How can ethnographers, who are so deeply embedded in the present, have a role to play in futures thinking and strategic foresight? EPIC2024 sponsor IS IT A BIRD explores how to stay true to our core beliefs in what will most likely not change, while embracing the conversations about all that will most definitely change.
How can ethnographers, who are so deeply embedded in the present, have a role to play in futures thinking and strategic foresight? As consultants at IS IT A BIRD, we’ve come across this skepticism more than once. As we don’t shy away from the challenge sparked by provocation, we’ve started building our position within futures, exploring how to stay true to our core beliefs in what will most likely not change, while embracing the conversations about all that will most definitely change.
In professional collaborations with global, industry leading clients, we have innovated through projects and matured our language around, and positioned ourselves within the space between ethnography and futures.
We’ve learned a lot on the way, and we want to take the chance to share back to the communities some of the practical lessons learned, the methodological tools developed and the challenges faced. Our aim is to facilitate an eye-level conversation, which helps us all to take our shared fascination with futures work one step further, as a community of researchers in the industry.
Speakers
Freya Williams is a cultural analyst with a background in strategy and purpose-driven innovation. Through her cross-sector work in London and Copenhagen, she has first-hand experience translating human-centred insights into tangible business solutions. She believes in the power of foresight and design to uncover new opportunity spaces, and ultimately create better futures for both people and planet.
Michael Hallam is a researcher driven by excavating the hidden facets of human experience to develop long-lasting and meaningful solutions. With a background spanning business strategy, organisational sociology and strategic design, he brings together diverse perspectives in his approach to problem-solving leading to more holistic outcomes. Having previously cofounded a startup, Michael has developed an entrepreneurial mindset with a deep-seated interest in the inner workings of innovation. He believes design offers unique potential for value generation in markets that have yet to take shape — where commercial opportunity is not only discovered but also created.
