#1 Futures Studies - Measuring and Making the Future

I spoke to Doris Viljoen: Senior Futurist at the Institute for Futures Research (IFR) and lecturer in Futures Studies (FS) at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).

Show notes and resources:

On defining the field:  Richard Slaughter: “the ultimate purpose of FS was to open out productive mind spaces, precursors of social innovations, from which more advanced stages of civilized life can emerge” - Slaughter, R.A. (2002). Futures studies as a civilizational catalyst. Futures, 34, 349-363.

On activities of a Professional Futurist: Andy Hines identifies three groups of activities:

1. Creating content: sharing information with people to gain insight
2. Process work: create thinking tools or processes for the information you create (1) to reach decision makers
3. Culture and mindset change: so that people can understand, change their minds if necessary, influencing mental models

FS as a scientific field: FS is a science and an art. It is not about predication but rather about identifying possible/multiple futures and making this part of your strategy process.

Personal exercise: on a regular basis, start asking why and what if? Why are we doing this? (For example, ask why? X5) What are my underlying assumptions?

Futures studies in South Africa: https://www.usb.ac.za/academic-programmes/academic-programmes-future-studies/

Nedlac report - Futures of Work in South Africa:  https://nedlac.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Futures-of-Work-in-South-Africa-Final-Report-March-2019.pdf

Reading:

• UNDP (2018): Foresight Manual - Empowered Futures
• Maree Conway: Thinking Futures ; Resource downloads
• Andy Hines: Articles
• Peter Bishop: Teach the Future

For organisations:

• George Day and Paul Schoemaker: See Sooner, Act Faster
• Joe Tankersley: Reimagining Our Tomorrows

 Podcast website: https://waitspeak.podbean.com/p/contact-1578666710/