Strategic and Futures Thinking
Level:
Expert / leading
Expert / leading
Analyses possible future states, and supports the development of strategic objectives and policy proposals that inform the direction of policy advice.
- Leads activities related to setting vision and strategic direction.
- Tests, updates, replaces, or reframes different perspectives.
- Can develop a theory of change that identifies the barriers and drivers.
- Scans the system to understand the nature of trends in their domain.
- Can confidently design, lead, or commission the development of futures-focused and strategic policy.
70% on-the-job learning
- Lead at an agency or sector level a project that contributes to vision setting, strategic direction, and longer-term outcomes.
- Design the foresight component of policy projects. Select the optimal combination of tools for each part of the project (scanning, uncovering assumptions, exploration of possible future states, exploration of responses, identifying preferences). Design futures-informed policy responses.
- Coach and mentor others in systems thinking and futures thinking.
- Lead scanning activities that identify future trends and their strategic implications, and discuss within your agency and sector to the implications for policy direction.
- Identify your team’s capability for strategic and futures thinking – the skill sets, data sets, organisational processes, and culture needed to support high quality policy advice.
- Facilitate workshops to test new ideas and approaches for systems thinking and futures thinking.
20% learning from others
- Stay updated on the new tools and techniques others are using to support their strategic and futures thinking.
- Join the Association of Professional Futurists.
- Join the Strategic Futures Group – Interagency Community of Practice on Futures Thinking and contribute to leadership of the system.
- Test strategic and futures thinking with other experienced colleagues, within and across agencies.
- Read articles on emerging futures practice from one or more of the academic futures journals, such as Journal of Futures Studies.
10% formal learning
- Attend courses that help you understand how futures thinking can support you in designing better operating policies and guide effective change from a strategic perspective.
- Take a futures thinking course.
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