Anticipatory Innovation & Foresight Archives - Observatory of Public Sector Innovation https://oecd-opsi.org/global/anticipatory-innovation/ Fri, 28 Feb 2025 16:50:00 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 vCity, a human-centric platform for urban digital twins https://oecd-opsi.org/innovations/vcity-a-human-centric-platform-for-urban-digital-twins/ Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:38:18 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?post_type=case&p=43797 The post vCity, a human-centric platform for urban digital twins appeared first on Observatory of Public Sector Innovation.

]]> Steps towards an Uncertainty Dashboard: Exploring the known and unknown in Malta https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/steps-towards-an-uncertainty-dashboard-malta/ https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/steps-towards-an-uncertainty-dashboard-malta/#respond Mon, 15 Jul 2024 10:14:50 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=43729 In a recent collaboration to address unpredictability in government planning, the Maltese Ministry for Social Policy and Children’s Rights (MSPC) and the OECD embarked on an ‘Uncertainty Scan’, a three-step strategic foresight initiative designed to reveal unexamined assumptions and “ghost scenarios” that often go unnoticed in strategic planning. The initiative challenged and refined the understanding of uncertainties, assessed their impact in strategy and introduced a tool inspired by the European Commission: the Uncertainty Dashboard. This...

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]]> https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/steps-towards-an-uncertainty-dashboard-malta/feed/ 0 OECD Mission Community of Practice https://oecd-opsi.org/work-areas/mission-community-of-practice/ Mon, 27 May 2024 14:57:47 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?post_type=work-area&p=31737 Governments require future-oriented innovations in order to respond to complex challenges, such as climate change, aging societies and digital transformation, in real time. Anticipatory innovation is the act of creating and implementing new, value-shifting innovations in environments of deep uncertainty, particularly for the purposes of exploration and shaping future priorities.

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]]> Is innovation the natural habitat of a risk manager? https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/is-innovation-the-natural-habitat-of-a-risk-manager/ Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:11:20 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=42654 As Head of Nido, I am constantly looking to stimulate civil servants to innovate faster and smarter. I thrive on calculated risks, ones that we have dissected and are thoroughly understood. Unforeseen mishaps are not my cup of tea. This inclination can be traced back to my previous role as an Internal Control Manager (risk manager). This experience provided invaluable insights into how an organisation structures its aspirations and operations. The public sector is traditionally...

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]]> Towards a Futures Guidebook: A customisable curriculum for anticipatory governance https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/towards-an-anticipatory-guidebook/ Tue, 23 Apr 2024 10:16:43 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=42664 The need for strategic foresight and anticipatory governance cannot be overstated. Governments worldwide are grappling with the challenge of preparing for future uncertainties while ensuring their policies and strategies are resilient and adaptive. The OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) is working to develop a curriculum and guidebook to bolster anticipatory governance capabilities based on our ongoing learnings from project LIMinal, with the governments of Lithuania, Italy, and Malta. Our team extensively reviewed examples...

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]]> Rehearsing the future: Turning anticipation into action in Sweden https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/rehearsing-the-future-in-sweden/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:09:30 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=42295 Innovation has always happened in the public sector and often in response to crises. Necessity is the mother of invention and crises force governments to act and innovate as we go, but who is capturing those insights, adapting dynamically, and changing the way “business as usual” is carried out in the public sector? As a recent experience revealed in Sweden, for successful proactive and anticipatory governance, suspension of disbelief and rehearsal are key, as are...

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]]> Instant Scenarios: How to fast-forward your foresight and skip straight to strategy https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/instant-scenarios/ Mon, 04 Dec 2023 10:49:46 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=38875 When I was young, my parents resisted getting a microwave oven, believing it would encourage us to eat unhealthy and poor-quality food. It wasn’t until years later, when a friend actually bought them a microwave, that they relented, and started benefiting from the quick-fix cuisine it offers. They haven’t abandoned proper pots and pans, but they’ve found a way for tradition and expedience to coexist.  Fast forward to today, and there’s a similar shift happening...

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]]> Engage, test, refine – and repeat: Designing and piloting a community of practice in Ireland https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/community-of-practice-ireland-part2/ Thu, 26 Oct 2023 07:21:19 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=38456 This is Part 2 of a blog series on Government Communities of Practice for Anticipatory and Foresight. The series explores existing research and international examples and identifies the factors and start-up practices that are likely to catalyse new ideas and embed innovation in organisations and institutions. Read Part 1: “What does it take to set up and run government communities of practice for anticipation and foresight?”  From January to June 2023, the OECD Observatory of...

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]]> Supporting decision making with strategic foresight: An emerging framework for proactive and prospective governments https://oecd-opsi.org/publications/supporting-decision-making-with-strategic-foresight/ Wed, 27 Sep 2023 10:31:14 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?post_type=publication&p=38344 This working paper discusses strategic foresight initiatives and methodologies that support decision making and process design. It highlights case studies, international benchmarks, and best practices, as well as methodological recommendations and options for promoting the adoption and use of strategic foresight in government. The paper has four sections, each centred on a critical action to improve decision making through strategic foresight: (i) framing strategic foresight, (ii) building its fundamental components in governments, (iii) fine-tuning foresight interventions to specific contexts, and (iv) undertaking concrete activities to solve specific policy challenges. Given its exploratory nature, this working paper and its proposals should be seen as contributing to ongoing debates about the use of strategic foresight for decision making in government. The ultimate purpose of this paper is to help governments become more proactive and prospective.

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]]> What does it take to set up and run government communities of practice for anticipation and foresight? Part 1 https://oecd-opsi.org/blog/what-does-it-take-to-set-up-and-run-government-communities-of-practice-for-anticipation-and-foresight-part-1/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:13:21 +0000 https://oecd-opsi.org/?p=38276 This is Part 1 of a bolg series on Government Communities of Practice for Innovation, in which we will explore the existing research and international examples and identify the factors and start-up practices that are likely to catalyse new ideas and embed innovation in organisations and institutions. Read Part 2: “Engage, test, refine – and repeat: Designing and piloting a community of practice in Ireland“. Government communities of practice are not new. There are countless...

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