Singapore – The Hub of Great Futures Work

I’m heading to Singapore for a few days to facilitate a scenario planning workshop on behalf of the Asia Business Forum. There is something intimately exciting for a futurist to be going to arguably the most future focused of all countries and to spend just a brief time immersed there.

There’s no doubt that great futures work is occuring around the world and I’m of the view that few places could claim to match Singapore’s ability to set and enact a country-wide Vision. Just ten years or so ago, the Singapore Government determined that Singapore would be the leading player in broadband connectivity and telecommunications. It drew a line in the sand and then set forth to achieve its desired future, and succeeded.

Whilst many other countries were and still are, playing ‘catch-up’ to ensuring a high level of broadband connectivity across all sections of society, Singapore began to focus on its next big issue – Water. With minimal land mass available to it, an increasing population and companies reliant on water supply, Singapore was quite clear that it needed to find ways to capture the abundance of water it receives in the form of rainfall each year. The sustainable water Future that Singapore wants to achieve still has some way to go, and I’ve no doubt the country will succeed.

For a futurist that is passionate about the process of organisations having a clear understanding of their emerging issues, distinct awareness of the capabilities required to address those issues, and the collective desire and will to do what is required to reach the goal, Singapore is an amazing place because it is a results driven example of what can be done. Perhaps some of the Scandinavian countries might be in the same league and by and large, most other countries have a lot to learn from Singapore’s approach to creating a better future.