Scanning Sprints - What's Next

Foresight is not about predicting the future, it's minimizing the surprise

Scanning Sprints Mission:  To spot and synthesize signals, forces, edges & surprises from an accelerating future

Formats:  Environmental Scanning & Force Mapping,  Early Signals & Trend Banks, Speculative & Omni Futures,  Critical Uncertainties and Wild Cards & Grey Swans 

Defined: Our Grey Swan Guild that birthed us in the midst of a pandemic (and its name itself) implies our ongoing discovery of wild cards, uncertainties, new avenues of pursuit, omnifutures and Grey Swans, it’s not just a discipline, it’s a passion of ours. Cygnus Scanning Sprints connect the dots to the future by identifying and unravelling uncertainties, diagnosing prospective challenges and Identifying strong & faint signals of change via presentation(s), workshop(s), signal scanning reports and narrative development.

​

The Cygnus Difference: 

• Multidisciplinary - tackle the complexity of the future through tech, workplace, geo-politcial, econsomic, marketplace & cultural lenses

• Awareness AND Action - develop literacy/fluency on future but also what it should mean for the now 

• League of Global Sensemakers- leverage our standing panel of expert guides, futurists and foresight brokers

• Omni futures - tap into our expert roster and topics from our monthly podcast

• 1,000 Day Radar Intelligence - harness our massive exploration into our 2 1/2 year futures

Options:  Onboard a Scanning Sprint as a prelude to a Strategy or Innovation Sprint; Customer Scanning Sprint to  your Annual/Strategic Planning Effort

​

Driving "Scanning Sprint" Insight:: 

“Too much focus on short-term results can be devastating. Companies don't fail because they don't work hard or apply themselves, they often fail because they simply miss the future.”

​

Our Cygnus Thought Leaders Dominate and Master the Six Horsemen of the Future-lypse:

• Anticipation of the Future (the blue horse)

• Exploration of the Future (the green horse)

• Consideration of the Future (the black horse)

• Action/Reaction to the Future (the red horse)

• Quantifying the Future (the magenta horse)

• Sharing  the Future (the grey horse)

​

Biggest Turnoffs in Scanning the Future (we don't do these):

#1. Lack of Implications or Action Based on Foresights or Signals

#2. Derivative Mainstream Analysis, No Real Surprises or Magical Insights

#3 Horizon of Timespans is either Too Short or Too Long (or lacking altogether) for Project Purposes

#4. Uni-dimensional & Functional Bias to Future Perspectives

#5. Depth of Insight Lacking Within & Cross-Industry

#6. Generic, Sweeping Nature of Observations

​

For deeper thinking on scanning, read our 20 reasons why Futures and Foresight matter.

​