Designing visions of the future

When our habitual ways of thinking, feeling and acting are called into question, emotions arise and we are affected. This is what happens in crises. We are faced with the challenge of recognising and changing our habitual patterns of perception. Changing patterns of perception means becoming emotional. We therefore see the future as a space of possibility in which we can grow – an opportunity.

Developing visions of the future is a creative process driven by feeling and thinking individuals with expectations, hopes, fears and desires. Emotions are therefore fundamental to visions of the future, both collective and individual.

Corporate or project visions are also impossible without emotions. However, having a clear vision does not mean seeing a predetermined future, but rather the ability to create concrete visions of the future.

In implementing the vision, the positioning becomes the target image from which clear guidelines and instructions for daily thinking and action can be derived. These objectives affect not only the self-image of the organisation/project, but also every strategic decision in the market. Visions combine a future orientation with meaningful and social images. This makes them the ideal tool for determining the emotional identity of the organisation and positioning the organisation virtually in the markets of the future.

From vision to reality – that’s what matters:

1. A vision gains its full power when it is strategically anchored – this is how an inspiring image becomes an effective guide for concrete action.
   Visions of the future must not only touch people emotionally, but also be operationally compatible. An effective corporate vision only emerges when it is consistently translated into strategic goals, processes and decision-making logic.
2. Visions often fail due to a lack of participation.
   The development of a corporate vision must not be a top-down process, as this results in strategies that only exist on PowerPoint slides. Only when employees are actively involved in the vision-building process can a collective vision of the future be created that is supported and lived out.
3. A future-oriented approach requires critical reflection on existing narratives.
   Many organisations base their visions on traditional patterns of thinking. In our opinion, this falls far short of what is needed. Genuine future-oriented work begins when existing self-images are questioned and new perspectives are allowed to emerge.