One of the important tools in the futurist tool kit is the futures wheel. It is similar to mindmapping that may be more familiar to many, but is tailored to exploring the implications or consequences of future possibilities. It is credited to futurist Jerry Glenn, and described in his excellent Futures Research Methodology CD. Futurist Joel Barker has developed a variation called the Implications Wheel that provides a user-friendly software backbone.
The purpose is of the tool is to identify the future implications of a trend, issue, or a futures-related development. If it happens, what does it mean? What are the consequences? Once an implication or consequence is identified, the next step is to identify the consequence of the consequence, and so on…One useful outcome is that when you get to third-, fourth-, or fifth-level consequences, you may identify some possibilities that would escape routine analysis.
The basic principle is fairly straightforward, but one is always looking for better ways to explain futures tools, especially for beginner audience. And here’s the fun. A new set of ads run by Direct TV are not only hilarious (see this Don’t Wake Up in a Roadside Ditch, for example) — they are excellent examples of the type of thinking we seek to encourage in using the wheels. How one thing leads to another leads to another. Obviously, the goal is humor in the ads. But take a peek and see….Would appreciate any feedback on whether you think this helps to illustrate the principles of the ‘wheels.” Andy Hines
