Futures and foresight tools support strategy work by structuring inquiry into- and generating information about- the user’s uncertain operating environment. Each of the many tools accomplishes this differently, making tool selection non-trivial. Scholars have recommended that tools be organized for selection based on the nature of inquiry they generate, resources needed for their implementation, input or data transformation affordances, the content they produce, and temporal directionality. In practice, foresight tools are selected by actors under constrained circumstances. With the aim to improve the impact of foresight investments, a foresight selection schema is proposed to pair tools at a locus and level of uncertainty identified as relevant by the user. The article reports on field tests that apply the tool selection schema and the resulting refinements to the schema and diagnostic protocol, and concludes by offering suggestions for leveraging the schema in firms, consulting, and teaching
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