Foresight Into the Future by Amy Vance
NAPO Member Since 2011

You may have heard the term “foresight” recently in conversations and as a topic that is growing in popularity amongst our membership, but like many, you aren’t clear on what it MEANS.

Having earned my masters in 2010 in Future Studies from the University of Houston, which is known for their programs in this area and foresight, I am able to shed some light on what foresight is and how it contributes to our industry.

I attended the 2018 NAPO Annual Conference, and to my surprise, during leadership training the topic of foresight was introduced. The discussion centered around the changing world and how it will affect the organizing industry.

Foresight isn’t predicting the future. It is researching and describing plausible, alternative and expected forecasts based on drivers of change that are happening today technologically, politically, socially, economically, environmentally, etc.  These drivers of change are various factors that contribute to an organizational shift toward movements such as micro-learning or continued support of diversity and inclusion, for example.

The overarching question remains, how does foresight affect professional organizing?

Drivers of change are numerous and vary in their effect on the organizing and productivity industry and many of these topics are searchable on NAPO POINT (under the resources tab) and available through the ASAE Foundation ForesightWorks Research site.

While you peruse these topics and their discussions, keep in mind how these movements can and will affect your business and clients, today and in the future. Ask yourself, what are changes that you need to make to ensure your business is sustainable, profitable and will continue to grow with the drivers of change.

The drivers of change we have covered so far are The Aging World, Ethical Consumption and Empowered Women. Stay tuned to the Foresight discussion threads as a new topic will be introduced each month. Even as I am a member of the NAPO Pathway to 2030 Foresight Team, I personally find the discussions beneficial to my continued professional growth. Get involved by asking questions, offering your insights and reading what your colleagues have posted.