Location

Arab Institute for Leadership Development

Objectives

• o Comprehensive – covering the full range of theories and methods that futurists in the world today.o Be aware of and able to apply the tools and techniques of future planning (strategy, tactics, heuristics) o Practical – focusing on developing the skills that futurists use; knowledge is essential, but the use of that knowledge is always the focus. o Be able to construct a vision of a preferred future that can motivate others and guide actions o to bring about the visiono Product-oriented – demonstrating those skills by producing portfolios of professional products (forecast, plans, etc.)

Outcomes

o Introduction to Foresight – a survey of the foresight field, including its theories, methods, history, and current structureo Social Change – a critical review of classical and contemporary theories of social change, emphasizing the assumptions and applications of each (the expected future and forecasting possible futures) o Systems Thinking – a review of the classical cybernetic systems view and the emerging complex adaptive view in order to see trends and events in the world as the product of a pre-existing system structure

Course Contents

The study of the future (futures studies) consists of understanding and anticipating change in society; and applying that insight to expand what people perceive as possible and as preferable for the future. This course focuses on applying foresight to help organizations reframe their expectations and preferences for the future, which translates into goals, strategies, and initiatives. Furthermore, the course provides discussion of the role of theory in Futures studies. Specific theories of Transformation are taught and the role of agency in these theories