Summary
The talk opens with the speaker sharing a personal COVID experience to emphasize the urgency and importance of this conference, which is held in defiance of global crises like pandemic and war. The focus is on advancing research as a practice and profession to better design futures centered on human insights. The speaker introduces a series of presentations: Professor Devon Powers discusses the study of futurists and the immediacy of futures in organizational contexts, Sam Ladner explores ethno futures and strategic foresight, Mackenzie Geinen reflects on research career challenges and gatekeeping including insights from Jakarta’s perspective, Brian Moss examines resilience within research teams, and Victor Udayawa offers critical perspectives on participatory research and decolonization for research justice. The speaker closes by challenging attendees to move beyond self-congratulation toward personal accountability in addressing systemic issues within the research field.
Key Insights
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The futures shaped by professional futurists tend to be more immediate than those studied historically, requiring adaptation in organizational research.
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Ethno futures and strategic foresight help researchers play a larger role in imagining and shaping better organizational futures.
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Research career challenges include issues of gatekeeping, especially affecting those without 'big tech' backgrounds.
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Creating inclusive learning frameworks is essential to empower diverse researchers regardless of pedigree or location.
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Resilience within research teams is critical to sustaining meaningful human-centered work amid global and institutional challenges.
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Participatory research and decolonization approaches are vital to achieving research justice and fulfilling human-centered disciplines' promises.
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The research field must reckon with its own insularity and exploitative practices instead of blaming individuals.
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Advancing research necessitates acknowledging and addressing systemic failures while striving toward aspirational goals.
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Collaboration across disciplines and geographies strengthens the ability to imagine and build better futures.
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Self-reflection on personal contribution to systemic barriers is key to meaningful progress in the research community.
Notable Quotes
"Even though I’m backston boosted, this thing kicked my ass. Zero stars would not recommend."
"We’re here, not in denial of plague and war, but in defiance of it."
"Most of what we do isn’t so lofty. But the researchers I know aspire to do that kind of work."
"The futures the field seeks to shape are typically a lot more immediate than the ones studied historically."
"Creating learning frameworks allows researchers to be effective even without that big tech pedigree."
"We need to better understand resilience to do the kind of work we aspire to do."
"Participatory research, decolonization, and research justice are vital to fulfilling our promise as a human-centered discipline."
"Instead of saying what’s wrong with people, we need to ask what am I personally doing to contribute to dynamics that stand in the way."
"Advancing research as a practice, profession, and field is what this conference is about."
"I challenge all of us to pull back from the desire for self congratulation when we hear talk of insularity and exploitative practices."
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