Scenario planning

Overview

To set a strategic direction for an organisation, it is paramount to have a deep understanding of the development in the contextual and transactional environment. Future scenarios are built to challenge internal mindsets on a range of possible futures and their impact on organisations. The scenario planning process is a strong tool to shape and challenge strategies, spur innovation, and create proactive stakeholder dialogues. Scenario planning can help create insight into major uncertainties impacting an organisation’s business environment and create a shared vision of the future challenges. Studies have found that strategic foresight facilitate organisational learning, create an ability to adopt alternative perspectives and greater insight into changes and customer needs.

In the course, we upskill Trainees with a structured process for understanding dynamics of change, planning for alternative scenarios, and futures-orienting organisational strategy through applied strategic foresight and futures studies. The Master Class is built around maximum engagement and actionable, hands-on learning, with the right blend between relevant theory and tangible strategic foresight tools for your professional work and with a focus on the future of public service media. The Master Class trainers bring their knowledge and expertise from working daily with strategic foresight and futures-oriented issues.

Who it's for

• Strategy directors
• Innovation managers
• Strategic planners
• Business developers
• People who want to get a head start working strategically with the future.

Course objectives

- Develop the ability to spot and make sense of trends, issues, and critical uncertainties influencing your future strategic environment

- Create alternative views on the future and frame robust alternative futures scenarios that have relevance for decision-making - instead of only extrapolating current trends

- Acquire knowledge of how to use the CIFS scenario planning approach as a tool for strategic analysis to develop strategic agility and organizational resilience

- Build knowledge and cultivate a “foresight mindset” for your own futures thinking while also building community by networking and exchanging experiences and ideas with like-minded business professionals from other organizations and industriesd

Schedule

Day 1: from 9.00 to 17.00

Day 2: from 9.00 to 17.00

Content outline

The Master Class guides Trainees through CIFS' approach to applied strategic foresight. The core modules covered in the course are:

Module 1: Use the Future - Become familiar with how to “use the future” through strategic foresight, and why the capability to develop insights about future alternatives to guide strategic thinking has never been more important.

Module 2: Explore dynamics of change - Learn the process of exploring dynamics of change as the “bedrock”-practice of strategic foresight, e.g. by applying the Futures Triangle as an explorative tool.

Module 3: Discovering critical uncertainties - Learn how to identify and make sense of the uncertainties that matter the most by understanding the degree of uncertainty surrounding impactful strategic issues.

Module 4: Build futures scenarios - Learn how to frame and develop robust alternative futures scenarios and discover alternative futures perspectives that have relevance for decision-making. In this module you will also be introduced to using selected AI tools to create narratives and visuals to support the scenarios.

Module 5: Transitioning from foresight to strategy - Learn how to understand the strategic implications of alternative futures and how to transition into futures-informed strategic decision-making.