cal to the business landscape. Imperatives. At the impera-
Most organizations typically tives stage of a project,
spend time articulating the researchers attempt to bring
insights that are already known many insights together to
and likely to make an impact. provide direction and guide
Yet these may not be the fac- ideation. Scenario planning
tors that matter most. It’s often reframes this idea, suggesting
even more important to identify that preemptive ideation, not
the issues that are less likely just analysis, is an essential
to occur but that would have a tool for identifying what will
greater impact on the company’s be most important. Just as if
fortunes. Imagine how much writing a story, it’s important to
better prepared the United pick a few key things that are
States would have been if econo- most important to the plot. It’s
mists had dared to imagine and often helpful to try on a few dif-
take steps to avoid what seemed ferent rationales, to see which
inconceivable a year ago? one sticks. The same is true
Leading U.S. economists have when developing imperatives.
been blindsided by the unex- Collecting the team’s ideas, put-
pected, as the unprecedented ting those ideas on the table,
credit crisis shows. and analyzing them to harvest

tacit insights will help to focus the work and identify the most important issues.

• A planning session with Jump Associates.

Art Center College’s Advanced Mobility Research and Graduate Industrial Design Programs have been exploring ways to do exactly this. They have developed a scenario planning card game. Players develop scenarios at a rapid clip based on the trends printed on each card. Players are forced to quickly enter a dialogue and brainstorm possible solutions and strategies. As a result, they explore many outcomes and quickly converge on what’s most important [5]. Any individual, company, or industry would be smart to create their own deck of scenario playing

[5] Art Center College of Design’s Advanced Mobility Research and Graduate Industrial Design Programs have developed the “Mobility VIP card game.” More information on this tool, as well as their Mobility Vision Integration Process can be found at http://www.mobilityvip. com.