The Future is Now: Anticipating Not Knowing.
In today's world, it is more important than ever to focus on our futures. With so much complexity and change in the world, we need to be prepared for anything. We must explore the unknowns and discuss them at all levels of our organisation. We're constantly surrounded by a multitude of unknown variables, like climate change and inequality. In the past, we have merely viewed futures as things that can be solved with business plans or astute decision-making. But this isn't enough anymore.
To meet the challenges of tomorrow, we need to anticipate and prepare for the unknowns. This means understanding the systems and contexts that drive what is happening today in order to better understand what might happen next. It also requires a mindset shift towards embracing uncertainty instead of trying to eliminate it. To do this, we must draw on diverse perspectives and tap into the collective wisdom of our teams.
We can't simply will futures into existence - it's something we have to work towards. If we want specific kinds of futures, then organisations must become more inclusive and allow for different types of people to have a say in what futures looks like through experimental planning. This way, we're building the skills required to adapt well in an age full of radical change and uncertainty.
The need for anticipatory planning.
In an era defined by seemingly endless change and disruption, organisations are under immense pressure to continuously adapt and evolve just to keep up, let alone get ahead. But trying to anticipate and plan for every possible eventuality is simply not possible or practical. Rather than trying to predict futures with any degree of certainty, organisations need to shift their focus to becoming more comfortable with uncertainty itself and build anticipatory planning processes that help them better sense, prepare for and respond to disruptive change.
By embracing anticipation, organisations can build their resilience and develop a better capacity to absorb the shocks of change. This means creating structures that are flexible enough to adapt quickly to new circumstances. It also requires a proactive mindset so that teams are more likely to take risks and experiment with solutions
Ultimately, anticipating the unknowns should not be seen as a daunting task, but rather an exciting opportunity to explore the possibilities of what could be. It requires organisations to take a proactive approach, embrace uncertainty and develop anticipatory planning processes that help them sense, prepare for and respond to disruptive change. By doing this, we can ensure we’re best prepared for whatever lies ahead.
There are three key reasons why anticipatory planning is more important than ever:
We live in an age of exponential change characterised by accelerating rates of disruption. This increase in complexity is eroding our ability to make reliable predictions about what futures may look like using linear thinking and established models based on past data. This requires organisations to become more anticipatory in their approach and develop flexible, adaptive plans that can quickly adjust to changing circumstances.
The speed and global reach of disruptive technology means that traditional competitive advantages are becoming increasingly short-lived. Organisations must be able to anticipate change and move quickly if they want to stay ahead of the competition. Anticipatory planning helps organisations identify opportunities for strategic advantage and stay one step ahead of the competition.
Finally, anticipatory planning can help organisations overcome inertia and build momentum towards desired futures. By anticipating potential changes, organisations can create plans that better anticipate disruptions and are better positioned to proactively plan for them.
The above three reasons make it quite clear that we cannot afford to treat our futures as something static or predictable anymore. To make smart decisions today that will enable us to thrive tomorrow, we need to proactively engage with uncertainty and build anticipatory planning processes that help us become more comfortable with change itself. Only then will we be able build the adaptive capabilities required to navigate an age of radical uncertainty.
How to use design fiction for anticipatory planning.
Design fiction can provide us with a powerful tool for anticipatory planning. Design fiction is a form of storytelling that combines elements of design, science and technology to create plausible futures that can be used to explore new possibilities or test existing assumptions. It helps organisations think critically about the kind of world they want to create and provides tangible stimuli to help them better understand the opportunities and implications of disruptive change.
Design fiction can also provide a way for organisations to involve both internal stakeholders and external communities in their anticipatory planning processes. By creating compelling stories, design fiction helps organisations communicate complex scenarios more effectively, making it easier to explore the potential outcomes of different actions or decisions over time. It also helps bring diverse perspectives into the conversation, helping organisations gain new insights into the changing landscape around them.
Ultimately, design fiction can be a powerful tool for anticipatory planning. By combining elements of design, science and technology in creative ways, organisations can explore plausible futures that help shape their decisions today for better outcomes tomorrow.
Here's 5 steps to get started with design fiction.
Start by defining your objective: what kind of world do you want to create or explore?
Develop a core narrative with characters and settings that bring your design fiction to life, while being mindful of the underlying context.
Identify potential scenarios based on your core narrative, then select one to focus on and explore in more detail.
Create artifacts and experiences around your chosen scenario, such as a prototype or physical environment that embody the story you are trying to tell.
Use design fiction to facilitate conversations and invite feedback from both internal stakeholders and external communities. Don’t forget to document your journey along the way!
By using design fiction to explore different future scenarios, organisations can identify potential risks and opportunities ahead of time and craft strategies that help them stay ahead of the curve. It also helps to build a culture of experimentation and iteration, helping teams become more comfortable with uncertainty in order to better navigate an age of radical change.
Anticipatory planning is an essential part of staying ahead in the age of disruption. To successfully navigate this period of radical uncertainty, organisations need to become more comfortable with the notion of change itself and build processes that allow them to better anticipate and plan for disruptions. Design fiction can provide a powerful tool for this kind of anticipatory planning by helping organisations think critically about the kind of world they want to create and providing tangible stimuli to explore potential outcomes. By involving both internal stakeholders and external communities in the conversation, organisations can gain fresh perspectives that help shape their decisions today for better futures tomorrow.
