Hybrid work is changing how organisations function. But research by LOTI indicates that we still do not understand how a number of workplace trends will manifest in local government. For example, how will the ‘great resignation’ or ‘great realignment’ impact recruitment and retention? What will the long-term impact of having a workforce split between home and office be (especially in terms of wellbeing and productivity)? What will the digital tools of the future look like and what skills will we need to use them?
With this in mind, LOTI believes that local councils would benefit from a hybrid work programme to help explore different visions of the future, to understand what they want their own future to be in that context, and to take practical steps to achieve that desired future. Together, this represents what the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines as ‘anticipatory innovation’.
What is anticipatory innovation?
The OECD defines anticipatory innovation as “the act of creating and implementing new, value-shifting innovations in environments of deep uncertainty, particularly for the purposes of exploration and shaping future priorities.” It marries activities for thinking about and imagining the future with action steps to help organisations work towards optimal futures.
