What is it about?
Lessons learned from 20 years in the field of foresight, helping companies and communities think ahead and take action to improve their futures. 3 core lessons are that thinking ahead creates the will to take action, that it is best done as a collaborative process with all stakeholders, and that tools to connect futures thinking to today can improve outcomes.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
The article discusses how the act of foresight can shift people's locus of control. People with an external locus of control believe forces beyond their own are more responsible for influencing their futures, and therefore maximize enjoyment of the moment. Those with internal locus of control believe their own actions are responsible for their futures, and delay gratification and invest for the future. After participating in a foresight process, people can shift their perception of locus of control to an internal one, and take action to improve their futures.
Perspectives
This article gave me the chance to reflect on my career to date in helping organizations think ahead, and derive some meaningful lessons that I can re-apply back to my own work. It has helped me prioritize and design engagements to emphasize these components of the foresight process. It was a rare opportunity to step back and find what drew me to the field and my evolution as a practitioner.
Christian Crews
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Act of Foresight, World Futures Review, November 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1946756716673635.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
