Since 1995 I have been working professionally with futures - in the plural. Forecasts for major international banks and my doctoral dissertation were the beginning. They were followed by visioning processes for nonprofit organizations and the German federal government. Since 2015, Futures Literacy and the method of Futures Literacy Laboratories have been at the heart of my work, in close collaboration with a global network.
More about me
I design and facilitate futures processes to strengthen people and organizations in dealing with uncertain futures and to boost their Futures Literacy. Sometimes the focus is on innovation and creativity. In other cases, it is on building competences or improving communication. I design each futures process to fit the specific needs at hand, often together with colleagues.
Approach and examplesTo strengthen Futures Literacy across different sectors, I offer a range of formats together with my network.
The open Futures Literacy Laboratories are for anyone who has heard about this method and would like to experience it firsthand. In 4.5 hours online, participants immerse themselves in probable, desirable, and alternative futures around a topic of share interest and make the underlying assumptions visible. On May 22nd, the focus was on the futures of capitalism together. More labs will follow after the summer break.
Since 2022, Martina Oettl and I have been offering trainings in German and in English on the method of Futures Literacy Laboratories. The objective is that participants are able to run laboratories independently in their own contexts.
I support a range of network activities in order to give Futures Literacy greater visibility and reach. These include large gatherings online and in person. From the German network, the Futures Glossary emerged.
I also write and speak in many different settings about Futures Literacy in order to increase the visibility and spread of this competence.
In 2020, I turned my experience in working with futures into a book, first in German and in 2021 in English. A bit of theory, many methods, and concrete applications are meant to make readers curious about doing their own futures work.
Available globaly from various outlets
Through book chapters, journal articles, talks, podcasts, webinars, research papers, and more, I continue to give greater visibility to Futures Literacy and to the method of Futures Literacy Laboratories.
All publications
As director of the nonprofit ZGF - Center for Social Progress, founded in 2008, I was able to realize many participatory visioning processes. Most recently, strengthened Futures Literacy among young people through the Futures Expeditions in German.
To the Futures Expeditions