by There are a lot of different roles for the futurists. In a previous post, we discussed the roles of letting go, translation, and transformation. In the Organization Futurist Audit, we talk about different kinds of org
anizational futurists. Until recently, I would not have thought to put “voice of reason” on the list. Futurists are the crazy people, right. Dator’s first law suggests that useful ideas about the future first appear ridiculous. We provoke, we pull, we stretch. Voices of reason?
I have done several local radio spots over the last few years with a fairly typical script (most recent: Brain implants in 12 years). The station encounters what they see as a provocative or outrageous future technology development. They call me to ask if it’s for real. And I tell them (and the radio audience) it is, but reassure them that it will be a while, that it is not mainstreaming any time soon…it is typically -happening in the lab. But it will come, and we will need to decide whether or how we want to use it or not. I often use the example of 3D printing, which I remember doing forecasts of in the early 1990s, and finally it is emerging on the scene today. Virtual reality is another hot contemporary technology with a very long history!
It made me think of other occasions where we play a reassuring role. I did a keynote last year talking about automation to accountants, and spent much of the time trying to buoy their spirits. They seemed resigned to being automated out of existence. I felt a bit like a therapist. It’s a contrast to the provocateur role, where we deliberately shake people up out of their comfort zone. I suspect we are going to need more of the voice of reason and therapeutic role in the years ahead. — Andy Hines
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