Building a shared understanding of cross-cultural challenges when it comes to Foresight and strengthening thought leadership among leading futurists in Japan and Europe – those were the goals of last week’s World Café workshop in Tokyo.
Our colleagues Jens KonradNatalja Knauer and Thomas Kolonko had the pleasure to host the event with over 25 participants from the Japanese and European public sector as well as guests from OECD - OCDE, Japan Research Institute, Ltd., Universität Tokio and Foresight researchers.
Asking: How can organisations install the ability to anticipate futures and further improve foresight skills? we identified 3 main challenges:
🔮 Future responsibility and accountability
The “not my problem” effect and a lack of legitimacy hinder an open future culture that promotes long-term thinking on all levels.
📡 Lack of communication and knowledge exchange
Using the right words to describe the openness of futures and the misconception of “the future” make working towards a shared vision difficult.
🦾 Missing organisational structures and Foresight capabilities
Sectionalism and missing capabilities in Futures Literacy avoid the application of Foresight methods and the integration of future-driven incentives.
Many thanks to all the participants for offering their inspiring insights Leena Seitovirta, Jonathan Buhl, Tiina Jokela, Angela Hanson, Motoki Kobayashi, Akiko Fujii, Ikuei Nakayama and many more.
Now it is your turn: What do you think? Do you experience these barriers in your organisation?
Stay tuned to learn more about the top 3 best practices.
