Developing Organizational Futures Orientation—A Single Case Study Exploring and Conceptualizing the Transformation Process in Practice

Abstract

In today's world, fast, and systemic changes are taking place at all levels of business and society. At the same time, the average age of corporations is dramatically decreasing, resulting in lower level of profits generated over their life span. Despite the increased evidence of the high impacts of foresight on the company-level economic growth, profitability and long-term vitality, only a minority of companies have so far developed their futures oriented capabilities and competences. Given the particular importance of small and medium sized companies in most economies worldwide, and their still rather low and deficient level of interest in futures thinking and strategic foresight, more understanding is needed about how to increase their awareness and adoption of the anticipatory approaches and methods both in theory and practice. Hence, in this practice-oriented single case study, the objective was to empirically explore and conceptualise the process of developing organisational futures orientation in a small company in the field of strategic consulting and training. As a result, based on the six-pillars of futures thinking for transforming as the theoretical frame of reference, a six-step process model for developing organisational futures orientation is provided to offer a pragmatic view of the process.