Bringing strategy and foresight to bear on the ‘wicked’ problem
‘Wicked’ problems such as water management and climate change are by their nature hard to define, multi-causal and have many interdependencies.
When confronted with such problems, communities and organisations face increasing uncertainty and complexity, and the need to build resilience to future shocks. Northern Victorian communities face the same challenges in planning for the future and managing change.
Strategic foresight (87) is an approach to develop a robust and responsive business model, based on a considered view of the future. This view of the future helps identify potential key challenges and the capabilities required to address them. This future view is then embedded in strategy.
As result, strategy derives from the needs and opportunities of the future, rather than from an incremental development from the present. This can underpin radical change and transformation.
Environment Victoria is convening a workshop for regional stakeholders as a key part of the Rivers rescue and regional renewal project. The stakeholder workshop will identify policy and investment options that provide multiple benefits for rivers and communities. The aim is to support transition through innovation and a diversity of new economic opportunities, which improve both community well-being and river health.
The workshop will take a futures based approach to distil key principles for regional renewal and transition. The aim of the workshop is to identify common ground and the ingredients required to drive river rescue and regional renewal to ensure the region benefits as much as possible from planned state and national investment.
References
(87) See http://www.globalforesight.net/MainMenu for more on strategic foresight
