FUTURREGFutures for Regional Development

Futures WorkshopTurku, June 7, 2006

Structure

1. « Visionary management » approach2. Case studies/applications3. Exchanges with the participants :

experiences and some key questions of the participants

1. « Visionary management » approach

Building the common vision

1

0

2

3

4

5

The Foresight process

Inputs of thestakeholders

Preparation

Foresight diagnosis

Setting out the long terms issuesDefinition of

strategic axis

Measures and concreteactions

6Steering and monitoring

the implementation

7Evaluation of the process and outputs

Source : Regional Foresight Group of the Mutual Learning Platform

Visionary management consists in bringing a group of actors - involved in a territory (defined or to be defined), a business or an organisation, etc. - to project their ideas into the long-term future in order to envisage the goals and values that form a common vision of their future on behalf of the general interest, and to do this in a collective and shared dynamics.

A vision is a shared picture of the desired future.The vision is made up of the ultimate aims which could show the long-term direction that should guide the common strategy of the decision makers, the stakeholders and the citizens

Preparation phase (clarification of objectives and motivations, scope of the exercise, timescale, steering structures, budget, communication, etc.)

Foresight phase (analysing, thinking and debating the future)

1. Foresight diagnosis

2. Setting up the long term issues

3. Building the common vision

Strategic phase (Shaping the future)

4. Definition of strategic axis

5. Measures and concrete actions

6. Steering and monitoring the implementation

7. Evaluation of the foresight process and outputs

Key phases of the Foresight processKey phases of the Foresight process

Visionary management

is actually part of a strategic foresight process structured in seven main

phases

Broad and complete information base

Expressing the mental representations, confronting with the realities,

sharing of the diagnosis

Working groups, SWOT analysis, benchmarking, etc.

Sources of change, internal and external trends and impacts in terms of issues

Global driving forces,

main issues

role and power of actors against issues

Foresight workshops, computer-based tools (MICMAC), control matrix

Normative phase of defining a future vision

Desirable futures,

sharing of the vision

Matrices comparing possible and desirable futures

Ide

ntif

ica

tion

and

dia

gno

sis

Lon

g te

rm is

sues

Ulti

mat

e a

ims,

com

mo

n

visi

onScope Objectives Methods

SWOT Analysis

Assessment dataBenchmarking

Working groups

Providing Knowledge base

Identify the common ground

Express the mental representations

Confrontation with the realities

Sharing of the diagnosis

Identification and diagnosisIdentification and diagnosis

Trends IssuesGearing

LIPSOR’sMICMAC Software

Importance vsControl Matrix

Setting out the long-term issuesSetting out the long-term issues

Exploring the possible futures

Gearing global with local

Grading the long term issues

ExternalTrends

InternalTrends

Global

Local

Past Future

ISSUES

FabienneGoux-BaudimentNamur, 01.06.18

Movement

TrendsTrendsIssuesIssuesGearinGearingg

Strong

Weak

Weak Strong

Importanceof the changes/ inertias

Currentcontrol

Michel GodetCreating Futures2001, p. 95.

ImportancImportanceevs Controlvs ControlMatrixMatrix

ForesightWorkshops

Possibles vs Desirables Matrix

Building the Aims and the Building the Aims and the Common VisionCommon Vision

Formulating the desirable futures

Ultimate Aims

Sharing of the vision

THE ULTIMATE AIMS = THE VISION

THE ISSUES

How to bridge the present with desired How to bridge the present with desired future ?future ?

2020 20152010

DIAGNOSISGraphisme Nicolas George

Complementarity/synergy with other tools

►Scenarios approach is a tool that can be integrated in the proposed approach to illustrate the spectrum of possible futures before building the chosen future defined by the vision.

2. Case studies/applications

1. Charleroi 20202. Foresight of enterprises’ policies in

Wallonia3.Vision 2020 of the Large Region

Charleroi 2020

Charleroi 2020

Context To update previous initiatives :- 1991 : Charleroi city project- 1994 : Metropolitan Charleroi city charter 21

Initiative :- The city of Charleroi

Objectives :- To enable all the residents to help build a vision of their region's

development and design a collective strategy to achieve this desired future;

- Civil society participants and citizens as well were encouraged to mobilise in order to define what Charleroi and its Urban Community wished to become and install the conditions for collective well-being by the 2020 horizon.

Charleroi 2020

Involvement : a citizenship experience - Over 1,100 people participated in the exercise;- Citizens, neighbourhood representatives, outside experts, heads of

businesses and associations, retailers, teachers, civil servants and politicians.

Results : Common vision (ultimate aims), strategic lines, innovative cross-sectoral actions

Lessons / difficulties : - A methodological problem. It was found hard to move beyond a strictly

thematic approach and to integrate the long-term variables by the participants.

- The solution proposed was to make room for a foresight phase that had not been planned initially so as to identify the long-term issues and a common vision prior to defining a territorial strategy.

The phases of Charleroi 2020

Phase 1: Shared diagnosis based onthe evaluation of Charleroi Métropole 21

Phase 2: Long-term issuesEvolution of environment now to 2020

FORESIGHT

Phase 4: Strategic lines forCharleroi's development from 2004

STRATEGY

Phase 3: Common visionUltimate aims for the 2020 horizon

Phase 5: Formulation, hierarchisation, &implementation of innovative actions

Vision 2020 of the Large Region

Vision 2020 : Large Region

Context :- A long tradition of transborder cooperation;- The political summits of the Large Region

Initiative :- The 5th political summit of the Large Region in 2001 - A proposal to develop a common perspective for further

development and a common strategic vision.

Objectives :- To restructure the strategic orientation of cross-border

co-operation in the Large Region over the next 20 years

Vision 2020 : Large Region

Involvement : a focus on decision makers

The vision was developed by a limited group of decision makers gathered in a Political Commission under the chairmanship of the former European Commission President Jacques Santer

Results : Common vision of the future, a new potential framework to develop the Large Region co-operation zone.

Lessons / difficulties : - Need to involve all the Large Region stakeholders to take into

account the expectations and concrete needs of the citizens who were not part of the exercise;

- A gap was observed between Vision 2020's ambitions and the means foreseen for its actual implementation, as indicated in the declaration of the 7th Summit.

Entreprises

Enterp

rises

’ polic

ies

Foresight

2003

2020environmentfactors of changecompetitiveness

instrumentsinitiatives

Long term vision of enterprises’ policies in Wallonia

issuesstrategic guidelinesConcrete actions

Foresight of enterprises’ policies in Wallonia

Context :- One of the actions of the Plan 4X4 Pour entreprendre.

Initiative :- Head of Cabinet of Regional Administration of economy in

Wallonia.

Objectives :- To insert company policy in Wallonia into a long-term

perspective that would compromise the factors of structural change impacting on the competitiveness of companies and their environement.

Foresight of enterprises’ policies in Wallonia

Involvement : a focus on companies’ involvement and decision makers (public and private)

Exercise organised around a Core Group (Cabinet, administration, Walloon Companies’ Union, Belgian and international experts) and thematic groups of companies and key-actors.

Results : Long term issues, strategy, innovative actions

Lessons / difficulties : - Companies taking part were an unrepresentative sample of Walloon

enterprises (large and very innovative enterprises);- Representative of the Minister who fathered the idea of the exercise in the

first place left the Cabinet, so the political relay was no longer ensured;- A mixed pilot group consisting of cabinet members, experts and enterprise

federation members, all heavily involved for the duration of the project, especially the administration that contributed incisive knowledge of existing regional instruments.

2004 2020

VALUESSUSTAINABILITYINCLUSIVENESS

RESEARCH

INTANGIBLESACCOMPANIMENT

EDUCATIONNETWORKS

Enterprises’ policies

FOUR MAIN ISSUES

FOURMOTORS

TO ACTIVATE

TWOPRIORITIES

Eight dimensions et two prioritiesfor enterprises’ policies in 2020

Consultation of companies on priority actionsNew institutional efficacity

Local and global competitiveness in the knowledge society

Recreate educational blueprints that are both creative and cultural

Build an economy based on operational, efficient networks

Build the external and internal opening-up of the Walloon economy

New institutional efficacity

Local and global competitiveness in the knowledge society

Recreate educational blueprints that are both creative and cultural

Build an economy based on operational, efficient networks

Build the external and internal opening-up of the Walloon economy

B1 C1

A2

E1D1

A3

A4

A5

B3

B4

B6

C2

C4

C5 D5

D2

D3

E2

E3

E4

3. Exchanges with the participants : experiences and some key questions of

the participants

1. Context and scope of the exercise2. Desire of foresight (when to launch?)3. Recrutment and commitment of the stakeholders4. Emergence and management of creativity 5. Ownership process6. Building a community of practices at regional level (continuous foresight?)7. Societal learning process8. Dissemination of the work…What else?

 

Pascale Van Doren Foresight Unit of The Destree Institute

Vandoren.pascale@destree.org

http://www.destree.org

http://www.wallonie-en-ligne.net