Look, Think, Act: The Futures-Smart Design Organization

Key Insights

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  The COVID-19 pandemic exposed global unpreparedness and severely impacted small businesses, with 30% closing in 2020.

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  Despite crises, remarkable global progress exists in areas like vaccination coverage, literacy, and environmental protection.

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  Futures thinking requires observation, synthesis, scenario creation, estimating potential outcomes, and planning for preferable futures.

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  Design organizations naturally possess many skills transferable to futurism, such as risk management and capacity planning.

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  AI applications can save lives but must be carefully trained with equitable data to avoid reinforcing biases.

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  Collaboration across teams and involving citizens broadly in design and innovation increases the quality of futures outcomes.

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  Technology is a powerful enabler of positive futures but often carries unintended consequences that must be anticipated.

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  Futures literacy and a change-friendly mindset within organizations foster adaptability and strategic foresight.

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  Climate change and extreme weather events disproportionately affect the poorest populations, highlighting global equity challenges.

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  Design leaders are uniquely positioned to advocate for human-centered, inclusive futures at organizational and societal levels.

Notable Quotes