The concept of foresight can be associated with the idea of futurology.
The word prospective is an adjective that mentions what is linked to the future . As a noun, this term, which has its origins in the Latin prospicere, refers to investigations and explorations that are carried out with the intention of anticipating what is to come in a certain subject.
For example: “The good level of the forwards gives the team an unprecedented perspective” , “We need to hire a manager who has a prospective view on this type of matters” , “The industry's perspective is very good, since the “Current economic conditions are favorable for the sector.”
Prospective and Futurelogy
As a noun, the concept of foresight is also used in association with futurology , which is the discipline in charge of analyzing the future to achieve its understanding and, thus, exert an influence on it to the extent possible.
Foresight, in this sense, anticipates potential scenarios that will develop in the future. Based on this anticipation, it allows planning to be carried out that makes it possible to act in tune with what, in theory , is going to happen.
It is important to keep in mind that, within what is understood as foresight or futurology, very diverse sciences , pseudosciences and disciplines appear. Some are based on the scientific method and appeal to statistics, while others use resources far removed from science and empirical verification. At a general level it can be said that foresight cannot offer certainty since the future, after all, is what has not yet happened and is subject to infinite variables, many of them inaccessible to human knowledge.
Technological prospective studies the possibilities of progress in science and technology.
Technology Possibilities
Technological foresight is known as the systematic process that is responsible for analyzing the present and future possibilities of technological and scientific progress to identify potential emerging technologies and research strategies on which to focus all investment efforts to achieve the highest possible degree of benefits. , whether on a social or economic level.
In other words, technological foresight is a series of techniques that make it possible to determine the relevance that a given technology will have at a point in the future. One of its fundamental features is that it takes into account two well-defined types of future : the possible ones, which it calls " futuribles ", and the desirable ones, called " futurables ". These futures must be framed in a particular context for their correct analysis, whether respecting the limits of a company, a sector or a country, for example.
Objective of technological foresight
The main objective of technological foresight is, ultimately, to open the doors to making future decisions without the constant and inevitable change in technology threatening to make them obsolete. The different technologies analyzed in this context can be grouped into the following categories:
* Key technologies : their impact on increasing the productivity or profitability of products is greater than that of the rest. Given that it is not well known in the market, being able to use it considerably favors the competitiveness of a company compared to those that do not have it;
* Basic technologies : they are within the reach of most companies and are generally used as a common denominator in the manufacturing of certain products;
* Emerging technologies : these are those that show great promise at first, given that they offer highly positive results for the company, but are covered by a veil of uncertainty regarding their longevity.
Every technology goes through a life cycle similar to ours: it is born, grows and matures. Each of these phases is related to one of the types of technology mentioned above: the birth, to the emerging ones; growth, to the keys; and maturity, to the basic ones.