FUTURES LITERACY
ARTICLE
Futures Literacy is the competence that enables people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do and therefore to function with greater freedom and skill in this regard.
Introduction
Literacy is no longer defined solely as the simple ability to read and write in a decontextualized manner. Its meaning has expanded to include the skills required for specific academic disciplines, trades and professions, the ability to understand and produce digital and non-digital texts that combine a range of modes of expression, and “general skills” needed in contemporary workplaces, such as collaboration, communication, creativity and problem solving. It can also be used to describe the acquisition of business skills, digital, innovation and the futures.
Futures Literacy is a normative concept arising from Futures Consciousness. It’s learning to read, write and communicate the future. It is understanding, anticipating, preparing for and embracing the future rather than being embarrassed by the future. Finally, Foresight/Prospective, or the prospecting and analysis of futures, is a skill acquired following the learning of a set of methodological approaches.
Futures Literacy and Foresight
While foresight is a specific way of engaging in anticipation for planning purposes, Futures Literacy is a broader capability that allows us to appreciate and invent various methods and contexts for imagining the future.
Futures Consciousness, Futures Literacy and Foresight/Prospective
Futures Consciousness
The Futures Consciousness conceptual model deals with concepts that can be used to describe a person’s capacity for self-interest or that of an organization – to understand possible future developments, the impact of perceived futures on the current situation as well as the impacts of present choices in the future. The concepts of future orientation, prospecting, projectivity, anticipation and futures literacy all touch on similar topics from different disciplines.
The 5 dimensions of future consciousness are skills to develop :
- Time perspective : indicates a person’s tendency to be aware of future developments and to consider how events unfold over time.
2. Agency beliefs : one dimension indicates the extent to which a person has confidence in their own ability to influence future events.
3. Openness to alternatives : indicates the personal tendency to question commonly accepted ideas and the willingness to consider the possibilities offered by alternatives.
4. Systemic perception : indicates the personal tendency to consider the relationships between human and natural systems, such as groups, societies, and ecosystems.
5. Concern for others : indicates the personal tendency to pursue favorable futures for groups beyond the self and its immediate circle.
Futures Literacy
According to UNESCO (adapted) :
Futures Literacy is the competency that allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do. In our complex world, the global challenges we face require more inclusive and agile approaches to policy design and decision-making. Rooted in the discipline of anticipation, Futures Literacy can improve our capacity to shape policies and systems that withstand shocks and create long-term resilience. Futures Literacy helps people understand why and how we use the future to prepare, plan, and interact with the complexity and novelty of our societies.
How it helps
Through a structured approach, organizations and individuals learn about how the origins of what they imagine and can empower them to diversify their actions.
Foresight/Prospective
Foresight is above all an attitude towards the future and then a set of methodological approaches which consists of carrying out diagnoses, developing scenarios (trends and alternatives) and issuing recommendations in terms of public policies or organizational strategy. Foresight vigilance or monitoring is a logical step that is part of a mature foresight practice.
Who benefits from literacy ?
Governments (federal and provincial), territories (regions, cities, towns and villages), in order to better adapt their development objectives and adopt policies that are adapted to the constraints and hopes that the future represents.
Educational institutions (universities, colleges and schools) in order to anticipate changes and above all in order to integrate the literacy of the future into their programs in order to not only better prepare generations to properly understand and above all influence the future, their future.
Territory/activity centered organizations (unions, associations, chambers of commerce). Organizations (for-profit or not, with closed or open capital).
Individuals in their personal capacity or as economic actors so that everyone takes ownership of their ability to understand and influence the future and in order to exercise their “prospective citizenship” (citizen’s duty regarding the future) with competence and vigilance.
The benefits of Futures Literacy
In general
Develop a mindset of alternatives and futures
This competency allows us to escape from the fixed mentality of this or that (either/or), from the perceived determinism of the future by considering the plurality of futures, alternatives and choice. Through futures literacy, what appears to be a predetermined future becomes a determinable future chosen from among possible futures.
Unlocking the potential of possible futures
A person acquiring futures literacy thus equips themselves with the possibility of sharing their future and thus enriching the choice of possible futures and consequently releasing the potential of all futures.
Develop a common language, common practices
Since disagreements are often based on gaps in understanding and even in language, futures literacy allows individuals to share their ideas about the future with each other in a framework where an idea is not antagonistic but a simple possibility to be explored, a way of exploring our awareness of futures.
Futures literacy and people
Literacy in its conventional conception is a set of reading, writing and numeracy skills to use written information in daily life. In its augmented version, it is a means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation and communication; it allows the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
In a more complex and changing world, futures literacy provides individuals with essential knowledge and skills in their daily lives, in private, in society and at work. Futures Literacy is exercised, among other things, through the discipline (or indiscipline) of foresight/prospective.
Whether in society in general, a community or an organization, the more people there are trained in the principles and practices of futures literacy, the greater the diversity of accessible futures.
People and Organizations
More people, more futures !
When an organization commits to developing futures literacy, it gives itself access not only to competitive advances and advantages, but to a greatly enriched organizational culture and a broader range of possible futures.
Systematic exploration of alternatives
This exploration allows us to overcome restrictive linear thinking and short-term mentality.
Identify blind spots
It helps uncover blind spots by challenging assumptions and encouraging people to think about less obvious or unconventional scenarios, ensuring they have a more complete understanding of potential futures.
Encourage creativity and innovation
Futures literacy encourages the use of imagination and the ability to take action to anticipate, to better prepare and invent as changes occur. It is also a way of taking ownership of the future and developing strategies and solutions to build the desired future.
Finally, it encourages members of an organization to think outside the box, leading to innovative solutions to emerging problems.
Building a future-oriented culture
It instills a state of mind that promotes curiosity about the future and an openness to more diverse ways of thinking, of thinking in terms of possible, alternative futures. This culture of anticipation and exploration promotes continuous learning and adaptation.
Augmented resilience gives access to antifragility
In a rapidly changing environment, such as technological advances or economic changes, futures literacy helps an organization, with the collaboration of its members, to recognize the first signals of change, which not only allows it to adapt more effectively and quickly respond to disruptions by preparing contingency measures and flexible strategies while identifying opportunities for growth.
Better mitigate risks
Futures literacy makes it possible to consider risks that would otherwise be ignored, which allows organizations to better anticipate risks and challenges and thus better develop solid strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts and thus, reduce the likelihood of being caught unprepared by unforeseen future events.
Better adaptation to complex systems
Modern challenges are often interconnected and multifaceted. Futures literacy helps organizations understand these complexities and develop holistic approaches. This adaptability is essential to address system-level changes, such as climate change, geopolitical change, or societal and technological trends.
And many more
Futures literacy is an expansion of the long-term thinking mindset and skills, a foray into futures. Among other benefits, it offers improved decision-making, better alignment with organizational objectives, improved collaboration and engagement, greater accountability and trust of its members, improved strategic agility, establishment of a framework shared to understand the future, better alignment of the organization’s perspectives and prospects between stakeholders, the adoption of a common, unified language, the construction of an organizational memory and finally better interdisciplinary collaboration.
Conclusion
Futures literacy enables individuals, organizations and communities to better understand the role of the future in order to better anticipate risks and opportunities, better adapt to change and ultimately create a preferred future. It helps businesses innovate, governments develop adaptive policies, educators prepare students for unfamiliar careers, and individuals develop their ability to consider alternatives about the future. For regions and localities, it enables tailored responses to pressing challenges, sustainable development, and community co-creation. Combined with an antifragility mindset, futures literacy transforms uncertainty into opportunity, ensuring that systems thrive under pressure while building a brighter, better future.