Creativity, proactivity, and foresight

Anatoli Bourmistrov and Bjørn Willy Åmo

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2022, vol. 174, issue C

Abstract: This study addresses how foresight interventions can translate creativity into proactive behavior and, in this sense, foster anticipatory strategic management. We develop a theoretical model, linking creativity and proactivity with known discrete individual foresight cognitive styles, namely “Reactor”, “Tester”, “Adapter”, and “Framer”, but also add a new “Actor” dimension. The theoretical model is tested by analyzing quantitative data from 172 students attending two scenario-building workshops. Our SEM model allows us to formulate three conclusions. First, creativity is not directly linked to proactivity without considering individual foresight cognitive styles. Second, we confirm the presence of four components of foresight as discrete foresight cognitive styles but also demonstrate the importance of a fifth component, the “Actor”. Third, it is only through the “Tester”, “Adapter”, and “Actor” components that creative energy most significantly aids proactivity. This means that creativity most significantly aids proactivity when individuals are either able to experiment with alternative courses of action or change the conditions for how their respective futures may unfold. We contribute to the foresight literature by demonstrating how foresight, as a process of intervention, can foster discrete foresight cognitive styles at the individual level and moderate relationships between creativity and proactivity.

Keywords: Foresight; Discrete foresight cognitive styles; Creativity; Proactivity; Anticipatory strategic management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:174:y:2022:i:c:s004016252100648x

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121215

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