We are pleased to share with you that Prescient has partnered for a second year with the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes to bring you foresight capacity training at the Foresight Sandbox.
The Foresight Sandbox is a professional foresight capacity building course that combines strategic foresight training with hands-on planning for an era of accelerating change.
But what Actually happens at the Foresight Sandbox?
Here are a few highlights from the 2020 Sandbox agenda, including the confirmed faculty so far.
Pre-meeting: Creating a Strong Foundation
- Pre-course discovery session: All registrants will have a 45-minute discovery session with course founder and leader Dr. Amy Zalman before the course begins to set their strategic intention for the course. (We will meet again afterward to make sure that your goal was achieved.)
- Introduction to our collaborative workplace. Familiarize yourself with our shared workspace before the course begins.
- To accommodate ourselves to the online space this year, we will break up each day into two 3-hour chunks, with a 1-hour break for lunch. If you’d like to hang out online for lunch, you are welcome to do so for casual networking with your colleagues.
Day 1: Liberate your Foresight Mindset
We begin the course exploring the current assumptions that hold individuals and organizations back from accurately understanding the future, and from influencing it to their advantage. We begin to explore the nature of change and the major changes driving the global future today.
- Discover your foresight capacity mindset – how do you approach change?
- Develop a mental model of change. Being able to picture change and uncertainty is a powerful first step in being able to work with both.
- Identify and analyze different patterns of change.
- Heighten your sensitivity to different patterns of change.
- Analyze macro-trends currently driving the environment with a focus on people and technology with guest faculty, Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder, the Governance Laboratory and Dr. Jennifer Sciubba Chair of the International Studies Department at Rhodes College.
Day 2: Envision and Activate the Future
On the second day of the course, we will roll up our sleeves and start building the future. With a refreshed approach to the future, we will walk through the futurist’s toolkit for anticipating and influencing the future. We will also discuss new diagnostic tools for identifying gaps and opportunities in organizational readiness.
- Anticipate critical changes that may alter the operating environment
- Discover alternative futures
- Illuminate future opportunities in competitive spaces; spot potential risks
- Explore best practices for creating more resilient large bureaucracies with Bart Édes of the Asian Development Bank
- Generate alternative future operating environments
- Chart a plan for operational resilience in your organization
Day 3: Lead your Organization and Influence the Future
On the third day of the course, we will shift our focus to implementing the future, and clearing organizational roadblocks to action.
- Shift into action by moving from scenarios to strategy
- Use the power of peer learning to sharpen your strategic action plan
- Grow and lead foresight within your organization
- Find ways to foster an anticipatory organizational culture from the top down, and the bottom up
After the Sandbox
After 3 days, the Sandbox will end, but your lifelong journey in foresight may have just begun. We will be providing materials from the course for your ongoing use and look forward to being a part of your network, and welcoming you into ours, into the future.
This course is ideal for you if you are:
- A mid-or senior level professional responsible for leading, planning, making decisions or communicating long term strategy in your organization.
- A change agent in your organization and want to drive innovation, readiness and strategic agility.
- A lifelong learner eager to add critical thinking and strategy skills to your professional toolkit.
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the Foresight Sandbox further please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
