More future-oriented? | Hinesight....for Foresight

Futurists have long lamented the bias of most people to the past (at the expense of the future). This bias seemingly is “hard-wired” into our brains, right? Well, not so fast, perhaps. Every now and then I come across a cluster of seemingly random set of ideas or research, and it bothers me. As you’ve probably anticipated, the cluster relates to people orientation – is it primarily to the future or the past?

First, in Alt Perspectives class, we recently reviewed Martin Seligman’s paper “Navigating into the Future or Driven by the Past,” which suggests we are more driven by where we are going than where we have been.
Second, the Anticipation folks suggests that systems are driven by their anticipatory capabilities.
Third, Sohail Inayatullah’s Futures Triangle acknowledges the weight of the past, but also includes the pull of the future.
Fourth, we just did our module on Otto Scharmer’s Presencing on sensing the emerging future.

I still agree with the opening point about the bias to the past, but I wonder if we are starting to figure out that it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way, and there is an opportunity to shift that predisposition? I’m not sure – the thoughts are still rattling around in my brain. So, ir seemed like a good idea to share with you readers, and see if you have any thoughts?

Note: See also Philip Zimbardo’s work on time orientation: http://www.thetimeparadox.com/2008/08/03/an-overview-of-time-perspective-types/ — Andy Hines

About Andy Hines

Dr. Andy Hines is Program Coordinator at the University of Houston’s Graduate Program in Foresight, bringing together the experience he earned as an organizational, consulting, and academic futurist. He is also speaking, workshopping, and consulting through his firm Hinesight.

Before that, he was Managing Director of Social Technologies/Innovaro, and served as an Adjunct Professor with the university since 2004. Hines enjoyed earlier careers as a consulting and organizational futurist. He was a partner with Coates & Jarratt, Inc., a think tank and consulting firm that specialized in the study of the future. He was also Futurist & Senior Ideation Leader at Dow Chemical with a mission of using futures tools and knowledge to turn ideas into new business opportunities. Before that, Hines established and ran the Global Trends Program for the Kellogg Company.

Hines is motivated by a professional hunger to make foresight practical and useful, and he believes that foresight can help deliver the insight that is so needed in today’s organizations and the world. His goal, he says, is to infect as many change agents as possible with this message. Thus, he has honed a skill set designed to make foresight more actionable in organizations.

In this pursuit, he has authored five books: Teaching about the Future: The Basics of Foresight Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012); ConsumerShift: How Changing Values Are Reshaping the Consumer Landscape (No Limits Publishing, 2011); Thinking About the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight (Social Technologies, 2007); 2025: Science and Technology Reshapes US and Global Society (Oak Hill, 1997); and Managing Your Future as an Association (ASAE, 1994) and has another in the hands of publishers: Teaching about the Future: The Basics of Foresight Education. He has also authored dozens of articles, speeches, and workshops, including the 2003 Emerald Literati Awards’ Outstanding Paper accolade for best article published in Foresight for “An Audit for Organizational Futurists” and the 2008 award for “Scenarios: The State of the Art.” He has appeared on several radio and television programs, PBS Houston, KRIV-26 News, and the CBS “Early Show.” He also co-founded and is former Chair of the Association of Professional Futurists.

About Andy Hines

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