In line with Easol’s mission and purpose, we believe that entrepreneurial innovation is the way to tackling the challenges that arise in an ever-changing world. Throughout our journey, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting others with similar beliefs, including Matt Mullan and the team from SPARCK, who advocate for the transformative potential of Futures Thinking.
We recently teamed up with SPARCK to see how we could inspire communities to take a stake in their futures. Our first step: engaging with the master’s students from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to guide them through a brief that combined our expertise in Futures Thinking and entrepreneurial innovation.
The Brief
The brief aimed to explore how we might build a community in the Bristol region to foster fruitful Futures discourse and community action. This aim was to help citizens explore significant societal, technological, and cultural shifts and, most importantly, empower them to take a stake in their futures. The challenge was conceptualising what this Futures community might look like, identifying who would be interested, and determining how it could create value and impact.
The Collaboration
The Easol team brought our expertise in reframing traditional notions of entrepreneurialism, supporting individuals and organisations in transforming unique capabilities into viable businesses. This complemented the SPARCK team’s deep knowledge of Futures Thinking, a strategic approach that helps organisations anticipate and prepare for potential future scenarios.
The Teams and Their Insights
Three teams of master’s students took on the challenge, each bringing unique insights and innovative solutions to the table. Here’s a glimpse into their approaches and findings.
Team 1: The Community Integrators
Team 1 focused on enhancing the competitiveness of Bristol by fostering future thinking among its residents. They identified significant disparities between North and South Bristol, particularly regarding economic development and educational opportunities. Following extensive user research, the team returned with this key insight:
While citizens are keen to engage in the future of their communities, they were unsure of how to do so. They felt that there was a lack of effective channels to voice their opinions and actively engage in the decision-making that affects their communities.
Team 2: The Environmentalists
Team 2 saw a firm link between the environment and the future and explored Bristol residents’ environmental attitudes and behaviours. They found that there was a gap between what people said they were concerned about and their actions.
The key insight they discovered through their user research:
While many expressed the desire to engage in promoting the sustainability and recovery of the future environment, most were not currently acting on this desire. They were demotivated by the perception that they would not be able to effect change.
Team 3: The Innovators
Team 3 explored how they might foster futures thinking among the citizens of Bristol through a community network that is both digital and physical.
They found that one of the barriers to individuals actively engaging in thinking differently about the future of their communities is the inaccessibility of such ways of working, thinking, and engaging.
Through their research, they found that:
Community engagement in their futures is made possible when it is made accessible. The key to making it accessibility is having multiple channels (digital and physical), narrative storytelling, and collaboration across the community.
Conclusion
The collaboration with the University of Bristol’s Master’s students has been an enriching experience for both SPARCK and EASOL. The students’ fresh perspectives and innovative ideas have provided us with valuable insights into how we can build a vibrant Futures Thinking community in Bristol. We are excited to take these insights and concepts forward to experiment on platforms that help engage citizens in anticipating the future and actively shaping it.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this journey of exploration and innovation. Together, we can create a future that is not only anticipated but also actively designed and realised.
—
For more information about Easol and SPARCK, visit our websites and join us in shaping the future.