Nine Top Tips for Futures Concept Generation
Nine top tips on how to maximise Futures Concept Generation and stay ahead of the curve
Help your organisation stay competitive, foster innovation and remain adaptable in an uncertain world
What is Futures Concept Generation?
In a world defined by rapid technological advancements and unpredictable market shifts, how can leaders think beyond the present to ensure their organisations remain competitive? For leaders and innovators who lack a crystal ball, Futures Concept Generation (FCG) is a powerful approach that helps organisations envision potential future scenarios.
More than just discovering new landscapes, FCG helps organisations to see with new eyes and develop groundbreaking concepts for emerging markets. Whether your organisation is designing new products, services, or strategies, FCG equips you with the tools to not only anticipate future changes but to shape them.
Push and Pull Forces Defining the Future
Two key forces are central to this process and these stimulate forward-thinking innovation: Science and Technology (S&T) push and future world pull.
The S&T push taps into the cutting-edge potential of technological and scientific advancements, driving the development of new possibilities based on what’s possible today and tomorrow. Whereas future world pull focuses on anticipating the evolving needs and challenges of future industries, economies and society. It guides innovation to address the demands and opportunities that will define tomorrow’s world.
These forces work together, and by understanding and using both, leaders can maximise the effectiveness of Futures Concept Generation, developing ideas that are innovative and aligned with future needs.
Staying Ahead
Here are our top nine tips on how to stay ahead of the curve.
Engage with Futurists and Thought Leaders: Collaborate with experts in forecasting and future trends, such as futurists, strategists, and thought leaders, to gain fresh perspectives and challenge conventional thinking. Their insights can help broaden your understanding of potential future scenarios. (The School of International Futures is a good place to start).
Stay Updated on Emerging Science and Technology: Establish a horizon-scanning system to track the latest developments in science and technology. These signals can spark new ideas for groundbreaking concepts and inspire new Generation After Next (GAN)concepts. (RAND is a good place to stay informed on current research projects).
Monitor Global Trends and Societal Shifts: Keep a close watch on global trends, such as demographic shifts, geopolitical dynamics, environmental concerns, and evolving cultural patterns to anticipate future needs and opportunities.
Create ‘Future Fictions’: Use creative storytelling and media to bring possible future scenarios to life. These immersive narratives can inspire people into a future world where novel, generation after next or game-chancing ideas can flourish, and push the boundaries of conventional thinking.
Foster an Innovative Mindset: Encourage a culture that values long-term thinking and imaginative exploration. Encourage your team to look beyond current trends and imagine bold new possibilities for the future. (more on how you can Foster Innovation in your organisation).
Encourage Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Bring together experts from diverse fields - such as engineering, science, social sciences, humanities and the arts - to share perspectives and generate fresh insights. We’ve found that this interdisciplinary approach can spark unique and innovative ideas. For example, our favourite Imagineer is an academic who studies SciFi literature!
Encourage Purposeful Creative Thinking: Implement creative thinking exercises, such as brainstorming sessions, mind mapping or design thinking workshops, to stimulate new ideas. Create an environment where people are encouraged to think outside the box and challenge conventional assumptions. Consider using a tried and tested approach in which creative thinking can flourish. (see Imaginate as a tool to help with creative thinking)
Incorporate User and Stakeholder Insights: Consider the needs, preferences and challenges of potential future users and stakeholders such as military advisers or patient advocates. Gather input and gain feedback on new ideas and concepts but keep in mind that finding the right people is crucial at this stage. Engage people who can envision future possibilities while staying grounded in the needs of end users. You want people who can build not crush your concepts.
Experiment and Prototype: Develop prototypes or simulations to explore speculative technologies or systems - whether it’s a visual model or even a simple mock-up. Create experimentation spaces to test and refine your concepts because hands-on experimentation helps validate ideas, explore feasibility, and identify potential challenges. Develop cost-effective methods to quickly bring minimum viable products to end users for feedback and refinement.
Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast
Staying ahead of the curve in a changing world requires a proactive, forward-thinking approach. Futures Concept Generation is about more than just predicting what’s next; it's about creating the future you want your organisation to be part of. By adopting these nine strategies leaders can position their organisation to anticipate future trends and innovate with confidence.
These methods can unlock new possibilities, push boundaries and keep your organisation stay ahead of the competition.
However, no matter how well-thought-out or powerful a strategy is, it will fail if the organisational culture does not support or align with it. Culture sets the tone for how things are done within an organisation and it has a more significant impact on success than strategy alone. Creating a culture of effective collaboration, underpinned by quality relationships built on trust, is the foundation which high-performing teams are built on.