, a musical performed at the Edinburgh Festiva and a documentary created by Orson Welles.
- Toffler terms like "future shock" ,”prosumer” and "adhocracy" are now included in dictionaries.
- Time magazine, has described the Toffler as having "set the standard by which all subsequent would-be futurists have been measured."