Think Forward EP 127 - Building Future Ready Organizations

Think Forward: Conversations with Futurists, Innovators and Big Thinkers

Organizational foresight is the key differentiator between companies that merely survive and those that actively shape their future, enabling systematic anticipation of change through expanded thinking across three time horizons.
• Foresight isn't corporate fortune-telling—it's a sophisticated navigation system showing multiple routes and spotting opportunities others miss
• The three horizons framework balances improving current business (H1: 0-2 years), exploring emerging opportunities (H2: 2-5 years), and reimagining industries (H3: 5-10+ years)
• Effective foresight models include centralized teams, hub-and-spoke systems, or distributed capabilities—choose what fits your organization's culture
• Start small with approaches like "Future Fridays" or trend newsletters before scaling up
• Build a diverse team combining strategic thinkers, researchers, storytellers, and bridge builders
• Create a futures-focused culture by integrating foresight into existing processes and making it safe to challenge assumptions
• Organizations with mature foresight capabilities achieve 33% higher profitability and 200% higher growth than industry averages
• Measure success through learning metrics, process metrics, impact metrics, and value metrics
• Begin with a "futures audit" of recent decisions to identify where foresight could add the most value
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-forward-conversations-with-futurists-innovators-and-big-thinkers/id1736144515

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IOn8PZCMMC04uixlATqoO

Web: https://thinkforward.buzzsprout.com/

Thank you for joining me on this ongoing journey into the future. Until next time, stay curious, and always think forward.

Chapters

1. Think Forward EP 127 - Building Future Ready Organizations (00:00:00)

2. Welcome to Think Forward (00:00:31)

3. Understanding Organizational Foresight (00:01:00)

4. Organizational Models for Foresight Teams (00:04:59)

5. Building Foresight Capability (00:09:11)

6. Creating a Futures-Focused Culture (00:12:55)

7. The Business Case for Foresight (00:16:06)

8. Real-World Applications and Lessons (00:20:42)

9. Key Takeaways and Next Steps (00:24:43)