California 100 and the School of International Futures Release New Foresight Toolkit for Decision Makers
Toolkit will support agency, department and organizational leaders in moving beyond strategic planning and into strategic foresight
California 100 Announces the new Foresight Toolkit during the California Strategic Growth Council’s Catalyst Conference in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO – California 100 and the School of International Futures (SOIF) have teamed up to launch the new Beyond Strategic Planning: A Foresight Toolkit for Decision Makers, whichprovides leaders with new and innovative methods to implement practical and approachable tools for long-term success. This new toolkit will bring a modern, internationally tested approach to planning, allowing decision makers to be better prepared for their future.
Download the toolkit HERE.
“This toolkit is intended as a primer on strategic foresight, with pragmatic tools that enable decision makers and strategies from various sectors—from within government agencies and philanthropies, to community organizations and educational institutions—to be better prepared for future success under conditions of massive uncertainty and rapid change,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of California 100.
The Toolkit provides a brief introduction to strategic foresight and how it can be used to support decision making. It contains suggestions about how to get started applying foresight for impact for leaders who are new to strategic foresight and futures design. It builds on insights from California 100’s work to shape California’s future, and SOIF’s experience working with governments, civil society, and other sectors internationally.
It will not answer all questions, but will help decision makers to understand what foresight is, how it can be used to support strategic planning, policy-making and leadership in conditions of uncertainty. It also introduces a simple, pragmatic approach to using foresight in communities and organizations and helps readers connect into a broader community of practice, and to access tools, resources and approaches that can be used daily.
“Societies and governments are having to navigate increasingly complex and changeable situations. In order to be better prepared, strategic foresight can play a critical role, as a transformational approach to engage with uncertainty and to draw out a path that takes advantage of opportunities and builds resilience—within California and beyond,” said Cat Tully, Managing Director, School of International Futures. “With an introduction to strategic foresight and its tools, SOIF’s Foresight toolkit empowers readers to engage with and take the first steps to incorporating long term thinking into strategy and processes. We hope to inspire change makers to expand and improve the way they imagine the future and seize new opportunities.”
“California is at the leading edge of innovation including how our state departments and agencies operate,” said Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director of the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC). “We are consistently looking for the latest to improve and enhance how we serve residents and are excited to see this new Beyond Strategic Planning toolkit come out from our partners at California 100. This toolkit provides useful insights into how we might do more, and better, for the constituents we have the opportunity to serve.”
The comprehensive toolkit provides a brief introduction to strategic foresight and how it can be used for decision-making. It also outlines practical steps and exercises to apply strategic foresight into decision and policy making. With the help of these tools, readers are able to gain an understanding of strategic foresight, enabling them to make more informed decisions for their organization and the future of California.
The Toolkit was announced at the inaugural California Strategic Growth Council Catalyst Conference. The Conference brought together 300 leaders from across government, private and philanthropic funding, frontline communities, California Native American Tribes, academia, and advocacy to discuss opportunities to catalyze readiness and maximize near and long-term benefits of climate investments in frontline communities.Leaders from multiple sectors including state and federal department and agency heads attended the conference to hear from experts about bleeding-edge practices.
About California 100
California 100 is a transformative statewide initiative focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. The initiative is incubated at the University of California and Stanford, and is guided by an expert and intergenerational Commission. The mission of California 100 is to strengthen California’s ability to collectively solve problems and shape our long-term future—through research, policy innovation, advanced technology, and engagement—by identifying, mobilizing, and supporting champions for innovative and equitable solutions.
About The School of International Futures (SOIF)
SOIF is a global non-profit collective of practitioners in strategy and policy for future generations. They are headquartered in London and seek to empower people to use participatory futures and foresight to drive societal transformation through their organizations, communities, and countries.