Future Labs – Spaces for Future-Oriented Thinking

Reflecting on my time as a founder and former head of a future lab in a major corporation, I've compiled the following insights. While innovation labs may also find some of these ideas valuable, this text specifically addresses spaces dedicated to future-oriented thinking that work closely with innovation teams, strategy departments and the business to drive innovation.

In today’s complex and interconnected world, companies must swiftly adapt to new challenges and opportunities. However, agility alone isn’t sufficient. For long term futures, critical and systems thinking there should be a dedicated space for forward-thinking. It can be argued that creating such spaces is essential for a company aiming to lead with vision. Consequently, leading with vision inherently involves dealing the “new”.

A key aspect of future-oriented thinking is embracing uncertainty, acknowledging that not everything can be known, and that’s okay. This creates a new understanding, bridging the known and the unknown, making it easier to act and navigate amidst uncertainty.

The spaces I am describing in this article aren’t supposed to be oracles that predict the future, but rather workshops crafting alternative and innovative concepts illustrating how one can thrive in various potential futures.

One way to foster creative, different and future-oriented thinking withing companies is to establish “future labs”. Establishing such a space within a company carries significant responsibility though. The aim should not be to make the company appear “cooler” to clients than it actually is. It is not a show or a circus. The creation of such a lab should be an honest effort of a company. The future lab should be respected and granted the freedom to deep dive into important, long-term topics, rather than being confined to commercial and short-term objectives. It requires the room to lay the groundwork for the company’s future vision.

This task is hard to fullfil. One must be courageous and bold. Creating something new is difficult and can lead to misunderstandings because new ideas are made for a future world - they don’t fit into our present reality. We don’t know what to make of them. Novelty also often appears useless or frightening, but it is exactly when an idea seems like this, that we should check for our own misconceptions about our world.

This process can make one vulnerable to criticism and needs protection, not only within the organization but also on a political level, to ensure the outcomes do not simply conform to the current narrative or aim to please.

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One way to protect a future lab from immediate external pressures and political influences, is to spatially and organizationally separate the lab from the company. This separation ensures creativity isn’t stifled by internal norms or influences, allowing for the development of new perspectives and solutions for complex problems.

Such spaces ought to avoid rigid concepts and methods that claim to control the future.

Instead, they need creative approaches that challenge and broaden thinking, truly opening up new possibilities. This includes ideas that may fall outside the usual business operations or the current understanding of a company’s activities.

Advocating for spatial and organizational separation, a future lab should be an integral part of the company for maximum effectiveness, not a disconnected entity.?This integration allows easier access to internal documents and knowledge, and ensures confidential information can flow seamlessly into the ideation process without legal hurdles. Being an integral part of the company, this connection also fosters a stronger bond with the company, aligning with its vision, values, and goals, thereby enhancing performance and contribution to success. Such an approach distinguishes a company from those that outsource their future development, relying on external consultants only who depart once the project concludes. Instead, dedicating internal resources on a permanent basis to shape the company’s future ensures that its destiny remains in its own hands.

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“Future is on the table and on the menu.” – Angela Wilkinson, CEO World Energy Council

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A major obstacle to creative freedom are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). While KPIs can be useful for evaluating the effectiveness and progress of a project, they should not control and restrict the creativity and innovative capacity of a future lab, such as measuring the lab by the quantity of ideas. A future lab should focus on generating high-quality ideas that are relevant to the company’s future and society.

As I see, it has a clear vision for itself, strong leadership, and a dedicated team to develop sustainable solutions for complex challenges. To achieve this, it requires certain essential autonomies to fulfill its role as an independent and innovative idea generator. These autonomies concern the selection of topics, the design of research methods, the autonomous management of time, and the free composition of the team.

Autonomy to freely choose topics without being restricted by external interests or directives within or outside the company is curcial. The chosen topics should not only be relevant to the company or its industry but also cover social, political, or scientific aspects. Heinrich G?bel’s quote “The candle industry did not invent the light bulb.”, speaks volumes in this context.

A future lab manages its time independently, free from fixed deadlines, to thoroughly explore problems and perspectives. This flexibility enhances adaptability, motivation and efficiency, allowing the lab to reach its full potential.

Team composition is vital, with a diverse mix of disciplines and experiences, including external members, to bring fresh ideas from different places. Effective communication and cooperation within this diverse team are essential, fostering trust, respect, and open feedback to create a productive environment.

Unlike innovation departments who are focused on current trends and market needs, a future lab engages in interdisciplinary thinking to develop new. It serves as a creative platform for forward-thinking, contributing to the company’s long-term success.

A future lab, as described in this article, should be viewed as an investment in the company’s future that also generats societal value by sharing insights and collaborating with various stakeholders both within and outside the company. It is not a luxury.

The successful establishment and operation of a future lab could very well?become one of the company’s greatest innovations and a true competitive advantage.