Kungsbacka´s competence in foresight contributes to the innovation of the democratic welfare mission

Purpose and goal:

Our goal was to co-create a desirable future with managers, leaders, and citizens to develop a model for transformative innovation. We´ve realized that multiple models are needed, with success depending on choosing the right activities at the right time. Strategic foresight shouldn´t be seen as a separate, long process but rather as smaller, ongoing efforts.

Co-creating a desirable future is a continuous dialogue with all societal actors, where the strength lies in daring to use our imagination to envision possible futures beyond municipal and organizational boundaries. Expected results and effects:

- Increased capacity with six employees now supporting different parts of the organization to execute strategic foresight activities as part of innovation efforts.

- A proposal on how foresight can be used as a strategic component in the municipality’s governance model for more long-term decision-making. - A hub on the municipality’s innovation website with foresight tools and stories from those who’ve used them. - Dialogues with other municipalities on joint foresight efforts.

- Inclusion of future prototypes as a tool for dialogue in the municipality’s communication platform. Approach and implementation:

We carried out activities based on the steps in John Holberg´s writing "Co-Creative Transition Work" (SKR, 2020), where we utilized the backcasting method, starting by envisioning "The Space of the Desired Future." The process resulted in a narrative of Kungsbacka from today until 2035, detailing the transition that occurred and the guiding principles that directed the municipality´s decisions. From the narrative, several key areas for further action were identified.

The approach is considered, and has proven to be, reusable when adapted to context, participants, and purpose.