Foresight and futures consulting
An outside-in view of the future, built into your decisions.
Futures consulting for boards, governments and leadership teams: what is coming, what it means for you and what to do about it.
Foresight consulting, also called futures consulting, is advice that helps an organisation understand how the future could unfold and build that view into its strategy, investments and risk decisions. At the 311 Institute it is led by futurist Matthew Griffin and researched by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, using the Anticipate, Assess, Act framework.
Outputs
What you receive
- A view of the technologies, trends and global shifts that matter to you, with timings
- The opportunities and threats for your organisation, sector and markets
- Scenarios and signposts to watch
- Clear choices and next steps for your board and leadership team
How 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 chief executives
Who want an independent view before a big decision.
Strategy and corporate development teams
Who need the future of a market, technology or competitor mapped out.
Governments and policy bodies
Who plan for decades, not quarters.
Investors
With long-term capital, who need to know which technologies and markets will matter, and when.
How it works
What happens
- ScopeA short call to agree the question and how the answer will be used.
- ResearchThe 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit researches your sector, competitors and the forces that matter to you.
- AdviseMatthew works with your leaders, in person first, to test the findings and agree what they mean.
- ActYou leave with decisions, signposts and next steps, and can add ongoing advisory.
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.
Project
Futures consulting on one question, such as a market, a technology or a strategy.
Advisory
Ongoing board and executive advisory.
Fees depend on the format, location and scope. Send a brief and we reply within one working day with a proposal.
Proof
Who we have advised
- 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
- 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.
- AccentureCo-developed their global leadership development programme.
“Very impressed… inline with the direction of the UAE”
Saeed Ali Al Shamsi, UAE Government (Foreign Office)
“Truly enjoyed your session… already spoken with my leadership team about it”
Tim Arel, COO, FAA
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 futures consulting?
Advice that helps an organisation understand how the future could unfold and build that view into its strategy, investments and risk decisions.
Is foresight consulting the same as futures consulting?
Yes. The two terms describe the same work: structured advice about plausible futures and what to do about them.
How is futures consulting different from strategy consulting?
Strategy consulting usually starts from today's market. Futures consulting starts from how the market, technology and society could change over the next 5 to 50 years, then works back to today's decisions.
Who leads the work?
Futurist Matthew Griffin, founder of the 311 Institute, with research by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
How much does futures consulting 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