Driving Impact in Change
An excerpt from The Guide to Natural® Foresight Framework:
Change management efforts often fail because they focus on the issues as they bubble up to the surface. This results in Band-Aid solutions that fail to address the underlying culture and guiding narratives of an organization.
To achieve long-lasting change, we must explore what is beneath the obvious to understand why these issues exist in the first place. Foresight uncovers the dynamics of our present story while also creating pathways to our preferred outcomes.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, establishing a foresight “division” may not be the best option for long-term success. These focused efforts may produce work product in the short term; however, sequestering our foresight efforts from the rest of the organization will not create lasting change. These groups often become known only for their periodic trend reports and occasional “future” presentations. Disconnected from the day-to-day work of the rest of the firm, they have little influence on decision-making. Moreover, as soon as their sponsor leaves or a budget crisis occurs, this is the first department to face cuts. While dedicated resources for foresight are fantastic, we cannot afford to isolate our efforts away from the people they serve.
In our VUCA world, change is an ever-present factor, and organizational cultures that are not open, resilient, and future-empowered will struggle to survive, let alone thrive. Creating an adaptive, resilient, and transformative organization does not mean simply staying informed about the latest trends or implementing the newest organizational fads. Our uncertain and complex environment is relegating the practice of reacting and adjusting to the latest trends to the history books, and only those organizations that proactively invest in developing a transformational environment will succeed. Creating a culture of future thinkers will help every member of your organization to think holistically and be proactive.
Access a full and complimentary copy of “The Guide to the Nature Foresight® Framework” here.
