Imagine you’ve just been hired as an internal futurist for a global corporation. You have the trends, the scenarios, and a clear vision of the horizon. But at your first big steering committee meeting, a senior executive leans in and asks the dreaded question: "So, what exactly is it that you do here?" It is the ultimate test of professional identity in a field that can often feel like a mix of rigorous analysis and intuitive art.
In this episode, we dive into a foundational piece by Andy Hines that serves as a professional health check for anyone practicing foresight within an organization. Hines argues that the era of the isolated "strategic planner" is largely over; the modern internal futurist must operate as a "broker," balancing the delivery of tangible insights with the long-term, often subtle work of shifting organizational culture. He provides a ten-question audit designed to move foresight from a niche, misunderstood activity to an institutionalized, strategic capability.
The paper is a masterclass in pragmatism, offering frameworks for everything from time management—advocating for a heavy focus on process over pure content—to navigating the treacherous waters of corporate politics. Hines shares hard-won lessons from his time at Kellogg and Dow Chemical, providing a realistic look at how to identify your "bridge-builders" and how to handle the inevitable "laggards." It is an essential guide for ensuring that futures thinking doesn't just happen in a vacuum, but actually changes the way an organization makes decisions today.
• The 70/20/10 Rule: Why internal futurists should spend the majority of their time on process (facilitation and engagement) rather than just generating trend reports.
• Organizational Positioning: An exploration of the different "voices" a futurist can adopt, from "stealth" operators to "inside-outside" brokers.
• Stakeholder Mapping: How to categorize your internal audience—true believers, bridge-builders, fence-sitters, and laggards—to tailor your communication effectively.
• Leadership Styles: Applying emotional intelligence and varied leadership styles to influence culture and ensure foresight takes root.
Tune in as we explore the essential audit every organizational futurist needs to pass to ensure their work truly sticks.
Ref:
Andy Hines. An audit for organizational futurists: ten questions every organizational futurist should be able to answer. Foresight, 5, 2003, 20-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680310471262
