How often should foresight be done? For many leadership teams, the real question becomes how often they have to. Strategic foresight is not a luxury—it’s central to good leadership. Even setting aside just eight hours a year, spread thoughtfully across the calendar, can sharpen how teams understand risk, opportunity, and long‑term direction.

One of the four basic applications of foresight work is monitoring for change.  It may not be the flashiest of activities, and it is a vital component in an effective and ongoing foresight system.

The 4 Steps to the Future  process includes a model for developing scenario forecasts that focuses on four different types of scenarios.  These scenarios are framed around different patterns of continuity and change, and they are labeled A through D.    The A-type scenario is the “continuity” scenario, meaning that the world it features at the end of the scenario basically resembles the present.  Far from being a boring scenario, the A-scenario has a great deal of value for l

Politics today – particularly federal executive branch politics – has introduced historic levels of uncertainty for many organizational leaders. And yet, despite such great uncertainty, leaders still need to make decisions in the face of that uncertainty.  How they make those decisions can be a source of anxiety and frustration.

All leaders make decisions under uncertainty. Markets shift, technologies mature, and policies can change in ways that are hard to anticipate. Especially today.  Traditional planning tools struggle with this level of volatility. Scenarios solve that problem.

The new year is in full swing, with organizations across the country busy setting and getting after their plans for the next 1, 3, and 10 years.  Part of that process needs to include some focused foresight work.

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The challenge of being an incumbent, of being king of the hill, is that you don’t want change. You like things the way they are. The...

As you and your organization work on your plans for next year, the following are five things that your team needs to consider.