Future-Fluent by Dmitriy Zakharov

Author:Dmitriy Zakharov [Zakharov, Dmitriy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781637306024
Google: WuywzgEACAAJ
Publisher: New Degree Press
Published: 2021-11-30T02:56:36+00:00

Chapter 5

Starting to Talk the Talk

Given its oft-cited formal origins in the US defense sector and the continued prominence of the quadrennial Global Trends foresight reports published by the US National Intelligence Council, it’s no surprise national security organizations are among those looking at foresight as a worthwhile capability.

Chances are, though, the Ohio Army National Guard (OHARNG) is not the first institution that comes to mind as a probable candidate for future-fluency. Yet, as detailed in a 2019 case study by D.M. Stehlik and J.P. Foot, these part-time soldiers became “recognized trailblazers in the area of strategic planning and future-oriented leadership within their national community.”116 Their example underscores an organization does not have to be a world class, bleeding-edge trendsetter to build up and benefit from fluent futures-thinking.

Like many organizations, OHARNG had found itself in a strategic planning rut, going through the same motions each cycle while focusing on the most obvious challenges directly in front of it.117 The impetus for change came with the appointment of Mark Bartman as Adjutant General, the highest-ranking position in the organization. As part of his agenda to reinvigorate the institution’s capacity for doing strategy, he directed subordinates to study the foresight work being done by the US Coast Guard through their ongoing effort named “Evergreen.”118

The resulting foray into futures-thinking resulted in more than just scanning for signals and the development and use of futures scenarios, though it certainly did do that. Rather, the very way in which OHARNG was thinking about its orientation toward the future was redefined. The organizational element responsible for strategic development, coded “J52” in Army staff nomenclature, transformed from a collator of the “same old, same old” into a permanently staffed entity whose very “existence is risk and uncertainty management.”119

As always, it’s very difficult to ascribe any particular success to an organization’s future-fluency. More often, it’s the lack of foresight that stands out when things go awry, while claiming credit when the dog doesn’t bark can feel like a stretch. But it’s worth noting OHARNG was the gold winner in the 2018 Army Communities of Excellence competition, placing first among all Army National Guard submissions in a contest including leadership, strategic planning, and results among its assessment criteria.120 Clearly something has been going right in the Buckeye State.

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