To equip public-sector professionals with the fundamentals of strategic foresight and scenario planning, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) is organizing a four-day capacity-building workshop in Tokyo, 5–8 March 2018. It is conducted by Foresight Practitioner Maree Conway of Thinking Futures and Director Marcus Barber of Looking Up Feeling Good. Conway is the author of the definitive publication on trend analysis and strategy development processes, Foresight Infused Strategy: A How-To Guide for Using Foresight in Practice.

The workshop on Strategic Foresight Capability Building in the Public Sector for NPO Heads is being attended by 11 participants from nine APO member countries and eight APO Secretariat staff. It will help develop the ability of public-sector organization leaders in APO member economies to undertake foresight-based strategic planning by creating scenarios for the future. Participants had opportunities to learn about the requirements for establishing strategic foresight centers in their own organizations to institutionalize foresight and scenario planning.

To encourage brainstorming by key policymakers in an informal setting while discussing and sharing ideas on the future of the APO, the workshop first introduced the basics and principles of foresight, the role of mental models, and an overview of various foresight methods and processes. This allowed participants to define a common knowledge base in this critical area, which is expected to change business models as well as the strategic approaches of the Secretariat and its network of NPOs.