Emergent Insights approach to Strategic Foresight is based on several key elements. Together they provide the basis for our unique Integral Strategic Foresight capability that is tailored to our clients needs in each application. The key elements include a deep structural and process practice framework based on Integral theory, our Quality Foresight decision making framework for identifying the key aspects of the foresight analysis to be conducted, or capabilities to be developed, and a foresight methods toolbox that includes and expands on both traditional strategic planning tools and futures methods.

Why Strategic Foresight?

Every decision-making process involves foresight - some anticipation about future consequences and eventualities. The real questions become what is the quality level of the foresight employed? Is it relevant? Is it enough? In general, the historical answers in Australia are that foresight quality is low, it's not really relevant, and, it's certainly not enough. It's a tough call, but understandable. Robust, accessible and comprehensive strategic foresight tools and the know-how for integrating them into strategic planning and operational processes have been problematical and one that has been slowly developing in competence.

Unknown to most organisations, and even many futures practitioners themselves, a revolutionary renewal of foresight methods has been occurring over the past decade, the benefits of which, Emergent Insights can provide.

Strategic Foresight is essentially about the thinking that precedes strategic planning. Thinking about the future, especially medium and long term future of 5, 10 or 30 years from now, is difficult for many reasons. The most obvious of which are:

• Most people have views of what the future might hold, and yet we don't have a culture that supports a grounded critical investigation of these views;
• The future doesn't actually exist. It's a possibility space that fundamentally can not be predicted in any reliable fashion, so why bother; and,
• There are so many possibilities for what might happen, that it is often too hard to comprehend, let alone factor into pragmatic strategic planning.

Strategic Foresight addresses these difficulties and provides the means for structuring our thinking and conversations about strategy development and implementation. A one page diagrammatic overview of what Strategic Foresight involves and how it relates to strategic planning is available here.

Quality Foresight

Emergent Insights approach to providing and developing Strategic Foresight capabilities is based on our Quality Foresight framework. Quality Foresight involves an examination of the client's context starting with underlying or first order principles to determine the nature, scope and type of Strategic Foresight capability that is required and can be integrated into a strategic planning process.

A brief article outlining the origins of Quality Foresight is available here. While it may seem conceptually complex at first, the basic principles are simple in nature, yet powerful in determining an organisations need and capability for Strategic Foresight. Emergent Insights Quality Foresight approach is primarily used to order our thinking in assessing, designing and implementing Strategic Foresight for our clients, rather than as a framework that organisations would apply in full. The work we conduct and the capabilities we foster in our clients is, instead, visably focused on our Integral Strategic Foresight approach.

Integral Strategic Foresight?

Emergent Insights Integral Strategic Foresight is a deep structural and process framework for the application of a tailored suite of strategic foresight methodologies to our client's situation. The approach represents a revolution in management and futures thinking, that includes the major benefits of most previous approaches, and goes beyond them in an integration that allows for the emergence of a synergistic approach that is unparalleled in effectiveness, robustness and comprehensiveness.

Integral theory is used to guide the selection and application of each Strategic Foresight method. This ensures that a transparent and rigorous process is designed and implemented that provides outcomes that are grounded in a comprehensive understanding of our client's operational context.

Emergent Insights has experience in a wide range of traditional and Strategic Foresight methods, and is continually updating and expanding our Foresight Toolbox.

Foresight Toolbox

Emergent Insights uses a range of methods and approaches drawn from a wide range of disciplines. For each client, processes are individually tailoerd to suit their context, capabilities and requirements. Common futures methods that have been renewed using our Integral Approach include:

• Action Learning & Research;
• Deep Visioning;
• Environmental Scanning;
• Integral Scenarios; and,
• Viable Systems Analysis.

If you would like more information on how Emergent Insights Integral Strategic Foresight approach can expand your strategic thinking capabilities, and what sort of methods might suit your organisations circumstance, contact info at emergence.net.au.