Foresight
See what is coming early, and decide what to do about it.
Strategic foresight, horizon scanning, scenario planning, trend analysis and foresight workshops for boards, governments and leadership teams.
Foresight is the discipline of exploring how the future could unfold, so that leaders spot opportunities and risks early and make better decisions now. The 311 Institute, a futures and foresight practice founded in London in 2016 by futurist Matthew Griffin, delivers foresight for boards, governments and leadership teams through horizon scanning, scenario planning, trend analysis, foresight workshops and executive briefings, all built on one framework: Anticipate, Assess, Act.
Foresight services
Choose the foresight you need
Strategic foresight
Horizon scanning, forecasting and impact modelling that show what is coming and how it could play out for you.
ExploreForesight and futures consulting
An outside-in view of the future for your board and leadership team, built into your strategy.
ExploreHorizon scanning
Spot the early signals across sectors, technologies and regions that your competitors overlook.
ExploreScenario planning
Explore several plausible futures and test your strategy against each one.
ExploreTrend analysis for boards
Which technologies and trends matter to your organisation, when they arrive and what the board should do.
ExploreForesight workshops
Hands-on sessions in which your leadership team turns foresight into decisions.
ExploreExecutive briefings
Private, closed-door briefings for boards and leadership teams.
ExploreCommission a report
Research by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit on the question your organisation needs answered.
ExploreHow 311 does it
Anticipate, Assess, Act
Every 311 Institute foresight engagement follows the same three steps, researched by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
Anticipate
What is coming? We scan for the signals, technologies and trends that matter to you, and when each is likely to arrive.
Assess
Why should we care? We work out what each change means for your organisation, your sector, your markets and your people.
Act
What do we do about it? We turn the insight into decisions, signposts to watch and clear next steps your leaders own.
Who it is for
Built for the people who decide
Boards and non-executive directors
Who oversee strategy and risk in a fast-changing world.
Chief executives and executive committees
Who must decide where to invest, what to stop and how fast to move.
Strategy, risk and innovation teams
Who need an outside-in view of the future built into their plans.
Governments and policy bodies
Who need an independent view of how technology and global forces will affect citizens and economies.
How it works
What happens
- AnticipateWe scan for the signals, technologies and trends that matter to you.
- AssessWe work out what each change means for your organisation.
- ActWe turn the insight into decisions and next steps.
- Keep watchingOngoing briefings keep your view of the future current.
Formats
In person first, virtual when you need it
In person (recommended)
In your boardroom, offices or offsite, anywhere in the world.
Virtual
A video session when travel is not possible.
One session
A briefing or workshop ahead of a strategy day, investment or board vote.
Ongoing programme
Regular foresight for organisations that need a continuous view of the future.
Fees depend on the format, location and scope. Send a brief and we reply within one working day with a proposal.
Proof
Foresight work and research
- Strategic Foresight for LeadersCodex, fourth edition, March 2024, 137 pages
- Future of Work: One Person, 10,000 HandsForesight study, October 2026, 181 pages
- The Global AI Power Index 202693 countries ranked
- The 311 Prediction BenchmarkEvery prediction published and scored in public
- SamsungShaped their 50-year Centennial vision of the future.
- WPPKey role in their global restructuring for the AI era.
- United NationsAdvised at UN summits, including COP28.
“Led a 4-day think tank… far exceeded our expectations… incredible breadth of knowledge”
Robert Dessert, Qualcomm
“Very impressed… inline with the direction of the UAE”
Saeed Ali Al Shamsi, UAE Government (Foreign Office)
Foresight tools
The 311 tools behind the work
The 311 Starburst
More than 1,000 emerging technologies and more than 1,000 trends, mapped by when each is expected to reach the mainstream.
ExploreThe 311 Foresight Atlas
The world's foresight and futures organisations, listed A to Z and never ranked.
ExploreThe daily foresight brief
Every day the 311 Foresight Tower reads the world's news on 15 global categories and writes a short brief.
ExploreThe 311 Prediction Benchmark
We publish every prediction before it happens, then mark it against a public source, hits and misses together.
ExploreStrategic Foresight for Leaders
A 137-page codex by Matthew Griffin on how to run your own strategic foresight programmes. Free to download.
ExploreTrusted by leadership teams at
and more than 500 organisations in 102 countries
- Accenture
- Adidas
- Coca-Cola
- IATA
- KPMG
- Microsoft
- PepsiCo
- Qualcomm
- Samsung
- Siemens Energy
- Workday
Answers
Common questions
What is strategic foresight?
A structured way of exploring how the future could unfold, so leaders can spot opportunities and risks early and make better decisions now.
What is the difference between foresight and forecasting?
Forecasting estimates what is most likely. Foresight explores the full range of plausible futures, including the unlikely ones that would matter most, so you are ready for more than one outcome.
What foresight services does the 311 Institute offer?
Strategic foresight, foresight and futures consulting, horizon scanning, scenario planning, trend analysis for boards, foresight workshops, executive briefings and commissioned research.
What is the Anticipate, Assess, Act framework?
It is how the 311 Institute does foresight. Anticipate: what is coming. Assess: why it matters to you. Act: what to do about it.
How much does foresight work cost?
Fees depend on the format, location and scope. Send a brief and we reply within one working day with a proposal.
Briefing for your board or leadership team
A private, closed-door briefing on what is coming and what to do about it, in person first, anywhere in the world.
Enquire
Tell us what you need.
Matthew works in person first, so tell us where and when. We reply within one working day.
Related
Other ways to work with Matthew
Keynotes
Matthew Griffin brings the future to your stage, in language your audience can act on.
ExploreExecutive briefings
Private briefings for boards and leadership teams.
ExploreLeadership workshops
Hands-on sessions that turn the future into decisions.
ExploreCommission a report
Research on the question your organisation needs answered.
Explore