ABSTRACT

Organisations today are being challenged to make sense of changes in environments that, now more than ever, are described as VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous). They are also being driven to understand how the future will evolve and what impact it will have not only on the organisations themselves but also on industries and societies. In recent decades a field has emerged to support organisations in addressing these challenges: strategic foresight.

This book is a comprehensive introduction to strategic foresight. It presents a history of the field and explains the main principles in thinking about the future. The book describes how organisations can apply strategic foresight and explains how it relates to other fields such as strategy, innovation, and leadership, highlighting the relevance of strategic foresight not only for organisations but also for individuals, particularly managers and leaders. Grounded in the theoretical foundations of strategic foresight, the book reflects the latest academic research and explores practical applications in different contexts. It draws on more than two decades of experience that the author has in the field as a researcher and as a consultant in the corporate context.

This is essential reading for managers and leaders of public and private organisations who want to establish strategic foresight practices, as well as students of foresight and managers in the fields of innovation, research & development, and marketing. 

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

part I|21 pages

Background to strategic foresight

part II|108 pages

Applications of strategic foresight

chapter 4|20 pages

Weak signals and trends

chapter 5|8 pages

Trend receiver

chapter 6|14 pages

The Delphi method

How experts see the future

chapter 7|10 pages

Scenario planning

chapter 8|7 pages

Futures literacy laboratories

chapter 9|12 pages

Business wargaming

chapter 10|6 pages

Design thinking

part III|23 pages

Strategic foresight in practice

chapter 13|10 pages

Strategic foresight

An emerging field

chapter 14|9 pages

Working with strategic foresight

Seven principles

chapter 15|2 pages

Conclusion