BECAUSE THIS MATTERS

Why Futures Research?

Why should your organisation commission the IFR to do your research?

The chief purpose of research is to grow our understanding about a topic we want to know more about. Sound research can therefore be of great value to solve problems and make decisions.

Dutch researchers Hessels and Van Lente provided a good overview of the different attributes of research in their article “Re-thinking new knowledge production: A literature review and a research agenda”. For them, Mode 2 research – also called knowledge production – focuses strongly on the application of the knowledge produced and therefore primarily assists in decision making.

At the IFR, we focus on mode 2 research in order to help our clients make better long-range decisions.

IFR researchers use a phased approach

The first phase focuses on collating information about the past and present while the second phase focuses on identifying possible and plausible futures. The research process also includes various facilitated sessions which allows for collaborating and co-designing as well as co-creating of possible and plausible futures. These sessions are often where key information is uncovered and new insights discovered.

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PHASE 1

Uncovering past and present

PHASE 2

Imagining plausible futures

PHASE 3

Capturing of scenario stories or reports

Why make commissioned research publicly available?

A client who requires further insight into plausible solutions for a problem or opportunity typically requests commissioned research. Most of the commissioned research we undertake is however governed by client confidentially and not publically available, but clients can opt to make the research freely available especially if:

  1. The research may be addressing societal interest that might extend beyond the defined purpose of the client.
  2. Publishing the results is a means of quality assurance.
CONTACT US TO SPONSOR RESEARCH

Commissioned research recently undertaken by us