Birmingham Launch Roundtable Session
Futures Thinking
During our Birmingham launch event, Professor John Vines one of the Directors of UKFin+ ran a roundtable activity called ‘Futures Thinking’: A structured approach to understanding the landscape of potential futures to guide better decision-making in the present.
1.
There are many possible ‘futures
2.
We can influence these futures
3.
It’s our responsibility to think long-term
4.
Our assumptions flow into the future(s)
Futures Triangle
Source: Sohail Inayatullah
Pull of the future
Values, beliefs, visions, and images that attract, seduce, or pull you towards this future(s).
These could be positive or negative, and visions can be competing for attention and sway
Weight of history
Cultural characteristics, social norms, structural barriers, regulations, and laws of physics that hold back or limit the speed or reach of a possible future
Push of the present
Trends, policies, and forces driving change in the direction of your issue.
These pushes are not inevitable, but they are highly likely or influential. They’re the wind at the back of your issue.
Click through the gallery to see a digital version of the posters created during this workshop