Is strategic foresight one of tomorrow’s most exciting and valuable careers?

Many of us spend a great deal of time thinking about the future. Which subject to choose or university to attend? Will my job be replaced by artificial intelligence? Will certain industries even still exist in 20 years?

Providing context to a complicated world makes being a futurist a sought-after, and invaluable, emerging profession. For learners interested in business, technology, economics or even the humanities, pursuing a career in strategic foresight could translate into one of the most fascinating opportunities for decades to come.

Invest-ED spoke with one of South Africa’s leading exponents in this emerging arena, Bronwyn Williams - Futurist, Economist and Business Trends Analyst at Flux Trends.

The world of strategic foresight is a fast-growing field that helps businesses, governments and investors make better decisions in the face of an incredibly complicated world.

Futurists, strategic foresight practitioners and business trends analysts identify weak signals, understand emerging trends and explore multiple future possibilities before they happen.

It may sound like opportunistic naval gazing, but in reality it is one of the most intellectually stimulating – and increasingly valuable – emerging careers.

Contrary to popular belief, futurists don’t predict the future. Instead, they study change. They examine what is happening today, compare it to what has happened historically and identify patterns that could shape tomorrow.  

Never before have decision makers faced so many disruptive forces simultaneously. There are more people, with more free will, making more decisions than ever before. And that adds up to more possibilities. 

So rather than coming to a definitive conclusion, futurists explore multiple scenarios and help leaders prepare for different possibilities. The job is less about prediction and more about improving decision-making in an unwieldy and complicated world. In short, the futurist role is to provide context.

Future studies began to emerge in the 1960s. There is no 'Futurism' degree offered at an undergraduate level. The notion of a futurist, strategic foresight practitioner or business trends analyst remains an emerging field.

Many of today’s leading practitioners followed very different academic paths, studying everything from economics and political science to psychology and technology. These intellectual generalists don’t claim to know everything, but they do understand enough about:

• economics to interpret markets
• geo-political science to understand risk
• technology to appreciate disruption
• history to recognise patterns
• society to anticipate shifts in the cultural and political zeitgeist.

It’s widely considered that the strongest practitioners combine rigorous research, critical thinking and communication with an insatiable curiosity about how the world works.

Consequently, it’s vital to choose a degree that teaches how to research effectively, analyse evidence and communicate ideas thoroughly.

How do you get started?

Becoming a respected futurist doesn’t happen overnight. Credibility takes time and comes from experience.

Many practitioners first build experience and expertise in other fields such as consulting, economics, technology or public policy before specialising in foresight.

Along the way they are expected to publish articles, speak at conferences, and learn how to effectively facilitate workshops. These efforts should culminate in a reputation for thoughtful, evidence-based insight.

In many ways, becoming a futurist requires you to construct your standing in public. You assemble a body of work, test it publicly, learn from the feedback and test it again. The cycle repeats itself and gradually organisations begin to seek out your perspective.

Advice for parents

The profession offers more avenues than people realise. Nevertheless, strategic foresight isn’t a traditional pathway like accounting, engineering or medicine. Instead, think of it as a capability that enhances many careers.

In a global economy increasingly shaped by uncertainty, organisations place a premium on individuals who can make sense of complexity - students who have typically become exceptional researchers, communicators and systems' thinkers.

That makes strategic foresight less about preparing for one specific job and more about preparing for a lifetime of solving new problems.

The future belongs to the curious

In pursuit of a career as a futurist, strategic foresight practitioner or business trends analyst, you will be expected to connect ideas across disciplines, challenge assumptions, communicate clearly and help create context out of complexity.

In an increasingly complicated world, awash with opinions, futurists are emerging as central figures in shaping a clearer view of tomorrow.

“The strongest practitioners develop rigorous research skills, understand quantitative and qualitative analysis, read widely across disciplines and become comfortable noticing and connecting ideas that others might never even consider related.” – Bronwyn Williams

If you would like to know more about how to help organisations answer some of today’s most complicated questions, follow Bronwyn Williams on LinkedIn and check out Flux Trends work via their website.