Forum for the Future uses a range of futures techniques in its work with organisations. Find out more about our techniques and how we’ve used them:  

Scenario development
Scenarios are engaging, challenging descriptions of different possible futures.  Scenarios can be powerful tools to help organisations navigate the future – by exploring what might happen, and tackling uncertainty head-on, you can be better prepared to mitigate the risks and seize the opportunities presented by a changing world. 

We help organisations evolve their business strategy and make it more robust using insights gleaned from a tailored scenario development process.  Scenarios are also excellent tools for stimulating innovation, in products, services and processes, and stimulating step-changes in sustainability performance.

Our scenarios work includes:

Fit for the Future - The project explored the impacts of climate change on the UK National Health Service, made recommendations on creating a sustainable low-carbon healthcare system and presented scenarios for the future of healthcare which health professionals can use to test strategy. It was jointly produced with the NHS Sustainable Development Unit and will be sent to every NHS organisation. Find out more

Acting now for a positive 2018, preparing for radical change – The report, sponsored by CapGemini, esamines the trends which will shape the future of business over the next decade – the end of cheap finance and resources, the impact of climate change, the rise of markets like China with demand from their growing middle classes – with conclusions for business, governments and regulators.  Find out more

Retail Futures – The project explores the different possible futures for the UK retail industry in 2022, developed with support from Tesco and Unilever. It includes an analysis of what the scenarios could mean for retailers looking to create a more sustainable future. Find out more

PepsiCo – We developed global scenarios exploring the key trends which could affect the business over the next two decades.  Via a series of workshops in the US, India, China, Latin America and Europe we used the scenarios to develop options for strategy, products and markets that would help the company successfully navigate a changing world while delivering step changes in sustainability. This work is seen as a critical piece of strategic thinking for the business. Find out more

Derek Yach, Senior Vice President for Global Health Policy at PepsiCo said:  “The Scenarios and Strategy project 2030 with Forum For The Future was a professional and inspiring process that enable us to identify risks and opportunities that will impact the core business today and in the future.  As a result PepsiCo will be better prepared and stronger as a company.”

VisionsWe work with our partners to build future visions - powerful illustrations of overarching company goals and sustainable solutions.  Visions act as an inspiring and strategic anchor for organisations, providing a clear set of targets to work towards.

It may seem difficult to justify planning for, say, the next 20 years when most people are focussed on success in the next quarter. But setting out a future vision can be a hugely productive exercise, not least because, when talking about the long-term future, people are often willing to discuss important or sensitive issues more positively with a greater focus on finding solutions. The common sense of purpose that comes from having an agreed future vision is also invaluable.

Our work on visions includes:

The health system in 2025 - As part of the UK government's Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England Post 2010 (The Marmot Review), we contributed a powerful vision of what our health system could look like in 2025, when we want to be well on the way to bridging the health inequality gap. Find out more

A low-carbon vision for the West Midlands in 2020 – The report sets out a vision for the West Midlands, which explores what the region might look like in 2020 if it is successfully travelling the path to a low-carbon economy. Find out more

Horizon scanningWe have extensive experience in horizon scanning – identifying the ‘weak signals’ from today that teach us about what the future might hold – and we help organisations build their own capacity to do this.   

We also help organisations to use the material identified in a horizon scan to develop a future-proofed strategy, preparing them for the trends which are shaping our world. 

Our horizon scanning work includes:

Buying Solutions – We looked at the future trends and weak signals that may affect Buying Solutions’ procurement work, and provided guidance on using the contents of the horizon scan to ensure that the contracts that they tender are at the vanguard of sustainability. Find out more
 
Weak Signals - We’re constantly scanning for weak signals that help us understand our future – see our blog for examples.

Convening debate
We believe it is vital to tackle the sustainability issues of the future head-on, which is why an important part of our work is about convening debate.  When people talk about the future, they can discuss hopes, fears, ambitions and assumptions openly and without recrimination.  The intersection of people’s different perspectives is inspiring, and can generate genuinely new ideas. We write reports and run public events and tailored workshops to get people talking and thinking about solutions. 

Seminars - We ran a series of ‘Ahead of the agenda’ seminars for Tesco, looking at emerging trends in retail and sustainability. Find out more

Population and Sustainability - We’ll shortly be launching a report about Population and Sustainability in the UK – watch this space.