EDSC Innovation RH - HR Innovation ESDC/Foresight
What is Foresight?
Foresight is a critical activity that involves analyzing the future. The objective of conducting foresight activities is to examine plausible, alternative futures and identify the challenges and opportunities that may arise. Foresight gives us the opportunity to understand the various forces that shape a system, how the system may evolve and what unanticipated circumstances may come about. Within the context of the Public Service, foresight helps governments adjust to a quickly changing world.[1] It can be applied to policy development, strategic planning, decision-making, auditing and evaluating as a mechanism to promote proactive governance.
Foresight is not to be confused with forecasting. Forecasting refers to the process of trying to predict the future using past data; whereas foresight helps us prepare for a wider range of futures.[2]
References
- ↑ Policy Horizons Canada. (2021). Module 1: Introduction to Foresight. Retrieved from https://horizons.gc.ca/en/our-work/learning-materials/foresight-training-manual-module-1-introduction-to-foresight/
- ↑ Policy Horizons Canada. (2018). Foresight vs Forecast. Retrieved from http://canadabeyond150.ca/blog/2018/03/foresight-vs-forecast/#:~:text=Foresight%20does%20not%20predict%20the,and%20the%20analysis%20of%20trends.