Everyone anticipates.

When looking for an apartment, you end up with a four-bedroom so that there is enough space for a possible addition to the family. The briquettes are taken out of storage to a more convenient place for the upcoming opening of the barbecue season. Toddlers are insured in case something happens. In practice, almost everything we do on a daily basis is connected in one way or another to knowledge or an idea of what will happen in the future – very soon or in a longer while. In all its simplicity, foresight is therefore preparation for the future: weighing opportunities and threats, preventing surprises, and having ready solutions for situations that may arise.

Few people go to the store and throw things from the shelves into their cart completely at random and without the slightest idea of what they are, what is in them, or why they are buying them. In the same way, a company's operations cannot be based on the feeling of the present moment without any kind of long-term plan – or of course they can, but whereas for the vibe-shopper the worst situation might be opening a can of sour herring when hunger strikes, for a company it could be a sudden and bitter end when an unexpected situation arises.

A time of change is looming on the horizon.

Without the gift of prophecy, it is, of course, impossible to say for sure what the future will bring. However, with analytical skills and an open mind, it is possible to make informed, knowledge-based assessments of what might happen next. Instead of Tarot cards, it is worth turning your attention to your own environment and the rest of the world to understand the future. History, the market situation, trends, megatrends, and weak signals form the basis for creative future thinking, which is a vital part of a company's crisis resilience.

It is particularly important to dive deep into the reality of the target audience. With ethnographic research, you can find surprising hidden needs and unique insights for target-group-specific scenario work. Exploring scenarios, in turn, opens new doors to completely new kinds of experiments and innovations that, at their best, offer a head start in the future competition.

Thinking about and preparing for different future scenarios may at first seem like an overly high-flown fantasy game and mainly a matter for larger companies. However, the universal truth that applies to all actors is that the early bird catches the worm. Foresight provides support for decision-making and strategic planning, and at best, a direct competitive advantage. And it's not just about risk management: the deepest understanding of the target audience provides guidelines for creating even stronger loyalty and ensures that you are constantly one step ahead when it comes to meeting the future needs of the target audience.

Not an answer, but readiness.

It is clear that sometimes changes are such rapid and massive wild cards that it is difficult to prepare for them in advance. Upheavals like the coronavirus pandemic can redefine the entire operating environment in just a moment – and yet many companies were able to turn the situation to their advantage at an astonishing pace while numerous other companies struggled to stay afloat. The readiness to react and adjust operations to suit the situation and new consumer demands is no coincidence.

Although foresight may not offer a direct solution to every single issue, it helps to accumulate readily applicable knowledge and tools that can be used to handle even sudden changes very elegantly. It is about continuous monitoring, adaptation, and staying one step ahead. And if you are eagerly following only and exclusively this moment, you are already too late – and then there is no point in being outraged when new and old competitors ski past you with their innovations while your own company deteriorates on the spot.

Has foresight been neglected in your company, or do you feel that you don't really know where to start? For us at 358, foresight and future work are our core competencies, and we have done foresight work with numerous different industries. Our view is that people-centric future work creates a head start for any brand. Book a half-hour discussion with us and let's take your company's future to a new level together!

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