Definition: The process of becoming aware, to assess and understand changes that can shape or impact the future(s).

Explanation: Foresight, often referred to as “strategic foresight”, is the process of exploring and formulating possible future(s) to inform anticipation. It is a critical component of anticipation itself. It involves the awareness, the assessment and understanding of how the future(s) might possibly evolve, what it/they might look like and which impact they have at a given time horizon. For successful (strategic) foresight, mental frame(s) of the present and cognitive biases have to be challenged and overcome. It is important to be open to the widest possibilities that the future might hold, which necessitates a special sensitivity, imagination and creativity. At the same time, a deep understanding of the past will allow you to “see” farther and better into the future. Foresight is done at a particular point in time and is anchored in the present, but it connects the past with the future.

See also: possible future

See definitions from:

Page 27 of Foresight Glossary, Center for Strategic Futures, Singapore PMO

- The ability to consider and plan for the future.

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