In an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving world, Futures Thinking: Using a Multidisciplinary Approach offers an essential guide for navigating the uncertainty of our times.
This book integrates the rigour of traditional social research methodologies, the precision of data science, and the visionary insights of foresight, alongside the inclusive principles of participatory design. Essential methods, such as horizon scanning, scenario building, and trend analysis, are presented, highlighting how these can help governments, organizations, and individuals navigate uncertainty. The importance of imagining possible and plausible futures to inform present decisions is discussed, along with how futures thinking fosters strategic innovation. By equipping readers with the tools to interpret and imagine diverse future trajectories, it demonstrates how combining data analysis, strategic foresight, and community engagement can drive sustainable, inclusive solutions. Presenting a new and deeply researched methodology, the book encourages readers to adopt a long-term mindset, essential for addressing the challenges of today and tomorrow. Expert contributors from industry, academia, government, and NGOs—including Jim Dator, Jeanette Kwek, Sohail Inayatullah and his digital twin, Joice Preira, and Anne-Katrin Bock—enhance this essential guide to navigating uncertainty through their futures thinking expertise.
Aimed at professionals, managers, academics, and curious minds alike, this book fosters a collaborative and holistic approach to shaping desirable futures.
Table of Contents:
Foreword 1 by Enrico Letta (former Prime Minister of Italy), Foreword 2 by Roberto Gualtieri (incumbent Mayor of Rome), Chapter 1: Introduction, Chapter 2: Operating in increasingly difficult-to-decipher contexts, Chapter 3: Understanding futures: Some traditional frameworks and methods, Chapter 4: Integrated multidimensional methodology for futures thinking, Chapter 5: Case studies, Chapter 6: Spreading a culture of long-term thinking, Chapter 7: Voices from the field, Chapter 8: Organizations and futures thinking
About the Author :
Luca Simeone is an Associate Professor in Strategic Design and Foresight at Aalborg University in Denmark. Luca has conducted research and taught at various universities (Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Politecnico di Milano, Malmö University, and the University of the Arts London) and is the author of seven books.
Martino Bellincampi is a business partner and advisor with solid experience in start-up development, innovative marketing, executive management, and leadership.
Andrea Modica Bosinco is an economist with over 20 years of experience in consulting for local, national, and European public administrations. Since 2018, he has coordinated IZILab, a company active in digital R&D applied to statistical and social research, using cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Giacomo Spaini is a statistician with over 35 years of experience in complex scientific projects. As a founding partner and CEO of IZI SpA, he has led regional and national projects in both the public and private sectors. He has overseen quality monitoring for Autostrade per l'Italia and Poste on behalf of AGCOM and managed statistical surveys for the Bank of Italy.
Review :
'Timely, essential, and accessible for those unwilling to simply replicate or retreat. As conventional planning struggles to keep pace with the complexity of our futures, this book is an invitation to lead from what’s emerging and what’s possible. It blends the art and science of futures thinking to help us sense, make sense, and inform decisions that matter, grounded in diverse and richly associative forms of data. It brings practice to life in ways that feel both urgent and real by amplifying voices and experiences from the field. Above all, it rekindles agency in the present by anchoring us in long-term orientation and cultivating the futures-literate cultures our time and organizations so critically need.'
Nicklas Larsen, Head of Impact and UNESCO Co-Chair in Anticipatory Leadership & Futures Capabilities, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
'This book offers the creativity, tools, and practical insights needed to turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities. Rooted in interdisciplinary data and research, it presents a multidimensional approach to futures thinking aimed at generating scalable solutions to complex system failures. It will be a critical resource for many, including those of us reimagining the future of global migration.'
Jennifer Bond, Founder and CEO, Pathways International; law professor, University of Ottawa
