Three Horizons Framework
As you consider future possibilities, you may find yourself struggling to balance both present demands and future possibilities. Facing questions like "How do we invest in the future without sacrificing current performance?", "Where should we focus our innovation efforts?", and "Which initiatives deserve our attention now versus later?". These aren't easy challenges, but there's a framework that’s helpful in making sense of them: Three Horizons.
The Three Horizons framework offers us a way to examine what is currently available, consider desired future outcomes, and explore the innovations, changes and activities that will be needed to reach those desired future outcomes:
Horizon 1: The present, current business environment (keeping the lights on)
Horizon 2: Mid-term, transitional opportunities and innovations (planting seeds for tomorrow)
Horizon 3: Transformative future possibilities (reimagining what's possible)
To apply this framework to your own context, take a few minutes to work through each horizon with these guiding questions (and in this order):
Horizon 1 (Present): Take a look at your day to day environment. What is your current operating approach? What’s changing right now? What trends are you noticing that may impact you? As the world shifts, the tools used in your current environment will also shift.
Horizon 3 (Future): Consider the future (5+ years). What desirable future do you want to see take place?
Horizon 2 (Transition): What are the solutions, actions, shifts needed to achieve that desirable future? What can we try out to transition from what we see today to the desired future?
