Wednesday 31 July 2013

Scenario Planning can be Beneficial

Scenario Planning can be Beneficial

Benefits:
Scenario Planning allows participants to use forward thinking, creativity, creative and critical thinking and the opportunity to look at the context, whether business, country or service, through another lens. Taking time to step back from the day to day business, specific tasks and targets, to widen our view to include potential changes, whether intellectual, natural, social, political, economic, cultural or technological, and to then create scenarios which will assist us in preparing for the effects of possible potential futures, is beneficial and possibly crucial to the future of the context.

Disadvantages:
The process while seemingly simple would require people with a variety of skills, attitudes and experiences to develop a scenario plan. Viewing the wider world and coming up with a situation that would impact your context, may require firstly, people with certain knowledge, for example, current global trends, and secondly, creative people who can look at the trends and create a potential future scenario. Finally you may require people with more systematic thinking to prepare for the effects of these possible events. In large businesses, having a variety of people may make this process easy, however smaller groups may struggle to come up with as comprehensive a scenario plan.    

Usefulness in My Context:
As this unit progresses I am sure I will have a better understanding of how scenario planning could be useful in the life of a primary school teacher. At this time, I still see scenario planning as a big picture concept. I have seen the value of it when used by large companies. I could see curriculum development groups from the Ministry of Education using it. However I’m a little unsure as to when it would be used by teachers, staff or Board of Trustees. Perhaps the writing of the school charter could provide the opportunity for scenario planning.


For this online workshop I would like to learn anything that is applicable to primary schools so I can positively contribute to my next teaching situation.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Donna. I think SP is a big picture and then narrowing down those pictures. As a teacher in my environment I could use it often, things here so fickle but can see this transferring to the future when I go back to NZ.
    Love your postings, I think you analyse and reflect specifically which makes it a good and easy read.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Taylor for your encouraging feedback.
      It's great that you can see applications for SP so readily.
      I look forward to reading your posts on the subject.
      Donna-Marie

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