Futurist Joyce Giola’s entire career hinges on her ability to see into the unknown with uncommon clarity. While her chosen title may evoke images of crystal balls and nebulous prophecies, Giola’s work is actually driven by comprehensive analysis of hard empirical data. On today’s two-part episode of “Think About It,” the speaker and consultant offers her practiced perspective on what comes next for organizations in a post-crisis world.

1:38 Beyond the Tea Leaves

Asked to define the role of a futurist in the professional ecosystem, Giola emphasizes her focus on identifying trends. Dismissing those in her field who claim to offer “predictions,” she acknowledges the inherent impossibility of perfect accuracy in seeing what lies ahead. Instead, her goal is to create a forecast. By studying existing data, a futurist can form a spectrum of realistic projections and assist team leaders in making more effective decisions.

2:41 Twist of Fate

Giola certainly could not have foreseen her destination at the forefront of corporate futurism. She recalls stumbling upon an entirely new career path during her time working for a consumer electronics review publication. Here, she quickly discovered that there was tangible value in credible projections. Applying her inspiration to coursework in future studies at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, she rapidly expanded her skill set. Time has only validated her decision to look forward, as her clients continue to rely on her expertise.

5:05 Mental Models

Much of Giola’s work hinges on her ability to extrapolate from incomplete information. Using a technique she calls “mind mapping,” she observes and understands potential outcomes of hypothetical scenarios. She speaks on her time collaborating on a project with the municipal government of Charlotte. As an exercise in multifaceted thinking, she split team leaders into groups. She asked one group to speculate on what could go wrong, and the other to imagine what could go right. In time, these exhaustive examinations yielded real-world benefits.

8:01 Sea Changes

Along with the inevitable “wild cards” that may force us to alter aspects of our plans, there can also be events which can totally transform the nature of our aims. Instances in which an organization must completely reconsider their means as well as their ends are explored in a futurist’s “scenario planning.” To illustrate this, she uses culture-shifts such as a massive ideological awakening or unknown health crisis as extreme outlying frames. By accounting for unknown unknowns when devising an action plan, flexibility gains its due importance.

10:59 The World of (Literally) Tomorrow

Closing out the first segment of this two-part conversation, Giola offers some guidance for the business leaders of today still working to navigate a recovery. She advises team leaders to leverage any advantages that may have proven themselves viable during the crisis. For example, the individuals that make up an organization are coming off unprecedented time and space for consideration. The corporate futurist advocates creating spaces for talent to share insights that have bloomed from this fertile creative soil, building a competitive edge.

Connect with Joyce Gioia:

Website: https://www.hermangroup.com/joyce_bio.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joycegioia?lang=en