Practical trend mapping: organizations

Have you ever found yourself uncertain about how to move ahead because the challenges facing your organization or team made decision making almost impossible? For most people in a leadership role — be it in management and strategy or research, design, and development — that feeling of being overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation has happened at some point in time. The key question becomes: How do I see through the chaos and the contradictions to find clarity? At the same time, the fear of making an ill-considered decision is a very real one. Going in the wrong direction, because you did not fully consider all the evidence and viewpoints available, could compromise your position, your team, and even the future of your organization. In most instances, we do eventually get out of the “analysis paralysis” and start to formulate a plan, but there are tools to help overcome or even avoid these blocks effectively. The starting point is to stop worrying about the elements you can’t control — the uncertainty — and instead activate the contemplation process by mapping out what you do know and can control.