Articulating Vision and Foresight
To move an organization forward to achieve its objectives, it is crucial for leadership and stakeholders to agree on where the organization wants to be in the long term. We refer to this as the Strategic Vision, or just Vision, and this is something that needs to be agreed to by a consensus of leaders and stakeholders, and it must be communicated to all employees. Along with the vision, the organization needs Strategic Foresight to visualize its trajectory from present to a desired and attainable future. The vision requires the following:
An experienced facilitator to lead discussions, capture key ideas, and document the vision and trajectory in a way that is agreeable to leadership and understandable by all members of the organization.
Participation of decision makers (or their representatives) from all functions of the organization and potentially key stake holders. This participation is best done in face-to-face (or simultaneous virtual) meetings to allow a lively and open discussion of what the organization should focus on for the next decade or so.
A way to share information and get input from the rank and file of the organization. This part of visioning is based on the idea that for a vision to be affective, everyone in the organization must participate in its formulation.
Experts who understand what is possible and how the barely possible gets done.
Visioning with Strategic Foresight
A well-articulated vision with Strategic Foresight is essential to Riding Disruption
〰️
A well-articulated vision with Strategic Foresight is essential to Riding Disruption 〰️
Facilitating a shared Vision
Bringing a group of strong-minded stakeholders to a common view of the future is not an easy task, but one that is well-understood in the Strategic Planning community. It requires buy-in and openness from top leadership and earnest participation from stakeholders. The better the participation in formulating a vision, the more resilient the organization will be.
Fortunately, most organizations today are comfortable with remote meeting and consensus building. It is much easier to bring stakeholders to consensus today than it was just a few years ago.
Participation
Participation of decision makers (or their representatives) from all functions of the organization and potentially key stake holders. This participation is best done in face-to-face (or simultaneous virtual) meetings to allow a lively and open discussion of what the organization should focus on for the next decade or so.
Continual Communication
Everyone who is impacted by the vision needs to see themselves in the vision. They need to understand it and be able to share it, so it needs to be simple enough to understand and remember. Ideally, all members of an organization should have an opportunity to provide feedback before the vision is finalized.
Engage Experts
While leaders and stakeholders are envisioning the future, they will need to hear from experts who understand the organization and the environment within which it operates. Some organizations will have most of the experts they need among stakeholders while others will need to hire independent experts to share the art of the possible. (Experts will probably not be AIs, but they may need to know how your organization will use emerging technologies.)