Category Archives: Futures

Know Your Future!

Futures, Futurist, Strategic Foresight

It’s true. You can tell what your future is going to be!

You can also tell what the future is going to be of that business you work for, that not-for-profit you support, that locale that you live in.

It’s going to pan out one of four ways:

  1. business as usual
  2. some transformative event
  3. breakdown and anarchy
  4. increasing restrictions and rules

Simple!

But, and here’s where strategic thinking, strategic foresight, and futures models come into play. By analysing each of these four possible paths for risks and opportunities you can be prepared.

And further, by thinking though how each of these might happen, and then taking appropriate action, you may be able to, if you will, change your future
For more, visit Dellium Advisory, follow on Twitter, connect using LinkedIn, or review my IT-centric blog.

Strategic Foresight: Six Global Megatrends that are affecting us all

Futures, Scenario Planninng, Strategic Foresight

We all feel that the world is changing, but how?

We all inherently seem to know that things are different on a number of different levels. Whether at work, or “third sector” organisations, in the interactions we have with the world around us, or more broadly what we see happening in the economy.

These changes can be thought of as trends, and if they are long enough, deep enough and pervasive enough they are called “megatrends”.

And there are six megatrends that are affecting all of us.

  1. Globalisation 2.0
  2. Climate Change
  3. Individualism
  4. Digitisation
  5. Demographic changes
  6. Converging technologies

Globalisation 2.0: think how the first wave of globalization was all about the USA & Europe. With the growing middle class in Asia, Globalisation 2.0 will be focused in this region

Climate Change: think globally, think sustainability, think about resources that were once abundant and the impact of this upon the bottom-line

Individualism: do you really know your customers, your employees, your volunteers? How are you meeting their needs? If you dismiss this point, you don’t get the shift in attitudes.

Digitisation: the blurring of the boundaries between all aspects of our lives

Demographic changes: a rapidly aging population. How does this dynamic affect your customers, your employees, your volunteers?

Converging technologies: what will the impact be as information technology, nano technology and biotechnology merge?

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“The only constant in life is change”, Heraclitus (500BC)

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For more, visit Dellium Advisory, follow on Twitter, connect using LinkedIn, or review my IT-centric blog.

The Strategic Foresight Process

Futures, Strategic Foresight

A successful foresight process has three phases.

The first is the gathering of information, followed by a second phase of translation and interpretation. The final phase consists of outputs where “wisdom” is created.

It is in this second phase that the processes of analysis, interpretation and prospection occur. The meaning of the terms analysis and interpretation are self-evident. However prospection needs clarification. Prospection is the creation of “forward views” or “images of the future”. It is through the application of the methods of prospection including scenario development, visioning, normative methods and backcasting, that defensible forward views are established.

The art and science of this three step strategic foresight process is in the quality and application of the produced wisdom.

 

For more, visit Dellium Advisory, follow on Twitter, connect using LinkedIn, or review my IT-centric blog.