3 Benefits of Futures Thinking
FUTURE PROOF – BLOG BY FUTURES PLATFORM
The complexities of today call for a different way of thinking. To quote Einstein, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” This is why the futures thinking mindset is so crucial for success today – it creates a platform for greater collaboration, curiosity and co-creation across teams and ultimately unlocks better, more innovative ways of doing things.
A study showed that future-prepared firms outperformed average firms by a notable 33% higher profitability. Not only that, future-prepared firms outperformed average firms by an extraordinary 200% higher growth. Clearly, there is a business case for corporate foresight.
So beyond the bottom line, let’s delve a bit deeper to see how futures thinking can benefit your organisation by fostering a stronger culture, greater creativity and more impactful design thinking.
3 BENEFITS OF FUTURES THINKING
Engaging Teams to Collaborate
When you involve different levels of your organisation in conversations about the future, you support the creation of a culture of engagement and participation.
The new generation of workers doesn’t have quite the same patience for top-down hierarchical structures as do those before them. If you are going to attract top talent, you need to consider what kind of employee experience you are offering.
Do you have an engaging and inclusive culture that encourages input and then gives due consideration to this input? Or, does it just get shelved? When you actively involve team members in the foresight process, you can engender a sense of agency, which is so important, especially when “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Enhancing Creativity
Foresight has many methodologies that enhance creativity. Horizon scanning, a process of exploring the potential implications of emerging trends and change signals, is but one example that broadens people’s horizons by encouraging them to examine things from different angles.
It involves asking who wins, who loses and whose voice is not present. It invites you to consider a diversity of perspectives and experiences.
In general, foresight is about opening your mind in novel ways, helping you to make connections that weren’t available before. We are not limited to right and wrong or stand-alone answers here, thus enabling breakthrough creative ideas and thoughts.
Supporting Better Design
I invite you to think of foresight as a powerful and effective precursor to design thinking.
Foresight supports designing for tomorrow, not today. Designing with the future and emerging issues in mind can lead to revolutionary product and service offerings today- if you dare! With the rate of change we are collectively experiencing, if you design for today, you run the risk of the products and services being obsolete before they hit the shelf.
These are just a few of the areas within an organisation that can benefit from considering a longer-term perspective. So start the conversation in your organisation today but don’t forget to include a diversity of perspectives. Remember, there are no wrong answers, and take the time to look beyond what is happening today.
Empower your organisation’s futures thinking skills with Futures Platform’s collaborative foresight platform
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Willow Pryor, MSF (strategic foresight), is a professional futurist with a focus on consulting, facilitation of futures thinking workshops, and teaching strategic foresight to enable the creation of alternative futures. Willow has worked with a range of public, private and for-purpose organisations. To create more equitable and sustainable futures, Pryor believes that our leaders, young and old, need to think like futurists. To get in contact with Willow Pryor email her at: willow@facilitatingfutures.com
To stay ahead, organisations must widen their lens, exploring not just their own industry but what’s happening on the edges.