ABSTRACT:
This book proposes an iconoclastic perspective on anticipation and forecasting in organizations and society. The book starts with an investigation of Ancient teachings on anticipation and foreknowledge: agchinoia, eustochia, prometheia. It thens investigates the foundings of foreknowledge and precognition, both in historical accounts, mythologies and litterature. Rationality, imaginary and myths, and conjectural thinking are compared as to isolate levers for improved precognition.
The book then explores business cases of success and failures in anticipation of strategic ruptures and inflexions. How large firms have managed disruptive technologies, or radical changes in their environment? Why predictions went wrong?
Finally, the book explores organizational design and behavior that can improve anticipatory skills amongst managers, based on early workds on self-designing organizations.
