The Futures Framework https://futuresframework.com Your Roadmap to Navigating Uncertainty Thu, 17 Dec 2020 23:12:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.10 Long-term thinking drives farsighted leadership https://futuresframework.com/insights/long-term-thinking-drives-farsighted-leadership/ Thu, 17 Dec 2020 23:12:42 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6644 Farsightedness is one of the essential qualities of a leader. Farsighted thinking is the ability to envision and articulate a future that’s impactful and feasible. As a leader, you need to be able to articulate to others where you’re headed, what’s possible when you get there, and what you can accomplish by working together.

A farsighted vision—and ability to communicate it—has set apart some of the most effective and successful leaders of the last century. Martin Luther King was farsighted when he wrote his “I Have a Dream” speech. Walt Disney was farsighted when he envisioned Disneyland and later Disney World. Steve Jobs was farsighted when he pioneered the microcomputer. Bill Gates was farsighted when he worked toward putting a “computer on every desk and in every home.” John F. Kennedy was farsighted when he called NASA to put a man on the moon within a decade—and to do it before the Soviet Union did. Ernest Shackleton was farsighted when he dreamed up his Antarctic expedition . . . and even more so when he continued forward toward rescue and didn’t quit. Henry Ford was farsighted when he visualized a “motor car for the great multitude” that would provide “hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.” Each of these leaders knew where they were headed, even though they may not have known how they were going to get there at the time. Having clarity about the future is powerful. 

When we start sharing about the Futures Framework, it’s usually the same block we come up against with people every time. “This sounds great but isn’t it just a nice to have? I’m pretty busy dealing with today and the real issues we’re facing.” (Don’t you know that we have a budget shortfall/ our CEO just left/ we’re under a continuing resolution/ there’s a pandemic?) 

The future isn’t optional. It’s going to happen whether you are ready for it or not. We recently picked up an old favorite book: God Dreams by our friend Will Mancini. It reminded us of all the reasons why vision and strategy are so important; why, to see the fullness of the kingdom of God, we can’t be shortsighted. Will writes up a great list of Twelve Compelling Reasons on page 36 that summarize why it’s impossible not to think about the future. 

There are clear motivational reasons for us to be farsighted:

  • Think long to master-plan your disciple-making impact. 
  • Think long to connect people to God’s big story of redemptive history. 
  • Think long to focus on a broader resource base. 
  • Think long so that God can do more than you think.

We are wired to think about the future – it helps drive us. Our thoughts and resources and understanding are necessarily limited. Don’t we want to tap into more than today? We have to be farsighted leaders to think through phases of God’s story and our plan. Neither are complete right now – so we have this incentive to think far and long so that we can find our place in that bigger picture. It’s these elements that makes us say yes to the adventure in front of us.

Next are the practical reasons: 

  • Think long because how big you think guides how much you accomplish. 
  • Think long to build a ministry that will endure. 
  • Think long because it costs you nothing. 

Super practically speaking: why would you not become farsighted? It costs you nothing to do so; indeed, it will help you build a ministry and have an impact that will go far beyond just today. Your thinking drives your doing. If you don’t start thinking and planning like a farsighted leader you won’t have the impact of a farsighted leader. It’s only going to make you better.

Finally, let’s think about the Biblical reasons that we are called to think about the future:

  • Think long to love people beyond your lifetime 
  • Think long because that’s how God reveals himself 
  • Think long because most likely you will lead for a long time. 
  • Think long because God thinks generationally. 
  • Think long because you will live forever. 

We are called to love people – and that’s not limited to the ones we currently know. We want to know God – and He has more to show me. Learning that is a process. We want to lead well – and hopefully that means for a long time. (If we don’t want it to last why am I doing it?  We want to think like God thinks – and that means generationally. It means leaving things for our children, and our children’s children. Most of all, the promise of the Gospel is that I will live forever. And that means forever matters. 

Therefore, the essence of being a farsighted leader is having enough clarity about the future for you to know your direction in the present. This doesn’t mean you’ll have all of the answers, or even most of the answers—or that you need to pretend you do. It merely means that you have clarity about which direction God’s leading you.

The future is full of so much possibility – and possibility is liberating! It invites us to act because we see creative ways to have impact, to build something that matters, to connect with God’s people

]]> The Rolling Credits of Superhero Movies https://futuresframework.com/insights/credits/ Thu, 26 Nov 2020 18:35:11 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6591 When we were children, we didn’t understand why a few people would remain in their seats to sit through the never-ending rolling credits at the end of movies. Some of the credits were so long that if we would have left the theater when they started, we would have been home by the time they ended. So, why would anyone stick around?

It took decades of watching countless superhero films for us to really appreciate the credits. You may have noticed that films like Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, entice you with “post-credit scenes” that often reveal hidden additional pieces of a puzzle. The post-credit scenes might make you laugh, teach you something new, or tease you with a clue about an upcoming sequel.

Over the years, as theaters emptied around us, we started to pay attention to the names that scrolled across the screen in between the post-credit scenes. The credits were usually scrolling so fast that we couldn’t catch the names of every single person, but what was clear is that it takes an endless cast and crew of talented people to create a body of work that inspires, educates, and entertains us.

A body of work like this could never have been created alone. We have been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants. So many have influenced our work, and it’s impossible to capture every name in the quickly scrolling credits, but we see your imprint on nearly every page of this site and our book.

Thank you to each of you who have been a part of this adventure. We want to particularly thank all of you who willingly invested your time and talent to help review, edit, contribute to and launch What Comes Next? We are forever grateful to you. We also want to thank the incredible team at Moody Publishers who believed in us and provided outstanding support along the way.

Now that we have returned safely from yet another adventure, we can tell you that the best part of any journey is creating the credits page and sharing the credit with those who made everything possible. So the next time you are watching a movie or reading a good book, take a moment to sit through the credits until the screen fades to black—catch all the acknowledgments of the people who worked hard to make the magic happen.

 

]]> Why We Love Kaleidoscopes https://futuresframework.com/insights/why-we-love-kaleidoscopes/ Thu, 26 Nov 2020 17:23:57 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6565

Do you remember the first time you picked up and played with a kaleidoscope?

With every twist, light bounced off ordinary objects in the room and refracted through the lens to produce wondrous and intricate designs. Whether you used a simple homemade tube filled with beads, strings, and paper clips, or a higher-end prism adorned with colored plastic, glass, or marbles, the angled mirrors allowed you to change your view and create an infinite array of beautiful new images – no two alike.

We love kaleidoscopes because they combine the beauty of stained-glass windows, the majesty of sunsets, and the surprise of fireworks. The unique design of kaleidoscopes provides new and unusual visual experiences, particularly in environments where darkness and uncertainty surround bright light. While it’s disorienting at first, the simple method of combining light and movement in new ways gives the viewer an enhanced field of vision.

Kaleidoscopes are one of our favorite tools to help you deepen your field of vision and think like a futurist. Kaleidoscopes prompt us to see and think differently. Futures thinking is like picking up a kaleidoscope for the first time. It allows you to look at the ordinary world and see the world in a new and beautiful way.

The Futures Framework, which we explain in detail in the book What Comest Next? works like a kaleidoscope.  As you consider the four forces and each of themes at the eight intersections, you will start to see fresh possibilities for your future. With enough twists, we’ll show you how to combine these insights into a clearer vision of the future.

The approach helps you systematically consider what comes next through a particular set of lenses to foresee a range of possibilities, identify options, plan, and shape the future. Not only will it help you have more clarity about what comes next, but we also show you, based on that clarity, how to realize that future in a structured, systematic, and actionable way.

If you are ready to change your perspective and see the future differently, start here!

]]> Nearsighted vs Farsighted https://futuresframework.com/insights/nearsighted-vs-farsighted/ Thu, 26 Nov 2020 16:08:26 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6531

One of the essential traits of leadership is the ability to create, articulate and carry out vision. Jack Welch, CEO of GE for 20 years and someone who is regarded as one of the greatest leader of his era, once said: “good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” Ever since Jack begin his role as CEO in the early 1980s, the focus on leadership has shifted from traits and leader behaviors to the need for leaders to articulate visions to their followers, particularly those in organizations undergoing major change. Today, it’s viewed as a fundamental attribute of effective leadership and forms the basis of ones power to lead. Book after book has been written about how leaders who can articulate a vision well are able to help lead their organizations to a sustained competitive advantage over those organizations lacking such a vision.

Every leader needs clear vision. The problem is that, vision is anything but common and rarely clear. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’re all more nearsighted than we want to admit. Having limited vision is simply part of the human experience. We are quick to see only what’s in front of our eyes and fail to participate in the promises God has planned for us in the future. Where there’s no vision, the people perish, says Proverbs 29:18. Without a clear vision, you won’t last.

NEARSIGHTEDNESS

Do you see better when you squint? Many of us who are physically nearsighted squint to improve our eyesight when looking farther away. Unfortunately, when it comes to the future, we’re all born nearsighted.

Nearsightedness is simply the inability to focus on objects far away. You can think of it as being “shortsighted” or as having “tunnel vision,” resulting in the inability to see beyond your present circumstances. Our vision of what’s next will always be somewhat blurry. It’s just part of our human experience. Only God is omniscient. But you may not understand just how myopic you are until you start thinking about the future.

Sometimes we rush into projects without taking time to understand what it will take to accomplish the task. Other times we fall into a mindset trap that “well tackle the problem when we encounter it.” For many, we rely on our past successes to carry us into the future and we don’t pause long enough to challenge our assumptions. When leaders lose focus on the big picture and develop tunnel vision, those around them can pay a heavy price.

Being nearsighted really limits the perspective we can have. Given the fast paced and uncertain world we live in, many of us have difficulty stepping back and gaining perspective. With all of our responsibility to address the urgencies of our present crises, even the most well-intentioned of us are tempted to stop where we are. Instead of envisioning a better future, the immediate goal of managing risk today, improving our resilience, and safeguarding the longevity of our organization, church, or ministry takes precedence. It’s easy to maintain the status quo when we’re faced with ambiguity and limited resources.

Nearsightedness isn’t a new phenomenon either. It’s been part of the human condition for as long as we’ve explored our planet. A great example of nearsightedness in the bible is in Genesis 12:1-3. Abraham was given a promise that seemed impossible: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham was unable to see the bigger promise that God revealed to him, and just three chapters later, he is still struggling to have vision for the future that had been promised him. God, in His patience, helped Abraham see beyond his own nearsightedness and invited him to believe in a bigger future than he thought possible. God told him not to fear or to seek a backup plan, but to trust him him. Abram embraced God’s farsighted vision and eventually had so many offspring that they numbered the stars in the universe. Abram “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).

FARSIGHTEDNESS

Ultimately, as a leader, you are inevitably going to have to navigate your organization down a path it’s never been before. It’s just a matter of time. And when that time comes, it will require a shift in your approach – likely a shift that you won’t be able to make yourself. This is why we believe being farsighted is one of the essential qualities of a leader.

Farsighted thinking is the ability to envision and articulate a future that’s impactful and feasible. A vision that is rooted in your past, deals with today’s realities, but is focused on the future. As a leader, you need to be able to articulate where you’re headed, what’s possible when you get there, and what you can accomplish by working together.

A farsighted vision—and ability to communicate it—is what has set apart some of the most effective and successful leaders of the last century. Martin Luther King was farsighted when he wrote his “I Have a Dream” speech. Walt Disney was farsighted when he envisioned Disneyland and later Disney World. Steve Jobs was farsighted when he pioneered the microcomputer. Bill Gates was farsighted when he worked toward putting a “computer on every desk and in every home.” John F. Kennedy was farsighted when he called NASA to put a man on the moon within a decade—and to do it before the Soviet Union did. Ernest Shackleton was farsighted when he dreamed up his Antarctic expedition . . . and even more so when he continued forward toward rescue and didn’t quit. Henry Ford was farsighted when he visualized a “motor car for the great multitude” that would provide “hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.” Each of these leaders knew where they were headed, even though they may not have known how they were going to get there at the time. Having clarity about the future is powerful.

We all need a lens to correct our vision and help us see farther. So how do you become farsighted?

THE ANTIDOTE

Thankfully, there is an antidote for nearsightedness! This is where futures thinking comes in. It’s the perfect antidote to help us become farsighted leaders and it can be applied to all areas of life, including education, space travel, city planning, or small group ministry. It’ll help you shift your perspective and to expand your ability to see.

Like a corrective lens that you wear to improve your vision, the Futures Framework gives you clarity and strengthens your sight. In a world where there’s more to see than ever before, looking through the eight lenses of the Futures Framework helps you determine where to focus. It limits the distractions around you and enables you to focus on the possibilities ahead so that you can see more clearly. It helps you actually become farsighted rather than compensating by squinting or rubbing your eyes.

]]> What is Futures Thinking? https://futuresframework.com/insights/what-is-futures-thinking/ Tue, 24 Nov 2020 03:23:32 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6498

The world is continually changing around you, and your past success isn’t guaranteed in the future. You need to be ready to adapt and act.  This means looking boldly into the future, figuring out what is possible, and defining the way forward. Just asking the question “What Comes Next?” requires us to think about the future.

But, thinking about the future can be frustrating. We definitely get that!  Thankfully, many before us have struggled with the same challenge.  In fact, there is an entire field of research dedicated “futures thinking.”  You can even get a Masters Degree in futures studies (Ali is so that you don’t have to and we will tell you why).

One of the main differences between taking a class in futures thinking and reading this book is that we offer a gospel-driven framework and consider the future from a Christian worldview. We wanted to create a guide for leaders like you, who are bringing the unchanging gospel to a changing world. As you navigate your organization, congregation, and ministry through this uncertainty, your primary aim is to usher in a future that is aligned with the purpose, vision, and calling God has placed on your heart.

This article is intended to help you understand what futures thinking is, what it isn’t, and why it matters so much to you.

What it is

Futures thinking is an approach to thinking about the future in a structured and intentional way.

It's like putting on a brand-new pair of kaleidoscope glasses and looking at the world through a new lens. It's useful for anyone who wants to spot opportunities, adapt faster, and become better prepared to benefit from the inevitable change ahead of us. In fact, we think this is a critical ability any leader who wants to have an actual impact must master.

Using the kaleidoscope glasses analogy, futures thinking works by systematically considering what comes next through a particular set of lenses. As you turn the kaleidoscope and change your perspective, you view the world differently and it helps you foresee a range of possibilities. From there, you can identify options, develop a strategy, and then act to shape the future.

What it is not

It is not a crystal ball that will tell you what will happen with certainty.

Some get confused in thinking that futures thinking is a like having a crystal ball which allows you to magically know what happens in the future. That's definitely not true! Most people will eventually realize that none of us has a crystal ball that will predict the future.

It’s important to remember that you can’t know the definitive future; only God knows that with certainty.

The purpose of futures thinking isn’t to answer the question of what will happen. Instead, its focus is what could happen and what that means for your organization, church, or ministry. Even though you do not have certainty, you can use futures thinking to have more clarity.

Why it matters

It will help you be prepared for the future you help create.

The goal with futures thinking is not to be right about the specific future but to be prepared for the future because you helped create it.

The Bible itself is clear that we are to prepare thoughtfully for the future. Proverbs alone is filled with wisdom such as “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds”, “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house”, and “the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."

Scripture is clear about the benefits of futures thinking, but it also warns us that without planning, we risk going bankrupt—financially, relationally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Futures thinking is powerful.  You can use futures thinking as a way of inspecting your beliefs, habits, and assumptions. It can help you reveal your assumptions, break free of your constraints, and reevaluate what’s possible, even with the limitations of your current policies, practices, and processes. Changing your perspective can reveal gaps between today and tomorrow where you can apply innovation. It can also help you identify the areas where the current successful practices should scale up to have the most significant impact. It can stimulate conversation, widen your understanding of what might be possible, strengthen your leadership, and inform your decision making. Rather than waiting for change to happen to you, it gives you a chance to proactively navigate your reality in the direction you want to go.

We encourage you to pick up What Comes Next? and dive into a a futures thinking approach that is informed by the gospel, backed up by research and proven through our work with executives, entrepreneurs, and pastors. If you are in need of a dependable method to navigate uncertainty and gain clarity, invest in yourself and your team, and check out What Comes Next. This book will change the trajectory of your company, church, or ministry.

]]> All our favorite quotes https://futuresframework.com/insights/favorite-quotes/ Sun, 22 Nov 2020 22:04:15 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6439

One of the hard parts of writing a book is being able to decide which quotes we are going to include. We LOVE good quotes and we included many of our favorites in What Comes Next? Below are the words of wisdom we used in the opening of the chapters. Did you catch who we quoted twice?

INTRODUCTION: An Invitation to Join Us on an Adventure

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

– Corrie Ten Boom

CHAPTER 1: The Future Belongs to the Curious

We keep moving forward—opening up new doors and doing new things—because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

– Walt Disney

CHAPTER 2: Into the Unknown

Deep seemed the valleys when we lay between the reeling seas.

– Sir Ernest Shackleton

CHAPTER 3: The Four Forces

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.

– Jonathan Swift

CHAPTER 4: The Eight Intersections

Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

– Steve Jobs

CHAPTER 5: Identify

Only if your identity is built on God and his love . . .
can you have a self that can venture anything, face anything.

– Tim Keller

CHAPTER 6: Relate

Carve your name on hearts and not on marble.

– Charles Spurgeon

CHAPTER 7: Belong

I have come home at last! This is my real country!
I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.

– C. S. Lewis

CHAPTER 8: Gather

The church is constituted as a new people who have been gathered from the nations to remind the world that we are in fact one people. Gathering, therefore, is . . . the foretaste of the unity of the communion of the saints.

– Stanley Hauerwas

CHAPTER 9: Design

You cannot predict the future, but you can create it.

– Peter Drucker

CHAPTER 10: Collaborate

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

– Helen Keller

CHAPTER 11: Scale

Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth “thrown in”: aim at Earth and you get neither.

– C. S. Lewis

CHAPTER 12: Impact

How wonderful it is that no one has to wait,
but can start right now to gradually change the world.

– Anne Frank

CHAPTER 13: Curiosity in Action

It’s been said that vision without execution is a daydream, and execution without vision is a nightmare.

– Will Mancini

CHAPTER 14: Paper Rockets

Your task is not to foresee [the future], but to enable it.

– Antoine De Saint-Expéry

CHAPTER 15: Infinite Possibilities

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:9

]]> Wayfinding (Who this book is for) https://futuresframework.com/insights/wayfinding-who-this-book-is-for/ Sun, 22 Nov 2020 18:20:11 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6388 We work with a lot of clients who are struggling with what to do about the future. They feel overwhelmed.  They are tired. They aren’t doubting the truth of the Gospel or the reliability of the Scripture as their plumbline – it’s the world around them that they don’t know how to find their way through! They feel responsible for shepherding the organization, church or startup that they have invested their careers building and growing.  But they don’t know what to do next.  They need to reassess how they are finding their way.

There are a lot of books written about strategies and advice given on how to implement the plan. Most of us line up for them, hoping for a prepackaged answer to our questions and challenges. But this isn’t that – and we don’t want it to be. There are few books written about how to have a vision for where you are going. More precisely, there are few books that are helpful in providing a methodology for developing a vision.  

One of three things happens instead.  

  1. Your organization has a vision statement, but nobody cares about it because it doesn’t seem applicable to what you are doing. (It ends up being a nice motto on a wall, but doesn’t actually connect.) 
  2. Your organization has tried to develop a vision statement, but got frustrated by the lack of clarity about the future, so you looked around and copied someone else’s vision statement. (How many versions of Just Do It! and the like are we surrounded by.)
  3. Or, your organization just focuses on today, and doesn’t know where they are going.  

We wrote What Comes Next? was written out of selfish necessity.  We needed it as much as you need it.  We have worked in and with organizations for years that have struggled with where they are going.  This has resulted in frustrated employees, frustrated managers, frustrated executives… and keeps the team or the organization from doing what’s really possible. 

Over time, through many discussions about what didn’t work, we started to recognize some common themes about how the world was changing and observed how leaders reacted and responded to this change.  We realized that it really boiled down to four forces and eight intersections. Those intersections drive how we live and grow in a networked world.   

If any of those things sound familiar, What Comes Next? is for you. This is the book you should read before the other books.  It’ll help you clarify where you are now and where you are going.  It’ll give you a systematic way to think about the future, how it applies to the mission of your organization, and what you should do about it.  We’ll even give you some next steps on where to start first, tips on how to talk others in your organization about it, and the building blocks to your strategy to make it happen.  

We’re excited about this adventure and can’t wait to hear about what you discover along the way! 

]]> Introduction to the Futures Framework https://futuresframework.com/insights/introduction-to-the-futures-framework/ Sun, 22 Nov 2020 17:06:39 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6342

In the Lord’s Prayer, we’re instructed to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). For all of us who follow Christ, heaven is our preferred future. It’s the ultimate destination, the grandest of all possibilities, and the perfect example of the result of futures thinking. We want heaven to be the future that shapes where we’re going from where we are now. None of us have been there yet, but we believe that God has given us direction and insight to get past what we can’t see with our natural eyes and help us shape our now with the promise of then.

We developed the Futures Framework as a guide for leaders like you, who are bringing the unchanging gospel to a changing world. As you navigate your organization, congregation, and ministry through this uncertainty, your primary aim is to usher in a future that is aligned with the purpose, vision, and calling God has placed on your heart.

But where do you start?  How do you know what direction to head in? How do you decide what goals to set? How will you lead others if you do not know where to go yourself?  You need more than a gut feeling or ethereal sense about where you’re heading to lead others into the unknown future. You’ll need a disciplined approach to help you focus on specific topics to guide your thinking.

From Uncertainty to Transformational Change

The Futures Framework is a proactive and intentional approach to help you benefit from futures thinking to create transformational change. Exploring futures is more than merely an educational exercise or discussion topic that enables leaders to deal with uncertainty. We believe it’s critical for your organization, church, or ministry’s survival.

Importantly, the Futures Framework is informed by the gospel, backed up by research and proven through our work with executives, entrepreneurs, and pastors.  It’s been informed by extensive work developing strategies and futures for businesses, churches and nonprofits.  It provides a common language that catalyzes discussion, collaboration, and cooperation and will assist you in aligning the outcome of futures thinking with your mission, developing an actionable strategy, and scaling your efforts so that you begin to see an impact in your team today.

By definition, a framework is a set of rules or principles that you use to define a decision making process. It identifies boundaries so that you can find a place to start.  The Futures Framework is exactly the same, only using a vision of the future to frame a starting place instead of being constrained by the current reality.

Four Forces and Eight Intersections

The framework includes two key elements – four forces and eight intersections.  The four forces are all independent, but can act upon one another.  They themselves are interesting to consider, especially if one or more of them is causing havoc in your world, but what is really interesting is the patterns that emerge when these forces collide.  For example, at the intersection of the two forces, people and purpose, is how you identity.  At the intersection of the three forces – people, purpose and technology – is the impact we can have on the world.  We unpack all four forces and eight themes more in the book.

The Four Forces

1

Purpose

The overriding sense of mission and calling that influences every aspect of our lives.
2

People

The changing expectations, preferences, and behaviors of humanity, both individually and collectively.
3

Place

The where, when, and how we live, work, and worship.
4

Technology

The overwhelming and disruptive impact that advances in human ingenuity and creativity have on how we communicate, collaborate, and coordinate at every scale.

The Eight Intersections

1

Identify

How we identify in Christ
2

Relate

How we relate to others
3

Belong

How we belong in community
4

Gather

How we gather together
5

Design

How we design solutions
6

Collaborate

How we collaborate with others
7

Scale

How we scale our vision
8

Impact

How we have impact

Throughout the book, we first help you analyze the four underlying forces driving change in your world to help you understand your readiness for the future. We then pause at each intersection point and consider the theme that results at the collision of the forces.

As you work through the framework to explore the patterns emerging at the eight intersections created by the four forces, we hope you uncover a new understanding about something that previously seemed ordinary. If done well, you will also find meaningful new actions that you can take to start to work toward your preferred future.

The Futures Framework is all about looking boldly into the future, figuring out what is possible, and defining the way forward. We hope you’ll pick up this guide so you can better respond to the uncertainty swirling around you and pro-actively shape the future ahead.

As you work through the framework to explore the patterns emerging at the eight intersections created by the four forces, we hope you uncover a new understanding about something that previously seemed ordinary. If done well, you will also find meaningful new actions that you can take to start to work toward your preferred future.

The Futures Framework is all about looking boldly into the future, figuring out what is possible, and defining the way forward. This is your guide to help you respond well to uncertainty and shape the future in an ever-changing world.

]]> Invisible Forces https://futuresframework.com/insights/fourforces/ Sun, 22 Nov 2020 16:08:33 +0000 https://futuresframework.com/?p=6315

Have you ever almost been blown over by the wind on a stormy day? Even if you haven’t, you’ve witnessed the effects of this invisible force in the world in some way. The wind is uncontrollable and often unpredictable.

Scripture tells us that it “blows where it wishes” (John 3:8). The wind can cause erosion, launch projectiles, and decimate cities. Its capability is evident in the funnel of a tornado and causes havoc if we aren’t prepared. For sailors, the same wind that powers their vessels can also destroy them if not correctly navigated.

We have always loved the visualization at hint.fm that helps us track the invisible force of wind as it moves around the globe. It’s mesmerizing to watch at a macro level as the wind moves across the Earth in real time.  We can observe with wonder as the wind follows the contours of forests, skims across bodies of water, and sweeps through mountain ranges.

Just as the wind erodes rocks over time, transforming them into new landforms, there are invisible forces that are shaping us, our communities, our organizations, and our churches in significant ways. We are all aware that we live in a world that’s rapidly changing. We see the change all around us. The change is organizational, demographic, structural, and technological. But which one of these forces is driving the chaos? There are four key forces at work—and you may be surprised to learn that you’re already familiar with each of them.

The Four Forces

Purpose

The overriding sense of mission and calling that influences every aspect of our lives.

Place

The where, when, and how we live, work, and worship.

People

The changing expectations, preferences, and behaviors of humanity, both individually and collectively.

Technology

The overwhelming and disruptive impact that advances in human ingenuity and creativity have on how we communicate, collaborate, and coordinate at every scale.

 

Throughout the book, we show you how to use the eight elements of the Futures Framework to better respond to the four forces of purpose, people, place and technology that are causing chaos in the world around us. Those forces interact in all different ways and combinations. For example, what does it mean when a younger generation grows up fiercely focused on purpose in a world wholly immersed with technology? What happens to how people develop community online and in virtual worlds? It’s not merely one force that’s shaping our world, but rather the reality of living under the impact of all of them at once. On top of that, the forces themselves change and evolve. While each of the four forces presents its challenges and opportunities, it’s the interplay of these forces that are most helpful to us in understanding the future.

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A framework is a set of rules or principles that you use to define a decision making process. It identifies boundaries so that you can find a place to start. The Futures Framework is exactly the same, only using a vision of the future to frame a starting place instead of being constrained by the current reality. We don’t want our experience in 2020 to constrain what the future could be, do we? This is why it’s so important to gain a different perspective.

Based on our extensive work developing strategies and futures for businesses, churches and nonprofits, we developed the Futures Framework to help you assess what’s changing and what you need to do in response to it. It is a proactive, intentional approach to help you benefit from futures thinking to create transformational change. Exploring futures is more than merely an educational exercise or discussion topic that enables leaders to deal with uncertainty. We believe it’s critical for your organization, church, or ministry’s survival. 

The Futures Framework helps us explore:

 

How we identify in Christ

In our culture, how we self-identify as individuals has never been more controversial than today, particularly when it comes to issues of gender, ethnicity, affiliation, and vocation. What does this mean when we let others decide our identity? Or, even more often, when we don’t question how our identity was formed?

How we relate to others

Our drive to relate to others is strong and compelling. We have an innate desire to experience intimate and meaningful relationships with one another. How can relationships be deepened and relevant in a time of social distancing? What does authentic connection look like?

How we belong in community

Relationships drive belonging – which becomes complex in an age of isolation. What does it take to create and nurture a sense of belonging? Does it require physical proximity? Does it need consistency of communication or meaningful exchanges of support and love? How do we live this out in our churches and organizations?

How we gather together

Many of us have assumptions about where and why our communities come together. What does this look like when almost everything is online? How is the distinction between local and global being redefined in a world where everything’s connected? More importantly, what does this mean for our customers, our partners, our members?

How we design solutions

The day in, day out work of leaders is to solve problems facing their communities. As we architect our futures, we learn how to respond to the forces driving change by putting yourself in the shoes of those we serve. What are the expectations they have and we have? And how can we better meet them?

How we collaborate with others

None of us can do it alone. Who cares about the same goals we care about? Who serves the same populations or shares the same objectives? Technology has enabled collaboration at an unprecedented speed and scale. Who can we co-labor with to create something we can’t create alone?

How we scale our vision

Size is not the measure of success – but almost every initiative could impact more people and communities than we imagine. How can we invite others to contribute to our purpose, and start a movement using technology?

How we have impact

By connecting communities and initiatives that share a common purpose, we can accomplish previously unimaginable things. Impact isn’t about the size of our business or the splash we can make in our city. It’s about how we can fulfill God’s purposes for us and for the things He’s called us to.

Each intersection is detailed in a chapter of What Comes Next? As you work through the eight questions at the intersections of the four key forces, you are encouraged to consider how what you have learned applies to your situation, dream about what could happen in the future, pray about what God says about it, write down your plan and get to work making it happen.  Navigating the changing world and envisioning a better future is more than merely an educational exercise or discussion topic for leaders. We believe it’s critical for your organization, church, or ministry’s survival.

Are you ready to move forward into the future? The Futures Framework can help you chart your path as you navigate the uncharted waters ahead.

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