{"id":10079,"date":"2015-05-08T15:21:24","date_gmt":"2015-05-08T20:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/the-role-of-the-future-in-training-development-today\/"},"modified":"2015-05-08T15:21:24","modified_gmt":"2015-05-08T20:21:24","slug":"the-role-of-the-future-in-training-development-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/the-role-of-the-future-in-training-development-today\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of the Future in Training & Development Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trends alone are not reliable predictors of the future. So how do the smartest organizations grapple with the question: \u201cWhat does my leadership need to look like to be successful in the next 10 to 15 years?\u201d Is this a question Training & Development departments should, or even can, explore as they set out to design today\u2019s curriculum?<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Yvette Montero Salvatico, managing director of global foresight, innovation, and strategic design firm Kedge, the answer is a resounding \u201cYes!\u201d And it isn\u2019t even about thinking ahead. \u201cThe future isn\u2019t really about the future. It\u2019s about today,\u201d Salvatico says. She explains that a focus on the future is about building competence in an organization in the context of careers, strategic planning, and vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strategic foresight, Salvatico explains, is a critical best practice in Training & Development. The good news is that it is not as mysterious as one might think. \u201cFar from claiming they can predict the future, true futurists take a current strategy and test it against various possible and probable directions,\u201d says Salvatico. \u201cMany firms miss that first step, and it\u2019s very dangerous to do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She recommends the following approach to begin successfully using strategic foresight as a best practice in Training & Development:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Discover:<\/strong> Filter your biases. If you think something sounds ridiculous, ask yourself why you think that. Salvatico explains that in order to bring people 10 to 15 years into the future, they must learn to suspend their disbeliefs.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Explore:<\/strong> Scan the environment. This goes beyond your own field. A competitive analysis is not enough. When contemplating the skill set your organization will need in the future, Salvatico says it is crucial to look beyond a projection of current trends facing your organization and your industry. She says it is about making sense of how current trends collide to make new trends and value shifts. Citing the example of Kodak and Polaroid being caught off guard when they were usurped by smart phones, Salvatico reminds us that the biggest disruptors often come from beyond one\u2019s industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exploration of the macro-environment must cover the critical facets described by Kedge in the acronym, STEEP: Society, Technology, Environment, Economy, and Politics. This helps rewire your brain to see other opportunities. When contemplating the future of your organization\u2019s talent, for example, consider shifts in values related to career, trends in home ownership, and changing demographics.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Map:<\/strong> Develop future scenarios and test current strategies against them. Salvatico explains that an organization can start with three possible scenarios (and typically elements of all three will come to pass):<\/span><\/p>\n