Get There Early: Sensing the Future to Compete in the Present

Nobody can predict the future, but you still have to make sense of it to be successful. Leaders are facing a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity--a world laced with dilemmas. "Get There Early" shows how to sense the future to provoke new ways of understanding the present. Institute for the Future's Distinguished Fellow Bob Johansen uses 35 years of 10-year forecasting to unpack complex dilemmas and help leaders seed innovation and strategy. "Get There Early" helps leaders resolve the constant tension between judging too soon (the classic mistake of the problem solver) and deciding too late (the classic mistake of the academic).

Johansen explains the importance of tuning into the future for business, government, and nonprofit leaders wanting to solve problems in the current world of "volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity." He details how to implement the Institute for the Future's Foresight to Insight to Action Cycle, including an explanation of ten-year forecasting, the Institute's map of the future, differences between problems and dilemmas, and using strategies such as stories, immersion experiences, and small-group workshops to gain insight and inspire others. The process in action is then described, using examples from the Institute's experiences with leaders in companies, government agencies, foundations, and nonprofits. Johansen is associated with the Institute for the Future, a nonprofit research group in Silicon Valley. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)