Today’s world frequently gives an impression of being in the transition phase, in which the old ways are no longer effective, while the new directions are only emerging. Facing the upcoming challenges requires foresight and imagining the futures based on new solutions, systems and narratives. Meanwhile, businesses function in the reality of short-term goals and results, which are not always conductive to designing change. These two perspectives – designing the futures and presence management – are often difficult to reconcile, which weakens the hope for the better tomorrow and the sense of agency over the present reality.
Innovation design is actually about designing change and transition moments, and is therefore especially demanding. In organisations, we often come across “agents of change” – people, who contribute new ideas and energy. When the first effects are not visible fast, however, and the pressure on the current results grows, this initial spark might die out. How do we combine the foresight, design methods and experiments, in order to support the introduction of real and measurable changes?
It is crucial to develop processes which balance out the perspectives of “today” and “tomorrow”. Such processes do not stop at the level of intellectual exercise or flashy presentations, but lead to alternatives responding to today’s challenges while building the foundation of the better tomorrow.
Keywords: foresight, designing change, transition design