From insight to impact: The evolution of the foresight role

The truth is, foresight has long been treated as an accessory, not a necessity. Teams worked hard to produce thick reports, build scenarios and analyze trends, but too often the work stayed on the shelf. Leaders would skim, nod politely, and move on to the next pressing issue, often an operational one. Foresight felt detached from the real conversations that actually shaped strategy.

That has to change. Across industries, foresight is no longer about handing over information and hoping it lands. Today, it is about becoming a genuine partner in shaping the future of the business. And this shift is transforming what it means to work in the field: moving from observation to active, strategic engagement.

The fading role of detached foresight

Let’s be honest here. Some of the old habits in foresight held us back. We provided insights, explored emerging trends, and produced reports that often were valuable intellectually, but not always integrated into decision-making.

Some hallmarks of this fading role include:

• Acting as a detached analyst and information provider
• Exploring futures without business connection
• Producing static, one-off reports and trend lists
• Being observers rather than drivers of change
• Operating at the margins of strategy and decision-making

Foresight was often seen as a nice-to-have rather than a strategic enabler. This version of foresight provided interesting input, but its full potential went largely unused. Many of us have experienced the frustration of seeing good work set aside simply because decision-makers could not, or did not, integrate it into their strategic choices.

Expectations are rising

Today, the expectations are different, and with them the role of foresight is evolving.

• Becoming a trusted business partner rather than a background analyst
• Having the confidence to make recommendations, even amid uncertainty
• Building continuous, real-time sensing systems, not just one-off reports
• Facilitating futures thinking across the organization, so foresight is everyone’s responsibility, not just one team’s

In other words, foresight is moving from a support function to a strategic capability. Observing and describing is no longer enough. The most successful organizations leverage foresight to anticipate shifts, guide choices, and empower teams to act. This is how foresight moves from the sidelines to the strategy table.

Why this shift is happening

Several forces are driving this evolution. The pace of change and uncertainty in business has never been higher. Leaders are increasingly expected to make decisions with incomplete information, anticipate alternative opportunities, prepare for disruption, and act in fast-moving environments.

This creates a significant opportunity for foresight experts to increase their value. By helping organizations prepare for alternative futures, stress-test strategies, and respond proactively and creatively, foresight teams move from simply providing information to shaping decisions.

What leaders need from foresight is not only description, but translation. They want to understand what weak signals and emerging trends mean for their markets, and what strategic options they should consider. Foresight professionals are uniquely positioned to provide that bridge. Not by predicting one future, but by making sense of uncertainty and highlighting the choices available.

This is why foresight is evolving. It is no longer enough to say what might happen. The real value comes from helping organizations engage with possibilities and move forward with confidence.

The challenge: easier said than done

Of course, none of this is simple. Leaders may still see foresight as a “nice-to-have,” teams are often small and stretched, and there’s always tension between embracing uncertainty and providing recommendations.

I’ve faced these challenges myself, and they can be frustrating. But influence grows when we connect our work to real business questions, demonstrate value in leaders’ language and show how foresight supports strategic reframing that is a capability increasingly needed in today’s world of flux.

The role of AI in enabling the transformation

Technology, particularly AI, is accelerating this evolution. AI tools can scan and analyze massive datasets, detect weak signals and even generate plausible scenario narratives, freeing human teams from time-consuming data work, in many ways, giving foresight practitioners “superpowers.”

Industry thought leaders emphasize this point: AI may automate basic analysis, but humans remain essential for intuition, creativity, ethical reasoning, and contextual interpretation.

In effect, foresight practitiones are becoming AI-enabled strategists that leverage technology to expand capabilities while focusing on higher-value tasks like shaping decisions, guiding leadership and preparing organizations for alternative futures.

Yet AI has limitations. While it can process data and propose actions, it cannot determine which insights matter most, anticipate strategic implications, or imagine entirely new futures. This is where human foresight practitioners still excel.

We act as the bridge between AI outputs and actionable business strategy, facilitating strategic conversations across stakeholders, translating insights into decisions as well as inspiring concrete actions that in the end shape the organization’s future.

How to step into the role of trusted partner

So, how do we actually make this leap? A few approaches stand out:

• Link foresight to what matters now: If sustainability is high on the strategy agenda, show how emerging regulations might disrupt business models or create new opportunities. When foresight connects directly to pressing priorities, leaders pay attention.
• Move from reporting to recommending: You don’t need to claim certainty. Frame foresight as options: “If this signal grows stronger, here’s one path, and if it fades, here’s another.” This respects uncertainty while still providing actionable guidance.
• Facilitate collective foresight: The real power of foresight emerges when colleagues engage. Workshops, scenario exercises, and dialogue sessions create shared understanding and buy-in across the organization.
• Keep foresight alive and breathing: Replace one-off trend reports with a living foresight system — an evolving set of signals and insights that can be updated regularly (or automatically) and fed into ongoing strategy discussions at the right time.

Each of these steps helps shift foresight from the margins into the mainstream of decision-making. They make foresight more relevant, more timely, and ultimately more impactful.

Needed evolution: From observing change to shaping it

This is the evolution we are living through as foresight practitioners. Detached analysis, static reports, and marginal influence are giving way to strategic partnership, continuous sensing, and confident recommendations. Our role is no longer to observe change from a distance. It is to sit at the table, facilitate futures thinking, and help organizations act with greater confidence.

And if you're looking for the best tools that support your foresight work today and in the future, why not book a demo of FIBRES.

I will leave you with this: What would it take for you to move from being an analyst of change to a trusted and bold guide of your company’s future?