Introducing Foresight Alliance See What s Possible February 2016
Foresight Alliance is a rigorous, crea5ve, futures-focused consul5ng firm. We help our clients consider various ways the future might unfold and what they need to do now to an=cipate and shape it. Our foresight methods deliver potent new business opportuni=es, more robust strategies, and wiser decisions. And our recurring engagements tes=fy to our success at making knowledge about the future relevant and valuable for our clients Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and large nonprofits. What sets us apart? We customize our services to the needs of the client. We don t sell canned processes. We are responsive and nimble. We work closely with our clients throughout each engagement. Helping our clients see the business implica5ons of our work together especially in light of their unique circumstances is the end goal of every project. We provide a team of seasoned foresight professionals with a range of viewpoints and experience. We offer excellent value. 2
We help our clients see what s possible. We have found that despite a rich diversity of project scales and client interests, our clients usually face a common problem: how to understand and act in the face of an uncertain and complex future. Our prac=ced approach to foresight begins by iden7fying and organizing the relevant forces of change uncovering and codifying the drivers, trends, and emerging innova=ons that are likely to influence the future. This process brings comprehensible order to the elements of change enabling us to synthesize broad and complex opera=ng environments into a manageable intellectual framework tailored to our clients unique needs allowing them to more deeply understand their present, what s changing it, and what they need to do to shape their preferred future. We provide concepts that our clients can use as a way to organize their thoughts about the future, and a vocabulary they can deploy for implemen=ng future strategy. Through this holis=c yet targeted approach, we help expand our clients capacity to see what's possible. 3
What is foresight? The first thing to know about futurists is that we are not predic5ng the future the future does not exist as a single outcome. Rather, we help our clients understand the forces of change that are ac=ve today social, economic, technological, etc.; what is driving these changes, and how they will play out over a defined period of =me. We work with our clients to explore a range of futures, from wildly improbably to extremely conven=onal, so they can have a beser understanding of the challenges and opportuni=es Result: our clients gain advance warning that enables them to seize opportuni=es and avoid problems and threats. 4
Why foresight? Developing foresight an understanding of the possible ways the future may unfold is a valuable first step in both strategy and innova5on. Futurists explore broadly providing peripheral vision and synthesizing informa=on from disparate areas. Futurists go beyond what people are thinking to the factors that may change their thinking. Foresight-infused strategy is more informed and proac=ve. Foresight can iden=fy white space and poten=al new opportuni=es. Foresight is best developed as a collabora=ve process. 5
Recent highlights from our team s porfolio of foresight experience The Futures of Work, a year-long study of global forecasts for work and workers that was published in 2016 with support from The Rockefeller Founda=on, was widely shared and commented upon and stands as a significant contribu=on to the global debate on this urgent topic. Mul=ple foresight and innova=on projects for a Fortune 500 consumer products company yielded innova=ve product pla[orms currently being explored internally. In 2012 the client established a new business unit based in large part on our foresight work. A major report for the US Grains Council, Food2040, has been lauded for its insigh[ul and provoca=ve look at food and agriculture futures in major East Asian markets through 2040. Image: -=Bruce Berrien=- (Flickr) 6
Foresight Alliance offers a full suite of services. InnovaAon Research Trend iden=fica=on and monitoring Alterna=ve futures and scenario development Explora=on of adjacent market spaces Implica=ons analysis Early warning and risk iden=fica=on Whitespace iden=fica=on Whitespace mapping Foresight-inspired idea=on Strategy & Visioning Linking foresight to opera=onal strategy Uncovering hidden assump=ons Decision support Visioning Organiza=onal change prac=ce Building Foresight Capacity Ac7on Futures methodology training Foresight capabili=es assessment, strategizing, and development 7
We enhance your organiza5on s strategy, innova5on, and resilience. A 360 Perspec5ve. We do comprehensive scanning of your opera=ng environment, consider extended =me horizons, and examine deep drivers of change. Infusing Your Perspec5ve with Foresight. We provide raw materials for exploring the future trends, evidence, observa=ons, etc. and develop a framework for how the future might play out in areas per=nent to you. Strategy and Innova5on Support. We work with you to iden=fy which aspects of change are most important and relevant, then collabora=vely develop implica=ons to feed strategy and innova=on. Compelling Communica5ons. We customize our products and presenta=ons to meet specific client needs, and express our insights in meaningful, compelling, and ac=onable ways. Capacity Building. We assess your organiza=on s foresight capacity and help you strengthen specific in-house foresight capabili=es using our award-winning proprietary tool, the Foresight Maturity Model. 8
Foresight Alliance partners are experienced professionals. We are a seasoned foresight group with many years of working together in varied contexts. Extensive track record of delivering high-quality, well-managed projects Global perspec=ve Complementary and diverse skills Professional foresight training Broad variety of industry experience: ü Food and beverage ü Entertainment ü Petrochemical ü Transporta=on ü Government agencies ü Nonprofits ü Consumer durables ü Hospitality See What s Possible 9
Why should I choose Foresight Alliance? Our 5me-tested foresight methodologies deliver ac5onable results potent new business opportuni=es, more robust strategies, and wiser decisions. Our clients see the bigger picture. We broaden your peripheral vision, extend your =me horizon, and examine deeper drivers of change so the future won t take you by surprise. Our clients gain clarity and comprehension. We help you connect the dots so that what was a gut feel becomes a reasoned conclusion. We facilitate crea=ve exchanges in which clients can develop innova5ve ideas and processes in which to capture and evaluate the best op=ons. Our clients build internal foresight capabili5es. Our clients are able to work smarter and be more effec5ve. We raise their personal influence and the influence of foresight within their organiza=ons. Image: Clif Grim 10 See What s Possible
Our clients tes5fy to the value we provide. Ted Farrington, Senior Director, PepsiCo Advanced Research: I ve had the pleasure of working with Foresight Alliance on two strategic foresights projects in the last few years. The first was for PepsiCo and inves=gated what would be driving consumers food and beverage choices ten years from now. The second project, IRI2038, was for the Industrial Research Ins=tute and asked what research and technology management might look like 25 years in the future Both studies are highly regarded and I would definitely work with [the Foresight Alliance] team again. Vicky Yobp, American Industrial Hygiene Associa5on: Thank you for your strong interest and enthusiasm during the project. Your approach and deliverables were exactly what we needed to iden=fy a range of strategic opportuni=es. We would welcome the chance to work together again should the opportunity arise. 11
Our clients tes5fy to the value we provide. Thomas P. DeRoche, Director of Educa5onal Programs, Interna5onal Founda5on of Employee Benefit Plans: Bill Croasmun and Terry Grim collaborated on crea=ng and delivering a unique training program for our members that focuses on leadership development, project management, customer service, and strategic planning. They took the =me to learn our industry and design a meaningful curriculum to help our members be more produc=ve in their varied professional roles. Bill and Terry are expert facilitators and their comfortable working chemistry maximizes the learning experience for students. The evalua=ons [they receive] are always outstanding. Administrators Masters Program SM Introduction Terry Grim Partner Foresight Alliance Houston, TX Bill Croasmun Partner Partner Foresight Alliance Alliance Woodbridge, CT CT The opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the speaker. The International Foundation disclaims responsibility for views expressed and statements made by the program speakers. Introduction Management Skills Saturday 7:30 8:15 Introduction Course Overview 8:15 9:45 Leadership skills 9:45 10:00 BREAK 10:00 11:30 Management skills 11:30 1:00 Fundamentals of project management 1:00 2:00 Case study / WORKING LUNCH Sunday 7:30 9:00 Communication skills 9:00 10:15 Customer service 10:15 10:30 BREAK 10:30 12:00 Effective strategy reaching a goal 12:00 1:00 LUNCH ON YOUR OWN 1:00 3:30 Putting it all together 2 12
Foresight Alliance To See What s Possible for your organizaaon, visit our website at ww.foresightalliance.com Or contact us at bill.croasmunt@foresightalliance.com.
Appendix: What is foresight? 14
There are three futures perspec5ves. The expected future: where we are headed. The expected future is the logical result of the momentum of present trends. The alterna5ve futures: what might happen instead. Alternate futures are the outcome of various conangencies. The preferred future(s): what we want to happen. The preferred future is the result of agency of vision, goals, and plans. We open tell our clients that they should work to a preferred future, be prepared for an alterna=ve future, and avoid the thinking that traps you in an expected future. Image: Bruce Berrien (Flickr) 15
Exploring what s possible: The cone of possibility Implica7ons Trend Seed trend for a cluster Cluster Innova7ons Present Limit of Novelty / Relevance Past Time See What s Possible 16
Exploring what s possible: What does a typical futures project look like? Generally we start with an environmental scan research into ideas, trends, weak signals, and emerging issues within the scope defined by the client. As we cluster these trends and weak signals, large, overarching ideas about the topic begin to emerge. The objec=ve is to separate signal from noise, to dis=ll a lengthy list of items down to a manageable set of foresights supported by a broad research base. From these clusters of trends we are able to describe possible futures in the form of forecasts, hypotheses, scenarios, vigneses, or personas. Crucially, we then iden=fy implica5ons what these possible futures will mean for the organiza=on, its customers, and its offerings. Finally, we help our clients move from foresight to applica=on most open to strategy development or innova5on. Trends, weak signals, emerging issues Clusters big ideas Forecasts, hypotheses, scenarios, vigneses Implica=ons Innova=on Strategy 17