- Level Foundation
- Duration 27 hours
- Course by HEC Paris
-
Offered by
About
In this MOOC, you will learn how to better anticipate the future, and reinvent yourself and your activity accordingly. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to account for the broader context and the possible convergence of long-term trends, and thus be able to develop a long-term, consistent strategy and vision, beyond mere day-to-day tactics. Thanks to this approach and mindset, you will become more agile and more resilient in a highly complex and uncertain landscape. In this class, you will not only learn the academic and theoretical aspects of strategic foresight, uncertainty and planning. We will also discuss very practical examples, ranging from a discussion on choosing the best outfit for a walk in the countryside to building a vision and strategy for a corporation as a CEO. In practical assessments, you will apply this broad approach to sample examples as well as to your personal and professional challenges. So if you are an entrepreneur, this course will help you identify the new ideas, the new business model and/or the new products that will help you remain relevant in the future. If you are a manager or an executive, by taking this course, you will be able to test whether your current approach and allocation of resources are appropriate given tomorrow's possible challenges. More generally, all kinds of decision-makers who look to think more strategically about their position and seek to improve it will find this course useful to think about the future constructively.Modules
Introduction: Thinking about the future
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
1
Discussions
- Discussion -- In practice, who thinks about the long run?
2
Videos
- Time to look to the future
- Our roadmap to thinking about the future
5
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- Continue the conversation beyond this MOOC!
- Regarding the assignments in this class
- Regarding the readings
- To go further: Making Strategic Analysis Matter
Better anticipating the future in order to better reinvent accordingly
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz Lesson
1
Discussions
- Discussion -- To go beyond: Provide a good example of reinvention today
2
Videos
- An approach for better anticipation
- A special note on reinvention
2
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: The Power of Market Creation
It’s now time to reinvent!
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
1
Videos
- Wrap-up
2
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Readings on secular stagnation
Graded Assessments
1
Assignment
- Graded Quiz
1
Peer Review
- Present your actor and his, her or its long-term challenge
Introduction: Planning for the future
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
2
Discussions
- Discussion -- To go beyond: Is innovation dead? Is growth dead?
- Discussion: Apply the scenario methodology to a concrete example
3
Videos
- Planning for the future: Introduction
- Planning for the future: the example of the future of technology
- Planning for the future: Conclusion
3
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: The death or rebirth of innovation, growth
- To go further: Living in the futures
Tools to identify the forces shaping the future (Part I)
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
5
Discussions
- Discussion -- The world in...
- Discussion -- To go beyond: The future of the car industry
- Discussion -- The world back then...
- Discussion -- To go beyond: Planning for the Olympics
- Discussion -- The world right now...
3
Videos
- Horizon scanning
- Historical analysis
- Feedback
3
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Readings on historical analysis
- To go further: Thinking about what the current world tells you
Tools to identify the forces shaping the future (Part II)
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
2
Discussions
- Discussion -- Thinking about supply and demand
- Discussion -- Do YOU think culture matters?
2
Videos
- Microeconomic analysis
- Cultural analysis
3
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Why did the price of oil drop?
- To go further: Thinking about the role of culture
So what does your future hold?
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
1
Videos
- Wrap-up
2
Readings
- Lesson ojectives
- To go further: Readings on what we don't know
Graded Assessments
1
Assignment
- Graded Quiz
1
Peer Review
- What forces are shaping your actor's future?
Introduction: Introducing uncertainty and its consequences
1
Assignment
- Practice quiz
2
Discussions
- Discussion -- The worlds one lives in
- Discussion -- Exploring the sources of resilience
4
Videos
- What is uncertainty?
- Living in two world at once
- Flexibility v. Resilience : On Flexibility
- Flexibility v. Resilience : On Resilience
3
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Reading on the uncertainty around you
- To go further: Reading on "known knowns"
The strategic implications of uncertainty
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
3
Discussions
- Discussion -- Playing the Monty Hall game
- Discussion -- The worlds one lives in (and their implications)
- Discussion -- To go further: Policy in the wake of risk and uncertainty
2
Videos
- What living in the linear world requires
- What living in the chaotic world requires
3
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Thinking about "fragility"
- To go further: Reading on creative destruction
What does YOUR world look like?
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
1
Discussions
- Discussion -- To go further: Reinvention today
1
Videos
- Wrap-up
2
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Before you think you're done...
Graded Assessments
1
Assignment
- Graded Quiz
1
Peer Review
- What will it take for your actor to live in the linear and the chaotic worlds?
Introduction: Where do we stand?
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
1
Discussions
- Discussion -- Long-term strategy
1
Videos
- A global recap
1
Readings
- Lesson objectives
Understanding the "other"
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
2
Discussions
- Discussion -- To go further: What is the exit strategy in the dollar game?
- Discussion -- Your strategy and others
3
Videos
- Accounting for the human factor in your anticipation effort
- Understanding the motivations of others
- The manager, the leader, and the others
2
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: The dollar auction game
Time to break the rules!
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
3
Discussions
- Discussion -- To go further: Your LinkedIn profile
- Discussion -- To go further: Time for a game!
- Discussion -- What it takes to break rules and to become a visionary
2
Videos
- Meet the Rule Breakers
- Thinking strategically today
6
Readings
- Lesson objectives
- To go further: Designing and engineering the situation you want to be in
- To go further: David v. Goliath
- To go further: Avoiding divorce 101
- To go further: Reinventing leverage
- To go further: Philosophers in the private sector?
It’s now time to ... act !!!
1
Assignment
- Practice Quiz
1
Discussions
- Discussion -- Who's you're CVO?
1
Videos
- Wrap-up
1
Readings
- Lesson objectives
Graded Assessments
1
Assignment
- Graded Quiz
1
Peer Review
- How can your actor become a power player and a rule-breaker?
Final Paper
1
Peer Review
- Final Paper
Auto Summary
Anticipating Your Next Battle, in Business and Beyond, focuses on strategic foresight in Business & Management. Led by an expert instructor, this Coursera course delves into theoretical and practical aspects of future planning and resilience. Suitable for entrepreneurs, managers, and decision-makers, it spans 1620 minutes and offers Starter and Professional subscription options. Ideal for those aiming to develop long-term strategies and agile mindsets in complex environments.

Jeremy Ghez