Shaping the Future: Tools for Developing Strategic Foresight

Why Attend

The world is rapidly changing driven by technology, globalization, and the increasing interdependence between countries and cultures. Since the world of the future, where will be living in, will be significantly different from today’s, it is critical for governments, organizations, and leaders to better understand how future scenarios will be shaped. Those capable of examining possible, probable and desirable futures can capitalize on more opportunities and find better ways to positively influence the future that is being created today.

In this course, attendees will build up their knowledge and skills in futures studies in a visionary and futures-oriented way. They will also learn to conceptualize reality and events using a systematic approach to analyze developments and decision-making processes in the light of global change.

Attendees who successfully pass this course will be qualified as experts in the business of the future.

Course Methodology

This course relies on the use of interactive case studies to demonstrate the different components of futures studies. In addition, this course utilizes individual debriefs, group discussions, role-playing scenarios, videos, and presentations.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain how companies and governments can use the study of futurology
• Distinguish between possible, probable and preferable futures
• Apply scenario thinking using the futures wheel and environmental scanning
• Recognize the connection between the foresight and strategy process
• Use futures studies to manage and mitigate risk

Target Audience

All leaders, managers and senior professionals who are involved in influencing, formulating or supporting the long term planning of their department or organization, as well as those who are interested in learning more about futures studies.

Target Competencies

• Creative thinking
• Conceptual thinking
• Situation analysis
• Future thinking
• Theoretical problem solving
• Systems judgement
• Critical thinking
• Scenario analysis

Course Outline

• Foundations of futures studies
•          History of future studies
•          The discipline of futurology
•          How companies and governments can use futurology
•          Actors in the field
•          Current theories and applications
•          Futures thinking
• Characteristics of a futurist perspective
•          Change as the norm
•          The acceleration of change
•          Seeing events as interrelated
•          Taking a holistic perspective in viewing change
•          Accepting alternative futures
•          Distinguishing between different futures
•          Possible futures
•          Probable futures
•          Preferable futures
•          The importance of short, medium, and long-range planning
•          The danger of leaving the future to chance
•          Creating the future
• Scenario thinking
•          Scenario approach
•          Environmental scanning
•          Futures wheel
•          Futures table
•          Weak signals
•          Black swans and wild cards
• Systems thinking and strategic foresight
•          Understanding complexity
•          Systemic structure of dynamic and complex wholes
•          Methodologies of systems thinking
•          Visionary leadership and corporate foresight
•          The connection between foresight and strategy process
•          Governmental and regional foresight
• Managing for change
•          The link between strategic management and futures research
•          Using futures studies to effect change and transformation
•          The role of leadership in planning for the future
•          Using futures studies to manage and mitigate risk
•          Changing futures
• Futures methods in practice
•          Connecting various futures studies methods and theoretical thinking
•          Global challenges
•          Sustainable futures
•          Studying and evaluating effects of globalization
•          Concept of sustainability