This workshop is designed as one cohesive experience delivered across two live sessions, and we strongly recommend attending both. Each session covers different material and builds on the other. If you’re unable to attend part of a session live, you’ll have access to the recordings for 30 days. That said, the full value of the workshop comes from participating in both sessions, especially the live discussions and hands-on activities.

Applied futuring is an approach developed by IDEO that’s a practical way to use future possibilities to make better decisions today. Instead of trying to predict what will happen, applied futuring helps leaders explore multiple plausible futures, understand what could change, and use that perspective to design a more adaptable strategy. The emphasis is on application: connecting future thinking directly to real decisions, planning, and action so strategy holds up as conditions evolve.

IDEO’s approach to futuring is human-centered, action-oriented, and deeply integrated with strategy and design. Rather than focusing solely on abstract scenarios or emerging technology, IDEO’s futuring work begins with human behavior, systems, and real-world organizational constraints. Futuring isn’t treated as a standalone exercise. It’s used as a boost to discovery, prototyping, and strategy, helping teams see what could change and respond more intentionally. The result is futuring that’s rigorous, grounded, and designed for use in decision-making.

Trend reports and foresight decks are useful for awareness, but they often stop short of action. Many leaders read them and ask, “Now what?” Applied futuring goes further. Instead of consuming trends passively, you’ll learn how to:

• Place signals and trends in context
• Understand how they might interact and evolve
• Translate them into strategic choices and priorities

In short, trend reports describe change. Applied futuring helps you decide how to respond.

This workshop is for leaders responsible for shaping strategy and future direction in fast‑changing environments. It’s well suited to strategy, product, innovation, design, and transformation leaders across industries. You don’t need prior experience with futuring or strategic foresight. You’ll find it especially valuable if you’re trying to:

• Set strategy that won’t become outdated as conditions change.
• Move from reacting to change to preparing for it.
• Go beyond rigid planning cycles toward more nimble and adaptable approaches.
• Cut through constant signals and trends to see what actually matters.

This workshop is designed to be accessible to leaders who are new to futuring, while still offering depth for those with prior exposure. The focus is not on jargon or theory, but on practical ways of thinking and working that you can apply immediately, regardless of your background.

No. Applied futuring is designed to integrate into how teams already work. Many participants use it as an upstream input—before strategy or planning begins—to broaden perspective and test assumptions. Others use it to enrich existing frameworks, decision reviews, or innovation efforts. The workshop focuses on adding value, not replacing what’s already in place.

Yes, and it should be. While futuring is often associated with innovation or R&D, its greatest impact comes when it’s used by leaders responsible for strategy, planning, and decision-making. Applied futuring is designed to integrate into existing processes across teams. 

Participants use futuring to:

• Inform strategy and long-term direction
• Test assumptions before committing to major decisions
• Support transformation, change, and portfolio planning
• Create shared alignment around what could change and why it matters

This workshop is built for leaders across functions who need their strategy to hold up in uncertainty, not just innovation teams.