In today's hyperconnected world, the boundaries between industries are blurring, technological advances are compounding, and emergent challenges—from supply chain vulnerabilities to climate impacts—are creating complex ripple effects throughout the business ecosystem. Traditional strategic planning, with its emphasis on linear projections and known variables, increasingly falls short in this environment of radical uncertainty.

Strategic foresight represents a fundamental shift in approach—from attempting to predict a single future to systematically exploring multiple potential futures and their implications. This disciplined practice enables leaders to expand their thinking beyond conventional wisdom, identify emerging opportunities and risks earlier than competitors, and build more resilient, adaptive organizations.

This webinar introduces a practical framework for integrating strategic foresight into leadership decision-making. Rather than presenting foresight as a specialized function or occasional exercise, we position it as an essential leadership capability—one that transforms how you and your team perceive change, make decisions, and take action in conditions of uncertainty.

We begin by demystifying strategic foresight, distinguishing it from forecasting and prediction. While forecasting attempts to tell you what will happen, foresight helps you consider what could happen and prepares you to respond effectively to multiple possibilities. This distinction is crucial—foresight acknowledges the inherent unpredictability of complex systems while still providing structured approaches to navigate them.

The core of the session explores a practical four-part methodology you can implement immediately:

First, we examine horizon scanning—systematic techniques for detecting weak signals of emerging change before they become obvious trends. You'll learn structured approaches for monitoring developments across the STEEP domains (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, and Political) and distinguishing meaningful signals from distracting noise. We'll demonstrate how organizations from diverse sectors are creating "future intelligence systems" that capture relevant emerging developments and translate them into strategic insights.

Next, we explore scenario development—crafting coherent, plausible future contexts to stress-test current strategies and reveal new possibilities. Rather than theoretical exercises, we'll focus on developing decision-useful scenarios that directly inform strategic choices. You'll discover techniques for identifying critical uncertainties, challenging implicit assumptions, and creating scenario frameworks that stimulate fresh strategic thinking.

The third component translates foresight into action, addressing the common disconnect between futures exploration and current decision-making. We'll examine practical approaches for using foresight to inform strategic planning, risk management, innovation pipelines, and leadership development. You'll learn how to maintain strategic flexibility while still executing with clarity and purpose, avoiding both rigid commitment to outdated assumptions and paralyzing indecision in the face of multiple possibilities.

Finally, we address the cultural dimension of futures thinking. Strategic foresight thrives when embedded in organizational culture rather than isolated in specialized roles or occasional workshops. We'll explore practical approaches for building foresight capacity across teams, integrating futures thinking into regular planning cycles, and creating psychological safety for challenging established perspectives.

Throughout the session, we'll examine case studies of organizations that have successfully embedded strategic foresight in their leadership approach, resulting in earlier recognition of disruptive threats, identification of emerging opportunities, and more resilient strategic positioning. These examples span industries and organization sizes, demonstrating that foresight capabilities are valuable regardless of your specific context.

By the conclusion of this webinar, you'll understand why leading through turbulence requires more than just responding quickly to change—it demands anticipating potential changes and preparing for them before they fully manifest. You'll have practical tools to expand your strategic aperture, challenge limiting assumptions, and lead with greater confidence amid uncertainty.

Most importantly, you'll leave with specific next steps to begin building foresight capability in yourself and your organization, transforming how you perceive, prepare for, and shape the future rather than simply reacting to it as it arrives.

Areas Covered    

Here’s what we’ll explore together:

By the end of this session, participants will:

Who Should Attend    

Why Should You Attend

In a business landscape evolving at unprecedented speed, leadership based solely on historical performance and current market conditions is increasingly insufficient. Consider this sobering reality: 52% of Fortune 500 companies from 2000 have disappeared—either acquired, merged, or bankrupt—primarily because they failed to see change coming or respond quickly enough. The question isn't whether disruption will affect your industry, but when and how dramatically.

Today's leaders face a paradoxical challenge: making confident decisions in an environment where confidence in any single prediction is increasingly misplaced. When asked about their greatest leadership challenge, 78% of executives cite "navigating uncertainty while maintaining strategic direction." Yet only 23% report having systematic approaches for exploring future possibilities.

This capability gap creates both risk and opportunity. Those unprepared for emerging shifts face existential threats, while those who develop foresight capabilities can transform uncertainty into strategic advantage—often spotting opportunities months or years before competitors recognize them.

Consider these warning signs that your organization may be operating with dangerous strategic blind spots:

This webinar addresses these vulnerabilities head-on, providing you with practical frameworks to expand your peripheral vision, challenge limiting assumptions, and identify emerging opportunities before they become obvious to everyone else.

Unlike theoretical futures discussions, our approach emphasizes actionable techniques you can implement immediately. You'll learn how leading organizations are using strategic foresight to inform capital allocation, talent strategy, innovation portfolios, and risk management.

Most importantly, you'll discover how to transform strategic foresight from an occasional exercise into an ongoing leadership capability—one that enables confident decision-making even as conditions continue to evolve unpredictably.

In today's environment, the ability to sense and respond to change before it fully manifests isn't just a competitive advantage—it's increasingly a prerequisite for organizational survival. Join us to develop the foresight muscles that will distinguish tomorrow's successful leaders from those caught perpetually reacting to changes they didn't see coming.

When the next major disruption arrives—whether from technology shifts, changing consumer values, regulatory evolution, or something entirely unforeseen—will you be scrambling to respond or already executing your strategic pivot?

Topic Background

Today’s business landscape demands more than reactive leadership. Disruptions are arriving faster, cycles of change are accelerating, and yesterday’s strategies are already outdated. Business leaders need new ways to navigate complexity, anticipate what’s coming, and make informed decisions with the future in mind.

Strategic foresight provides exactly that — a disciplined approach to understanding potential futures and using them to shape better strategies today.