Our New Book is On the Way
Hello and happy August,
We're among those many newsletters that greet you with "it's been a while since we sent a newsletter..." But, we have reasons :) Since last autumn, we've been preoccupied with, among other things, working on a fantastic large scale project, setting up a new outpost (more about that in a subsequent newsletter), redesigning our website (it's lovely, go see!), and the subject of this missive: a new book!
A Deep Dive into Cultural Change
After the warm reception of our 2020 book, "How to Future: Leading and Sense-making in an Age of Hyperchange," we found ourselves engaged in many conversations about the realities of applying futuring tools and approaches to hard problems. Between the dozens of workshops and courses we've run — and first-hand client engagements — we found ourselves particularly attuned to the challenges of making futuring work within both small and large, complex organizations. While different approaches and methods can be learned with practice, dealing with cultural barriers to make these practices durable, sustainable and widespread is much more challenging.
This has been acknowledged in the futures field for a long time, but just saying "think differently," and "build literacy" doesn't solve the practical problem. The former doesn't provide sufficient scaffolding for this different thinking, and the latter too often relies on the attractiveness of ideas with little focus on the real-world application. We can build literacy in many things, but putting literacy into action is a different thing entirely, particularly when facing the realities and conflicts of innovation and policy-making in a time of polycrisis.
So, we set out to document our own learnings in the field, and talk to others who are out there — those successful leaders of futures teams and practices who face these challenges day-to-day. To stress-test our own first-hand experience, we interviewed dozens of colleagues in government, NGOs, big multinational brands and leading-edge agencies to find out how they build more receptive, sustainable, and practical future cultures piece-by-piece.
This last bit is important. We broke down the culture-building process into layers, from individual skills and mindsets to language, tools, experiences, rules and norms, and, ultimately, to networks and ecosystems. This model helped us think about, and inquire about, the differences and synergies of building out a futures culture from the inside out, organically, rather than imposing one from the outside. It also provides a way to map your own progress as you do the same, working piece-by-piece to reprogram the culture.
Introducing "Future Cultures"
We're pleased to say the result of this is our latest book, "Future Cultures: How to Build a Future-Ready Organization Through Leadership," from our friends at Kogan Page, to be released in October!
Like "How to Future," "Future Cultures" is a practical guide, accessibly written. "Future Cultures" differs in that it's filled with case studies from organizations that have successfully built an anticipatory culture. We delve into their strategies, their challenges, and their successes to provide you with actionable insights, in their own words. The book includes fresh and direct conversations with friends at AXA, IBM, McDonald's, the BBC, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Dubai Future Foundation, Singapore's highly respected Centre for Strategic Futures, Kantar, Near Future Laboratory, Superflux and more.
We document some of our own projects, and those of partners and peers, talking about the "how" as well as the "why" to give you a better sense of how others approach future culture-building in their own worlds. We close with a timely look at how innovations like generative AI may change the cultural landscape for futuring going forward.
And for those who enjoy hands-on learning, "Future Cultures" includes a variety of what we call creative catalysts — exercises and prompts designed to spark your thinking and help you apply the concepts in your own organization. Like our previous book, this one is designed to be shared — with teams, leadership, or whomever might benefit. If “How to Future” was written for the practitioner-in-development, “Future Cultures” is perfect for building or reinforcing your futuring case with leaders, sponsors, stakeholders or partners.
Pre-Order Now, and 20% Off!
If you're eager to start exploring, you can pre-order your copy now directly from koganpage.com, or find your favorite bookseller at futureculturesbook.com. If you order directly from the publisher, you can use the code KOGANPAGE20 at check-out for 20% off — a little incentive to get that pre-order in early!
If you are interested in reviewing the book for public consumption, drop us a line, and we will connect you with a review copy via NetGalley when it becomes available. If you have questions, would like to help us talk about the book, or perhaps schedule an internal event or workshop, get in touch!
We will also continue talking to many of you about your own futuring practices and challenges. Keep an eye on our various channels to find out how you can listen in, or join us for a chat.
We're pretty excited about this new book, and we're looking forward to hearing your thoughts on "Future Cultures" and learning about your own journey towards building a future-ready organization. As always, we're here to support!
Keep on futuring,
Scott & Susan
PS: Keep the book site close to hand. We'll be adding resources to map your own future culture soon!
Some early reviews for Future Cultures:
“An essential and inspiring read for those establishing future cultures within their teams and organizations.”
Timo Mashiyi-Veikkola, Design Director, Research by Design, Electrolux Group
“Smith and Cox-Smith are expert futurists and humanists who set out practical principles and methods in this book to help teams and communities build a holistic culture of foresight to shape shared prosperous futures.”
Lina Srivastava, Founder, Center for Transformational Change
“An indispensable guide for anyone who wants to bring the practice of futuring beyond a circle of the initiated few and turn it into a relevant strategic asset in their organization.”
Lars Stalling, Head of Innovation Strategy at Discovery, Telefónica
