Foresight helps us prepare for what might happen next.

Not-for-profit CEOs and Boards want to deliver greater impact in the future. They see a lot of risk and uncertainty in their operations appearing as consumers change their behaviours, technology advances quickly and change occurs faster and in a more interconnected way. In times of risk and uncertainty, business results are become harder to forecast.

Why use foresight?

The use of foresight in our planning helps us think about what might happen next so we can plan for it in advance, instead of just reacting when things change. This helps us achieve the impact and future growth we want with less risk and uncertainty because we have planned for a range of futures. It also helps us identify new opportunities and paths to achieve our missions.

At insight & foresight we define foresight as;

“the skill of looking forward to prepare for what might happen next”

This is not about predicting the future but rather using proven foresight tools and skills to explore a range of plausible, possible, probable, and preferred futures so we can better understand what could happen and prepare for it.

People who are good at forecasting are likely to be good at foresight. So, if you currently forecast well, you are likely to have transferable skills for doing more foresight. 

Foresight is increasingly becoming a core planning and decision-making activity of forward thinking commercial and not-for-profit organisations. The reason for this is because things are changing faster than ever before which increases risk and uncertainty, so we need to think further ahead to plan for it.

This means foresight is relevant to everyone, not just long-term thinkers. It's also useful for people who are concerned with making decisions that have a longer timeframe than just the next few months.

What does foresight do?

Foresight helps organisations be more flexible and resilient by helping them develop responses to uncertainty through asking the right questions, identifying opportunities earlier and steering organisations so they can take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Foresight is not crystal ball gazing, fortune-telling or predicting the future. It is about using foresight tools and techniques to explore a range of plausible futures to better understand what might happen next so we can plan for it in advance. 

It helps us understand how different decisions now can affect future outcomes. It also helps us identify new opportunities and directions that can help achieve our missions. It helps us plan and make decisions for impact and future growth.

Foresight is not something that happens once or twice a year, it's an ongoing process of exploring the future to better understand what might happen next so we can prepare for it in advance. 

How do I build foresight?

To build foresight skills, start by understanding what it is and how you can use it in your own business. Foresight helps us prepare for futures so we don’t have to react when things change—it gives us time to think through different scenarios and get ready for what happens next. If you want help developing a plan with foresight built-in or would like some tips on how to do this in your organisation, let insight & foresight know! We are happy to partner with you as expert advisors bringing additional capacity and capability to your planning.

Be ready for what’s next.

Check our our Resources page for more information and knowledge about foresight.