Foresight

Tomorrow's organisations are complex and knowledge-based. The challenge that leaders face is turning complex dynamics into unique advantages. Planning for the future requires vision, knowledge, commitment and the capacity to turn vision into effective action. VTT offers systematic and participatory foresight processes that help make these things come together.

Implementing your vision through participatory foresight

How do you create a common vision and turn it into effective action? With the commitment of key experts within your organization, you can activate the best assets to work towards a common future.

VTT helps you to plan and develop your vision through participatory approaches like roadmapping, scenario development, vision creation workshops and future pathway design. Systematic processes inspire a stronger commitment to the organisational vision among participants. This leads to organisational future orientation and more effective action, ensuring that the vision is actually implemented and contributes to your organization's long-term survival and success.

Strategic foresight and technology roadmapping

Technological and market changes are usually intertwined: leaps in technology require transformation on the part of regulatory and consumer behaviour. The relationship between market forces and technology may at times be unclear, but the right tools can help make sense of them and aid in anticipating market-driven opportunities. We provide the means to support and inform decision-making with relevant knowledge and systematic processes. We open up decision-making horizons with processes and tools, such as roadmapping, designed to tackle all kinds of challenging questions related to emerging technologies and markets.

Project examples

Alaotsikko: Safe and secure transport system 2100

Objective: To identify methods that will help create a long-term vision in the context of transport systems.

Results: A three-step, participatory vision building process.

Impact: A vision for the safe and secure Finnish transport system in 2100 was created together with the Finnish Transport Agency and the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Trafi. The vision supported the strategic planning of transportation sector stakeholders.

Funding: Traffic Safety 2025 programme

Customers: Transport Safety Agency, Finnish Transport Agency

Further information:

Research report: http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/technology/2012/T5.pdf
Scientific article: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12544-014-0135-3

South Australian Cellulose Fibre Roadmap

Objective: To explore opportunities to meet the key challenge among fibre producers in the Green Triangle region of South Australia: lack of communication and cooperation among local industry players.

Results: A shared view regarding the need to develop value-added production in the SA forest industry.

Impact: A rise in the level of awareness among regional operators, and major media attention:

A shared belief among regional players that the historical trajectory of the forest industry could and should be changed.
The Government of South Australia set up a fund for the renewal of the industry.

Funding and key customer: State Government of South Australia

Further information: http://www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/industry/manufacturing/manufacturing-programs-and-initiatives/cellulose-fibre-chain-initiative

SECUR-ED - securing urban transportation – A European demo

Objective: The aim of the SECUR-ED project was to improve urban transport security.

Results: VTT created a systematic approach for identifying weak signals, which could indicate a scenario leading to a damaging event in mass transport environment. The results can be utilized when developing an early warning system for mass transport.

Impact: Mass transport operators can use the outcomes directly. The results can also be exploited in many other security-related applications.

Funding: EU FP7

Further information: http://www.secur-ed.eu/

Transport sector policy packages for climate change mitigation

Objective: To assess the possible, probable and desirable visions of the future that greenhouse gas targets set for the year 2050 call for, and alsoto determine what kind of policy measures and policy packages are needed to meet the targets.

Results: A new pluralistic backcasting method for creating visions based on the views of many disparate parties, as well as policy packages for climate change mitigation and assessment of the potential of policy packages in achieving the futures set by two visions (Urban beat and Cornucopia).

Impact: The results support strategic planning and decision making of transport sector stakeholders.

Funding and key customer: Ministry of Transport and Communications Finland

Research report: http://www.lvm.fi/web/fi/julkaisu/-/view/4122712

Scientific article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328714000767#

Email	info@vtt.fi
Tel.	+358 20 722 7070