Transformative Scenario Planning: Working Together to Change the Future

“Take[s] scenario planning to a new level, beyond the confines of business strategy, to deal with wider social and economic issues.”—Vince Cable, former Secretary of State for Business, UK

People who are trying to solve tough economic, social, and environmental problems often find themselves frustratingly stuck. They can’t solve their problems in their current context, which is too unstable or unfair or unsustainable. They can’t transform this context on their own—it’s too complex to be grasped or shifted by any one person or organization or sector. And the people whose cooperation they need don’t understand, agree with, or trust them…or each other.

Transformative scenario planning is a powerful new methodology for dealing with these challenges. It enables us to transform ourselves and our relationships and thereby the systems of which we are a part. At a time when divisions within and among societies are causing so many people to get stuck and to suffer, it offers hope—and a proven approach—for moving forward together.

Praise for Adam Kahane’s books

“Thought-provoking discourse on handling difficult situations.”—Publishers Weekly

“Profound . . . a wise way to negotiate our toughest group, community, and societal challenges.”—William Ury, New York Times–bestselling coauthor of Getting to Yes

Adam Kahane had pioneered the development and use of transformative scenario planning throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. He is a partner in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, office of Reos Partners and an associate fellow at the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford.