Foresight in Organisations

Unit Code:HBF542

Credit Points	Duration	Contact Hours	Campus	Prerequisite	Corequisite
12.5 Credit Points	1 Semester	36 hours of contact in weekly or block mode	Hawthorn	Nil	Nil

Credit Points

Duration

Contact Hours

Campus

Prerequisite

Corequisite

12.5 Credit Points

1 Semester

36 hours of contact in weekly or block mode

Hawthorn

Nil

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Master of Management (Strategic Foresight) suite.

Aims & Objectives:

The unit will introduce several concepts and models which have proven to have utility in foresight-related work and its implementation. The unit will also focus on case studies and hearing from actual practitioners about their attempts to undertake foresight activities.

Teaching Methods:

This unit is delivered through a range of teaching methods which may include lectures, presentations and small group activities

Assessment:

Written response to text: 10%
Learning journal: 10-20%
Group presentation: 20-30%
Written case study: 30-50%
Class Contribution: 10%

Generic Skills Outcomes:

Learners bring to Swinburne University of Technology a range of experiences and graduate with individual understandings, abilities and attitudes. Within this context it is the intent of Swinburne that all its graduates:

are capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas
operate effectively in work and community situations
are adaptable and manage change
are entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business, workplace or community
are aware of the dynamic nature of environments.

Content:

The purpose of this unit of study is to integrate the theory and practice of Futures Studies/foresight with that of strategy and change. While the latter two have become a 'generic' activity for a wide range of organisations, foresight has not yet been widely applied to it.

The view taken here is that 'foresight refreshes strategy and illuminates change opportunities'. That is, the addition of a coherent forward view in any organisation brings to the fore new factors, options, possible strategies and, in so doing, provides new inputs to any strategic or planning process. Some case studies and models of implementation are presented and organisational implications are examined.

After taking this unit of study students will:

understand the strengths and weaknesses of conventional strategic planning and strategy work;
appreciate the ways that foresight interacts with, goes beyond, and rejuvenates the latter;
be aware of several models of how the theory and practice of foresight can be embedded in organisations; and
be ready to seek an integration of foresight and strategy to produce effective organisational outcomes.

Recommended Reading:

Brown, A (1998) ‘Ten ways futurists can avoid being destroyed’ Futures Research Quarterly vol.15, no.2, pp.7-13 (Summer).
Greiner, L (1998) ‘Evolution and revolution as organizations grow’. Harvard Business Review 76, 55-67.
Hamel, G & Prahalad, CK (1994) 'Seeing the future first' Fortune 130 (5):64-68. New York: Time, Inc.
Hayward, P (2004) ‘Facilitating foresight: where the foresight function is placed in organisations’, Foresight vol.6, no.1, pp.19-30.
Hines, A (2003) ‘An Audit for Organizational Futurists’, Foresight vol.5, no.1, pp.20-33.
Horton, A (1999) ‘A Simple Guide to Successful Foresight’, Foresight vol.1, no.1, pp.5-9.
Inayatullah, S (2000) ‘Tips and pitfalls of the futures studies trade’, Foresight vol.2, no.4, pp.369-74.
Mintzberg, H. (1994) 'The fall and rise of strategic planning'. Harvard Business Review 72, 107-114.
Voros, J (2003) ‘A generic foresight process framework’, Foresight vol.5, no.3, pp.10-21 (2003).

References:

Hamel, G & Prahalad, CK (1994) Competing for the future. Boston, MA, USA, Harvard Business School Press.
Hayward, P (2003) 'Resolving the moral impediment to foresight action'. Foresight 5, 4-10.
Jaques, E (1990) In praise of hierarchy. Harvard Business Review 68, 27-33.
Mintzberg, H, Ahlstrand, B & Lampel, J. (1998) Strategy safari: a guided tour through the wilds of strategic management. New York, The Free Press.
Senge, PM. (1992) The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organisation. Sydney, Random House Australia.
Voros, J. (2003) 'A generic foresight process framework'. Foresight 5, 10-21.