* An exploration of the ways in which organizations can develop their ability to manage the future. * Consists of ten papers written by authors from both sides of the Atlantic and from Asia, all of whom are distinguished scholars in the fields of strategy or organizational learning.

Figures. Tables. Notes on the Contributors. Foreword: Foresight Matters (Spyros Makridakis). 1. Introduction: Organizations and The Future, From Forecasting To Foresight (Haridimos Tsoukas And Jill Shepherd). Part I: Making Sense Of Organizational Foresight. 2. Re-Educating Attention: What Is Foresight And How Is It Cultivated (Robert Chia). 3. Invention And Navigation As Contrasting Metaphors Of The Pathways To The Future (V.K. Narayan And Liam Fahey). 4. Strategy And Time: Really Recognizing The Future (T.K. Das). Part II: Foresight And Organizational Learning. 5. Foresight Or Foreseeing? A Social Action Explanation Of Complex Collective Knowing (David R. Schwandt And Margaret Gorman). 6. Retrospective Sensemaking And Foresight: Studying The Past To Prepare For The Future (Raanan Lipshitz, Neta Ron & Micha Popper). 7. Can Illusion Of Control Destroy A Firm’s Competence? The Case Of Forecasting Ability (Rudolph Durand). Part III: Developing Foresightful Organizations. 8. Time Travelling: Organizational Foresight As Temporal Reflexivity (Miguel Pina E. Cunha). 9. The Concept Of "Weak Signals" Revisited: A Re-Description From A Constructivist Perspective (David Seidl). 10. Meta-Rules For Entrepreneurial Foresight (Ted Fuller, Paul Argyle and Paul Moran). 11. Autopoietic Limitations Of Probing The Future (Deborah Blackman And Steven Henderson). Afterword: Insights Into Foresight (Kees van der Heijden). Index

At a time of ever-accelerating change, when more and more organizations find themselves operating in high-velocity environments, the ability to look ahead, prepare for the future, and help create it is more crucial than ever. The book consists of ten papers written by leading authors from both sides of the Atlantic and from Asia, all of whom are distinguished scholars in the fields of strategy or organizational learning. The papers address four key issues: how organizational foresight can be conceptualized; how organizations make sense of themselves and their environments; how the capability for strategic foresight can be developed; and to what extent strategic foresight in organizations is possible.

"This is a fascinating book, placing contemporary techniques for managerial foresight within a rich and challenging theoretical context. It is recommended equally for thinking practitioners and for practice-sensitive teachers and researchers." Richard Whittington, Said Business School "This timely book adds a new dimension to the strategy debate and sources of competitive advantage. Its topic, strategic foresight, is most crucial in turbulent environments, in which change is frequent and disruptive. The authors show that not so much a superior vision, appropriate plan, generic strategy, innovative culture or unique resource-pool, but rather strategic foresight differentiates successful firms from failing firms. In fact, unlearning and relearning may be one of the most important outcomes." Professor Henk W Volberda, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University "Strategic foresight is central to managing the future, yet it is one of the least understood areas of management. Tsoukas and Shepherd offer a collection of readings that serve to deepen our understanding of what organizational foresight is, and what it takes to do it well. Designed for the reader who seeks more than a superficial overview, it offers jewels of insight and a variety of frameworks that serve to challenge and enrich our mental maps about developing organizational foresight." Mary Crossan, University of Western Ontario "Hari Tsoukas, Jill Sherpherd and the other contributors of this book provide a compelling vision as to why the 'future could be ours to manage.' This is a thought-provoking book that offers ways by which individuals can develop foresight." Raghu Garud, New York University "This is really good material, from good scholars, on this emerging field. It will attract a wide audience." Colin Eden, University of Strathclyde "This book brings together different perspectives on an increasingly challenging question: just how might managers cope with the bewildering changes that are occurring in the world around them. The book raises more questions that it answers perhaps; but that is for the good: they are questions that need to be raised to inform a research agenda that is, and will increasingly become, central to management needs." Gerry Johnson, Strathclyde University

Foreword: Foresight Matters: Spyros Makridakis. Introduction: Organizations And The Future, From Forecasting To Foresight: Haridimos Tsoukas And Jill Shepherd. Part I: Making Sense Of Organizational Foresight. Part II: Foresight And Organizational Learning. Part III: Developing Foresightful Organizations. Afterword: Insights Into Foresight: Kees Van Der Heijden