Futures consciousness - a must skill for future fit leaders and companies
Futures consciousness is the human ability to understand, anticipate, prepare for and embrace the future (source: https://futuresconsciousness.utu.fi/concept/). In a business context, futures consciousness is an organization's capability to not only anticipate the future, but to actively shape it through the choices and decisions it makes. The practice of futures consciousness is crucial for businesses to build sustainable operations, to create a meaningful purpose, to lead and build relationships, and to make informed decisions.
How to practice futures consciousness
To practice futures consciousness, leaders and organizations must adopt a future-oriented mindset and approach. This can be achieved by for example creating visions, building scenarios, and imagining possible futures. Futures thinking should be incorporated into decision making and into the creation of business strategies and products. To be effective, futures consciousness must involve consideration of the potential impacts of decisions and actions on the future, as well as an awareness of the possibilities and threats that the future may bring. Board should show the way and imagine possible futures. For leaders, futures consciousness should be part of decision making as they are the ones calling the shots, making the tough choices, choosing what to do and what to leave undone. This is of course very hard as many times the focus is on short term impact, revenues and results. But it is inevitable that if you want your business to succeed in the future, you'll need to start thinking about acorns and think less about marshmallows and immediate rewards. In innovation and product development as well as company strategy creation, it goes without saying that you need to practice futures thinking and futures consciousness as integral part of the strategy or product creation process: where are we heading? Where is the world going? What kind of mega trends or phenomena can we recognise that have a potential impact on our business? What are the potential future scenarios and how do those impact our choices today and tomorrow?
Impact of being futures conscious
The benefits of being futures conscious are numerous. Making futures conscious decisions leads to a more sustainable and responsible approach to business and life. It also helps to broaden one's perspective on business and to make better, more informed decisions. Considering the impact of your actions in the future will make you think and act in a different and more sustainable way. Also when you're thinking ahead, you become aware of the possibilities and threats that the future might bring. Being aware of the futures might help you create different scenarios and change direction or pivot at a faster pace when needed. Thinking about the impact of today's actions will also make you think about the different aspects of your decisions (e.g. social, environmental, economical, human) which in turn will broaden your perspective on business in general. Research has identified five dimensions of futures consciousness: time perspective, agency beliefs, openness to alternatives, systems perception, and concern for others. By developing these five dimensions, individuals and organizations can make better, more sustainable decisions and shape a better future for all.
In conclusion, futures consciousness is a crucial capacity for businesses to thrive in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. By being futures conscious, organizations can make informed decisions, shape a sustainable future, and create a better world for future generations. By embracing futures consciousness and incorporating futures thinking into decision making and strategy creation, businesses can position themselves for success in the years to come.
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