General Information
Instructor(s)
- Instructors TBC
Promotional Video
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- Business Design (r)
- Leadership and Change Management (r)
Target Audience
Future business leaders who are interested in understanding how to think innovatively beyond evidence-based solutions, map uncertainty, and plan for a variety of future scenarios so they can manage projects and organizations in an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex & ambiguous) world. Students interested in Business Design, Social Innovation and Strategy will find this course valuable.
Format
12 Weekly Sessions — There is a final presentation in the last class session. Reflection and team evaluation deliverables are due one week after Class 12.
Course Mission
Equip students with the tools and techniques to imagine multiple possible futures that can inform present decision-making and contribute to the design of sustainable action plans.
Course Scope
Students will learn the fundamentals, methods and application of Futures Thinking (when, why, and how it is practiced), and build an in-depth understanding about the practice of Futures Thinking in the context of business design, including real-world cases and in-class presentations by practitioners. After being introduced to the basic principles and process of Futures Thinking, students will engage in a client-based project. This futures-focused design project will be facilitated through a series of hands-on exercises that provide students with several practical approaches for the application of Futures Thinking to business planning and innovation.
Evaluation and Grade Distribution
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Participation/Discussions (individual) | Ongoing | 10% |
| Mini-analysis x 3: Individual write-ups of team exercises | After Class 4, 6, 8 | 30% |
| Final Project Reporting & Presentation (group) | Class 12 | 30% |
| Reflection (individual) | Ongoing & After Class 12 | 20% |
| Team 360 Evaluation | After Class 12 | 10% |
Required Resources
- How to Future: Leading and Sense-making in an Age of Hyperchange – Scott Smith & Madeline Ashby
- The Signals are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe is Tomorrow’s Mainstream – Amy Webb
- 4 Steps to the Future: A Quick and Clean Guide to Creating Foresight – Richard A. K. Lum
- Strategic Reframing: The Oxford Scenario Planning Approach – Rafael Ramirez & Angela Wilkinson
- Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities – Adam Kahane
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