Strategic Communication and Information Complexity in Foresight: How to Align Foresight Results with Long-Term Strategic Goals of an Organization or Agenda

Abstract

One of the main targets of strategic foresight is to develop alternative scenarios, roadmaps and narratives for future developments. Building illustrative pictures of the future helps to better understand, prepare for and adapt to necessary changes such as technological breakthroughs, social movements or climate-related issues. The communication of foresight results is often seen as a crucial last step in order to change and transform an organization or agenda. As such, strategic foresight has become an important methodology and toolset for enterprises, NGOs, research organizations and policy makers alike. However, in an increasingly complex and dynamic world the proper communication of foresight results and the proper communication of the actions needed for transformation towards alternative futures become more difficult – due to information overload and the high number of communication channels available. In order to achieve long-lasting attention of the desired audience, a thorough communication strategy is needed from the beginning. It becomes, therefore, more important to use strategic communication approaches when a foresight project is planned and coordinated among its stakeholders and audience. Following Ansgar Zerfaß’ definition, strategic communication is such communication that is substantially and significantly relevant to the survival and sustainable success of organizations. Strategic communication is closely aligned to an organizations’ strategy or agenda and needs specific strategic objectives, careful planning and the measurement of objectives. It defines and concerts communication measures that support the long-term competitiveness, and the long-term ability to compete for attention accordingly. In line with research on dynamic capabilities of an organization– that are the capabilities to sense, seize and reconfigure resources needed for necessary changes and transformation – strategic communication is seen as an important prerequisite to reconfigure the organization, it’s strategic path, and align stakeholders and the necessary resources for change. Foresight projects and papers, however, often do not address the importance of strategic communication. Foresight projects often lack a strategic communication plan and often stop communicating when scenarios or future narratives are ultimately set. This paper addresses these issues and presents a framework how to integrate strategic communication into foresight projects. As a consequence, foresight and future related foresight projects can be better aligned with an organizations’ strategy or agenda on a long-term scale and unfold more impact.