Creative Foresight Space and the Futures Window: Using visual weak signals to enhance anticipation and innovation

Abstract

This paper presents a new method, the Futures Window (FW), where visual weak signals are used to trigger futures thinking and innovation in organisations [1]. Weak signals are signs anticipating or pointing to possibly emerging new issues. Weak signals can be perceived through all five human senses: they can be seen, heard, smelled, felt or even tasted. Visual weak signals are weak signals shown in a visual form. They can be represented as images: photos, paintings, drawings, video clips, etc. [2]. The method used by the Futures Window is to display weak signals in a visual form as a slide show on a large screen with the aim of encouraging people to anticipate and innovate futures. The Futures Window could be a central tool to be used in Creative Foresight Spaces (CFS).11The idea for the concept of Creative Foresight Space originated during two research projects “Technology Futures Forum” and “SOMED” (Social media at the crossroads of physical, virtual and digital worlds), initiated by Dr. Sirkka Heinonen, and first described in the conference presentation by Toni Ahlqvist, Minna Halonen and Sirkka Heinonen “Social Media Applications for Innovative Working Environments” 9th International Conference of Finland Futures Research Centre and Finland Futures Academy "Culture and Innovation – The search for Creative Power in Economics and Societies". Session on Social Media and Technology I. 6–8 June 2007, Turku, Finland. See also p. 68 of the report “Making Sense of Social media – Interviews and Narratives” by Sirkka Heinonen and Minna Halonen Somed Foresight Report 2. Research report VTT-R-04539-07. http://owela.vtt.fi/owela/uploads/2007/11/making-sense-of-social-media-vtt-r-04539-07.pdf. The concept of CFS is offered as one way of responding to the growing demand for innovation in corporations and work organisations. The FW method was tested at VTT Technical Research Centre (http://www.vtt.fi/) in Finland in two pilots in 2006–2007. A survey was conducted to gather employee's opinions of the FW experiments. The results show that employees considered the FW positively and they confirmed that it stimulated futures thinking. The results of this study are encouraging for further developing the Futures Window as a key element of CFS. This article will present the concept of Creative Foresight Spaces in detail together with its possible applications.