Frame It!

Many, if not most, strategists have given up on projecting beyond a three-year window, due to the rapid pace of change evident in the modern business and cultural context. However, such a short-term approach can make your organization vulnerable. Canton (2015) cautions, “The key skill is how well you can predict the future faster and more accurately than others (p.10).” Leaders who table the future in favor of a short-term focus assume considerable risks. You’ve got to look past the next quarter. The intentional practice of strategic foresight helps mitigate these threats.Framing provides a tool to organize the issues facing the organization as it looks to the future. This step in the futuring process is important in light of the tendency for leaders to be activist and seeks to rush to an implementation phase too quickly. The old adage used by carpenters is, “measure twice, saw once.” Framing provides the space to clearly define the objective to prevent proceeding with the work of strategic foresight prematurely, and in the wrong direction.Framing also helps a leader challenge the mental biases that are present in an organization’s leadership. Marsh, McAllum et al. (2002) refer to the predominant view of the present as “Mental Model One (p.5).” A Mental Model can also be referred to as “conventional wisdom,” encompassing the way a leader sees the world and organizes his/her thinking about the future. Those who raise questions or challenge current consensus can face resistance when conventional wisdom is entrenched and unidentified. The act of framing attempts to reveal the embedded thinking patterns in the organization and identify the “givens” in organizational thinking.Take the following steps to frame your organization’s future (The Praxis Project):

1. Define the issue
2. Assign responsibility
3. Draft solutions
4. Produce pictures and images
5. Tailor the framework to the audience

What are the most common biases that you face as you look to the future and what are you going to do about it?ReferencesCanton, J. (2015). Future smart: Managing the game-changing trends that will transform your world. Boston, Da Capo Press.Marsh, N., et al. (2002). Strategic foresight: The power of standing in the future. Australia, Crown Content.