QUT's Centre for Future Enterprise (CFE) leads global research to progress economic and social well-being now and into the future. In an era where market dynamics shift at lightning speed, CFE is the compass that helps organisations chart a course to success amidst tomorrow's opportunities.
Our research brings together world-leading academics with CEOs, founders, policy makers and industry leaders to help current and future leaders transform challenges into stepping stones toward sustainable growth and competitive advantage.
Research themes
CFE research focuses on four themes and the nexus between these: the trusted enterprise, the paradoxical enterprise, the algorithmic enterprise, and the robust enterprise.
The trusted enterprise
As our societies and economies are becoming more trust-intensive, the conscious design, management and measurement of trust-aware products, services and business processes is of increasing importance. In our research, we break down trust into the management of uncertainty, vulnerability, confidence and benevolence, and develop operational, validated practices and principles for these.
The paradoxical enterprise
In today’s complex and dynamic organisational environment, decision-makers are increasingly faced with competing and evolving priorities (paradoxes) and must take steps to effectively navigate them. Decision-makers who can recognise and manage paradoxes can better deal with complexity and unpredictable conditions and tend to achieve high performance. We aim to equip decision-makers with strategies and practical tools for identifying paradoxes, evaluating their impact and navigating them more effectively.
The algorithmic enterprise
Algorithms rule our economy today, but how much do you know about them, their quirks, their roles and their potential? Headed by the chair in digital economy, Professor Marek Kowalkiewicz, this group studies the characteristics and potential of the emerging economy of algorithms, including: business models of algorithmic enterprises, human-algorithm interaction models, governance models for algorithmic enterprises, and innovation models of algorithmic enterprises.
The robust enterprise
Fast-paced economic, political, regulatory, social, ecological and demographic developments are creating a plethora of threats which require new levels of robustness to prevent disruptive threats. This research theme focuses on large incumbents, seeking to develop approaches to revenue resilience, trust management methodologies, strategic envisioning for technology opportunism and disruption, and also studies intrapreneurial talent acquisition.
Research Innovation Sprints
Evolving in today’s market is all about embracing change and forging ahead with innovative solutions. For many traditional businesses and government departments, adaptation can be a challenge, often weighed down by bureaucratic processes and entrenched organisational structures. However, a powerful solution is emerging as the go-to strategy for those looking to infuse their operations with a wave of creativity and innovation — CFE’s six-week Research Innovation Sprint.
'Our Research Innovation Sprints bring together researchers, industry partners, end-users and stakeholders to tackle specific problems and develop practical solutions. First, we work side-by-side with the industry partner to define the problem, collecting data to understand user and stakeholder needs. Then we brainstorm and co-design solutions and select the best ones. This is where we tap into our academic research. After this, we create prototypes and test them with end-users. Finally, we provide the solution to the client for implementation. But there’s no "handover" – we literally lock ourselves in the same room with partner organisations during each sprint. We’re down in the trenches, rather than up in the ivory tower.'
Our research
QUT's Centre for Future Enterprise is a transdisciplinary university research centre dedicated to designing and testing possible future enterprises to progress economic and social wellbeing now and into the future.
Future Enterprise research inspires, informs and enables navigation in a fast-emerging new world, differentiating essential requirements from distracting noise.