Articles

In today’s rapidly changing environment, C-Suites, leaders and executives are at a loss as to what exactly they should do to lead their company into the future. Most are waiting for a return to an operating environment that is familiar and comfortable — or for the business models, processes and strategies of the past to lead them to success again. It’s like they are waiting at the bus stop for the “normal bus” to arrive. For those who are clinging…

According to Amazon, you are most likely familiar with the concept of generations in the workforce or “generational warfare” all too well. When you search for books on their website using the phrase “generations at work,” you will find over 39,000 entries. And yet, with all of that information at our fingertips, we still don’t know how to effectively manage the clash of generational differences in our organizations. Now, just when you thought that you had successfully memorized the human…

As Frank and I travel across the globe speaking to organizations and conference delegates, the most common question we hear is “How do I bring futures thinking back to my company?” or “How can I practice strategic foresight in my personal life?”In response to this pressing need, we convened an advanced practitioner training session (open to our Kedge and TFS alumni) focused on practical steps to integrate the tools and methodologies of foresight.

Over the three days in Detroit, the unique TFS toolkit was used to uncover assumptions and biases; scan the external environment for drivers, trends and patterns of change; map implications to develop divergent scenarios of the focal issue; and, discuss strategic design tools. Within small groups, participants explored the future of education through either a transformative, market or fortress world lens.

While we work with clients across all industries and sectors, there are certain individuals who “take” to Strategic Foresight based on the nature of their role. To that end, it is no surprise that change management professionals recognize the power of foresight when they are responsible for the design and implementation of change efforts both large and small.

“The robots are coming!” This phrase has been used in countless books, articles and news programs over the past several years to describe the march of our mechanical counterparts toward their enshrinement as an indispensable part of our daily lives – and for good reason. Of course, the robots actually came a long time ago. As a matter of fact, the word “robot” was first used in writer Karel Capek’s 1920 science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). In contrast…

Recently I’ve been asking myself, “Why don’t we see more design-oriented firms incorporating and utilizing the power of futures thinking and foresight?” And I’m definitely not alone in this line of thinking, because something really exciting has been emerging in various design disciplines, companies and educational institutions across the globe. In growing numbers, designers are realizing that it isn’t sufficient to only create things that are beautiful or maximize productivity, but that design must also understand deep patterns and trends,…

The Wicked Opportunities® Creator Economy Pack Sources This edition of the Wicked Opportunities Card Decks explores the Creator Economy. Individual participation and crowd-funded innovation are spurring the transition to a new economy. Consumers are choosing experiences over physical goods, and technologies such as 3D printing, virtual reality and drones are creating an environment where access to assets trumps ownership. Below are the sources utilized in the Creator Economy Pack trend cards: Authentic ExperiencesPush: Travelers Seek More Authentic Experiences; Agents And Tour…

Here’s a secret about futures thinking and foresight: It should be a natural part of your organizational processes and operations, an organic component of your business culture. In other words, foresight should naturally flow from organizational design, being just as commonplace and essential to a business as leadership development, human relations, strategy, planning, or talent management. Yet foresight is often ignored or sidelined in organizational development because we tend to view company-building as a highly quantifiable process, as if we…

As futurists, we never claim to be able to predict the future. Predicting means you reject all possible outcomes in favor of one that you’re certain will come to pass. With the rapid pace of change and increased complexity of today’s environment, a predictive approach is only effective in the short term at best, and at worst, it’s dangerous.