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Narrating the future: A distentive capability approach to strategic foresight

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  • Sarpong, David
  • Eyres, Eve
  • Batsakis, Georgios

Abstract

Strategic foresight encompasses thinking and organizing differently within the contingencies of the present in ways that is mindful of the unpredictable future. Building on the Ricoeurian notion of distentio- ‘the stretching of consciousness through simultaneous attention to memory and expectation’, we develop the concept of distentive capability as a spatio-temporal process of ‘way-finding’ that sustains the creative emergence of strategic foresight across multiple time horizons. Emphasizing narratives as the site of strategic foresight, we draw on tropes taken from three of the most popular speeches delivered by Steve Jobs, the American information technology entrepreneur, inventor and founder of Apple Inc. to illustrate how distentive capability as played out in the reassembling of the past, the present and the future, stretched out in time, may contribute to the identification of potentialities and limits for strategic action. Implication for the theory and practice of strategic foresight are presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarpong, David & Eyres, Eve & Batsakis, Georgios, 2019. "Narrating the future: A distentive capability approach to strategic foresight," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 105-114.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:140:y:2019:i:c:p:105-114
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2018.06.034
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schwarz, Jan Oliver, 2015. "The ‘Narrative Turn’ in developing foresight: Assessing how cultural products can assist organisations in detecting trends," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PB), pages 510-513.
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    3. Weigand, Kirk & Flanagan, Thomas & Dye, Kevin & Jones, Peter, 2014. "Collaborative foresight: Complementing long-horizon strategic planning," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 134-152.
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    5. Sarpong, David & Maclean, Mairi, 2014. "Unpacking strategic foresight: A practice approach," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 16-26.
    6. Sarpong, David & Maclean, Mairi, 2016. "Cultivating strategic foresight in practise: A relational perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2812-2820.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Andrzej Magruk, 2021. "Analysis of Uncertainties and Levels of Foreknowledge in Relation to Major Features of Emerging Technologies—The Context of Foresight Research for the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Rinat Zhanbayev & Saule Sagintayeva & Abildina Ainur & Anton Nazarov, 2020. "The Use of the Foresight Methods in Developing an Algorithm for Conducting Qualitative Examination of the Research Activities Results on the Example of the Republic of Kazakhstan," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-19, November.
    4. Sakellariou, Evy & Vecchiato, Riccardo, 2022. "Foresight, sensemaking, and new product development: Constructing meanings for the future," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    5. Gattringer, Regina & Wiener, Melanie, 2020. "Key factors in the start-up phase of collaborative foresight," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    6. Hajdas Monika & Radomska Joanna & Szpulak Aleksandra & Silva Susana C., 2022. "Don’t tell me stories – the narratives of retirement and their relation with brand associations," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 58(1), pages 17-32, March.
    7. Bettina Bouchayer, 2023. "Evénement et temporalité en gestion : implication pour les pratiques d'anticipation," Post-Print hal-04487407, HAL.
    8. Susanna Lahnamäki-Kivelä & Tuomas Kuhmonen, 2022. "How Farmers Conceive and Cope with Megatrends: The Case of Finnish Dairy Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, February.
    9. Filosa, Clara & Jovanovic, Marin & Agostini, Lara & Nosella, Anna, 2025. "Pivoting B2B platform business models: From platform experimentation to multi-platform integration to ecosystem envelopment," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).

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