Instructor's Views

-- a university of arizona course on methods and approaches for studying the future

In most of these pages I have tried to give you a balanced perspective or address material where differences of opinion are not critical. This page gives you my views on the future. Some of these entries are also linked from other places on the course site. You can also look at futures in a nutshell or a futures overview, or a roadmap for a futures study to see my perspective on those larger issues.

My views on the current and next "big era or age or revolution"

What are we in and what comes after the agriculture, industrial, an service eras?

 

My paradigm shift list

Selecting a few paradigm shifts to help guide you is useful. Here is my list.

 

My list of driving forces of change

Use driving forces that are built upon paradigm shifts to focus the possible trends.

 

My list of characteristics of the future

What characterists are descriptive of the future regardless of how driving forces of change take place?

 

Roger's Handy Hints

Here are 7 hints I have picked up over the years that I find useful in my own thinking and problem analysis. Also consider examples of graphic representations that address some of these hints.

 

My general approach to a futures study

An outline format for my checklist of completing a futures study.

 

Comprehensive but concise view of strategic planning and futures approaches

This diagram covers strategic planning and futures studies on one page. Individual links lead to more explanation for the represented building blocks. This is not intended to be detailed information, but a big picture view. It shows how typical strategic planning (if well done and comprehensive) is very similar to a basic futures study.

 

What I Have Learned

I have been doing this long enough and am old enough that I might offer some wisdom about futures studies. I summarize my own views but also link to those of others that have looked back on their experiences.

 

Talking Points for a Presentation

Need to give a brief presentation on the future? This is an outline for about a 30 minute talk..