The Challenge

The Institute for the Future’s Ten-Year Forecast required a broader understanding of how emerging technological, social, and cultural shifts were being experienced outside the United States. Its existing research inputs were predominantly U.S.-centric.

The Solution

International Connector designed a distributed global foresight process process. Participants interpreted emerging trends through their local context and compared how similar forces were appearing across different cultures and economies. Their contributions were synthesized into global patterns, contrasts, and provocations for IFTF researchers.

The Results

The research expanded the Ten-Year Forecast beyond a predominantly U.S. perspective and brought first-person youth evidence into the forecasting process. Young participants from ten countries were also integrated into the Forecast Conference through “beams,” enabling corporate leaders to engage directly with the generation experiencing the future being discussed.