The weaknesses and threats of SWOT analysis

August 2, 2012

Used in the typical way, SWOT analysis can do more harm than good. Why? Because the tool too easily forces thinking that ignores the future. Using the four SWOT categories; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is a recipe, if you don’t take care, for a firm focus on the present. It gives you an organizational assessment, [...]

Read the full article →

A futurist recharges his batteries

July 31, 2012

I first drafted this piece for my own records, but found it worth sharing, so I fixed it up a little, and present it as personal reflection that may somehow be useful to others in and near the futures community. I plan to share some of the thoughts on foresight that my experiences in Toronto [...]

Read the full article →

Our Role in Shaping the Future

June 27, 2012

I am hoping you’ll take a moment to complete a quick SURVEY. It’s focused on how what people do shapes the future. In late July my colleague Jennifer Jarratt and I will offer a conference session at the WorldFuture 2012 Conference called “Our Role in Shaping the Future“. We will explore the critical role of [...]

Read the full article →

The future is a foreign country; they do things differently there

April 30, 2012

The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.–L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between, 1953 That’s a thoughtful and useful quote. And we can also truly say, “The future is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” In considering a future time, you have to reckon with a whole thing: a complete culture, marketplace, [...]

Read the full article →

The unrecognized present

February 22, 2012

Futurists, by definition, are supposed to talk about the future. So this is a little embarrassing. I’ve recognized, for some time now, that a lot of my work is about showing people what’s already going on. That’s about today! Yet, it’s enough to blow their minds, sometimes, though I’ve not even begun to tell the about [...]

Read the full article →

The power of silence

February 15, 2012

Insights come more reliably to an undistracted mind. Have you noticed a little magic in the otherwise purgatorial time you spend with the cabin doors closed, approved electronic devices off, between pull back and take-off? Have you noticed that you had a few moments to think?  That few minutes is a blessing–it’s time you are [...]

Read the full article →

Can irony change the world?

January 24, 2012

On an October 2011 visit to a college dorm hallway in Colorado, we saw a spot where a water fountain had been removed, and the wall cavity patched with cinderblock. The dorm residents had put up a sign: “Occupy Water Fountain”. It was during the height of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Also during the [...]

Read the full article →

Pollyanna had the right idea

January 19, 2012

In a controlled study, researchers found people routinely willing to swap similar pens with others, but less willing to exchange lottery tickets. The reason? The lottery ticket in your hand has a potential future value which may—you don’t know—exceed that of another ticket. You don’t want to swap away a ticket that might turn out [...]

Read the full article →

#Consumer4Sight No. 9: Wants to play

January 12, 2012

For more in this series, see #Consumer4sight The future consumer wants to play: with you and with her friends. That means having more options, choices, new experiences, and interaction with you, your products, systems, and services. It means variety and fun in the course of using a product or service and engaging with a company. We [...]

Read the full article →

The past cannot be our guide to the future

January 4, 2012

American strict constructionists say that the U.S. Constitution is an inviolable, bible-like guide to what must be in U.S. governance. The Constitution’s words, interpreted from the perspective of the framer’s “original intent” are to be adhered to no matter what. It has become common in current U.S. politics for people to say that judges interpreting [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →