The document discusses the process of strategic foresight and change management. It explains that scanning the external environment to identify signals of change and emerging trends is the first step. This involves systematically capturing insights and raw observations about change from various sources. Scanning allows organizations to consider potential futures and how they might respond. Tools like tagging and linking insights can help identify patterns and interdependencies. The aim is to help organizations anticipate challenges and opportunities to stay ahead of competitors.

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Managing change is a process that can be
systematized
Increasing strategic foresight capability is
the first step in change management
Having strategic foresight increases future
opportunity and reduces emerging risk
You can Add Sources to scan for, identify
and monitor change going on around you
and to look for more evidence of change to
confirm or deny the FORECASTS our robot
has automatically extracted from the
content here
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By kind permission of Wendy Schultz

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Scanning is analogous to an early warning
radar, a continuous process of scanning the
environment to identify signals of change
and emerging trends
An excellent early warning radar looks at
all aspects of the global environment
scanning for (p)olitical, (e)conomic,
(social), (t)echnological change .. as this
service does
Good scanning explores both new, strange
and weird ideas, as well as persistent
challenges and trends, today
In the recent past, scanning was a hugely
time-consuming activity. But now, our
robot Athena, does far more with less than
is humanly possible.
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DATA
INFORMATION
KNOWLEDGE
WISDOM
PAST
FUTURE
Raw evidence to
INSIGHTS
Extracted indicators to
FORECASTS
QUESTIONS* to ANSWERS
METHODS to RESPONSES
`
What must be done?
What could be done?
What is predicted?
What is reported?
Our Processategic Foresight
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW_pyramid
Sources
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* Athena now gathers the Data and extracts
verbatim Information instantly. She is now
beginning to offer Knowledge on what could
be done by finding Answers to extracted
Questions on the Web.

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By collecting Insights about emerging
change, analyzing underlying patterns,
finding future FORECASTS and picturing
what’s likely/unlikely to happen within the
global environment, mental models of
possible futures can be created from which
your preferable future can be chosen
By choosing preferable futures people and
organizations shape their and our
tomorrows and create leadership positions
You to can quickly and easily
Tracking and analysing how a trend emerges and
diffuses throughout society over time
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Scanning involves identifying Insights
about change and analyzing the content
An Insight is a raw and single point
observation of change drawn from reports,
articles, PDF’s, videos etc.
For instance, when you read a daily
newspaper you will regularly see new
events and discoveries being reported
Capturing the Insights systematically
underpins the scanning process
This is a mammoth task done manually,
but fortunately our system almost
completely automates the process
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Scanning allows you, and your colleagues
to ask ‘what if?’ questions by reading
FORECASTS and Insights
- What if this happened in the world today?
- What does it mean for others?
- What does it mean for us?
- How should we respond and when?
Select those for further investigation and
deeper thinking that look as though they
will generate significant change in your
world and that of your stakeholders
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Look for interdependencies, feedback delays
and repeating patterns amongst Insights. Try
to:
- See ahead: look to what’s coming next
- See behind: understand the past
- See above: take a helicopter view too
- See below: find the diamond in the rough
- See beside: remove the blinkers
- See beyond: question what’s beyond the
horizon
- See through: look for fresh essence
and
meaning
See above
See beside
See ahead
See beyond
See below
Brainstorming: Nasi 1991 / Mintzberg 1998
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Tag: use descriptors to bookmark your
favorites, assign project names, track
competitors etc
Refer: link an item to other items
Share: email to associates and add this link
To social media sites
Forum: dialog with others, critique and/or
add views
Assess: add your own assessment of the
future of this item

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See emerging change using pattern
recognition tools: tag clouds, timelines,
maps, graphs, tables, voting
Know how your own organization’s and
our members thinking is changing over
time
Look for patterns, ideas and uncertainties
among the presented content
Here is how forward thinking individuals and
organizations stay ahead of slower rivals:
Add and share Insights and FORECASTS
with colleagues.
Speed read each others article titles and/or
descriptions
Look for patterns, risks, opportunities
across FORECASTS
Delve deeper into content of interest by
clicking on it
‘Refer’ specific trends, ideas, uncertainties
and potential
Make it a regular weekly habit
Use SCENARIOS to capture specific trends, ideas,
uncertainties and potential surprises that need to be
considered further in project form or click the plus
button
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You may find our Practical Foresight Guide
useful too, in quickly bringing yourself up
to speed with the underlying concepts of
and uses for strategic foresight.
You can find it here:
https://www.shapingtomorrow.com/webt
ext/223
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Begin exploring the service
Consult the other detailed help ‘GUIDES’ here
Learn how to get ahead of rivals
Contact us if you have any difficulties or would
like up to 40 minutes free, online training
We are here to help. Feel free to contact us
+44 (0) 1273 832221
info@shapingtomorrow.com
Skype: shapingtomorrow
Ask Athena
“We are here to help you make
better strategy decisions today, faster.
better and cheaper than ever before”
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