Today, organisations should actively engage with future trends, leveraging diverse networks for wider perspectives and incorporate them into corporate planning. Leaders need to act as sponsors, stewards and protectors to shield their teams from excessive criticism, bearing in mind that foresight is seldom easily understood by mainstream parts of an organisation. Foresight practitioners should be entrepreneurial by showcasing the importance of foresight and tapping into current trends. Central to this approach is the management of polarities, which includes striking a balance between future-oriented perspectives and present-day realities. Utilising immersive approaches, as well as tapping into the role of innovators and early adopters is essential for optimising the organisational impact of possible futures while the integration of both qualitative and quantitative data is vital.
Aaron Maniam: A Futurist’s Field Guide, Strategic Foresight Projects in Large and Complex Ecosystems
- Date
- 11 November 2023
- Location
- OECD Headquarters, Paris, France
About
Speaker
Aaron Maniam
Fellow of Practice and Director of Digital Transformation Education, Oxford Blavatnik School
As Fellow of Practice and Director of Digital Transformation Education at Oxford’s Blavatnik School, Aaron teaches on the School’s Masters and executive education programmes, focusing on issues connecting technology, public policy, and public administration. He maintains a strong interest in how futures thinking can enhance government capacity, given the growing pervasiveness of technology. He co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Technology Policy and is a member of the OECD’s Expert Group on AI Futures.