Tec's EGADE Business School and the School of Government and Public Transformation drive dialogues on sustainable futures and innovation.
By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
Building sustainable futures requires vision, collaboration, and strategic tools that connect present decisions with long-term impacts.
These core ideas were shared at the "Imagining Futures: Toward a Resilient and Renewed Mexico" event organized by EGADE Business School and the School of Government and Public Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
The event presented advancements and challenges from the UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Leadership for Better and Innovative Futures.
This Chair, established at Tecnológico de Monterrey, is co-led by Tamara Carleton, founder and CEO of Innovation Leadership Group and a member of the Global Visiting Faculty at EGADE Business School, alongside research professors Alfonso Ávila and Guillermina Benavides, from EGADE Business School and the School of Government and Public Transformation, respectively.
The event, held on December 3 at the new EXPEDITION FEMSA building on Tec’s Monterrey campus, brought together leaders from various sectors to discuss the importance of anticipatory leadership and its impact on creating sustainable futures.
“The UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Leadership for Better and Innovative Futures not only reinforces our commitment to innovation and sustainability but also opens an ecosystem for collaboration with local and global impact,” emphasized Horacio Arredondo, dean of EGADE Business School, during his welcome address.
A GLOBAL-REACH PROJECT
Gustavo Merino, director of Social Policies at UNESCO, participated via a video highlighting the UNESCO Chair's global significance in Anticipatory Leadership.
“With this new Chair, Tecnológico de Monterrey joins a network of 37 UNESCO Chairs in Futures Studies and Foresight, and over 1,000 Chairs addressing topics relevant to today’s society,” he said.
Merino stressed that futures literacy, one of UNESCO’s priorities, is essential for anticipating changes and adopting transformative policies.
“The design of transformative policies and futures literacy are essential for understanding and shaping the futures we desire,” he stated.
He also highlighted that only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track, emphasizing the urgency of initiatives like this.
“I trust that this Chair will strengthen our collective capacity to rethink how societies perceive and act toward the future, adopting a proactive approach to tackle technological, social, and environmental challenges,” he concluded.
STORIES WE TELL SHAPE THE FUTURES WE BUILD
In her keynote lecture “Crafting Bigger Stories for Mexico – From Futures Literacy to Strategic Foresight,” Carleton emphasized the transformative power of visionary narratives in constructing sustainable and inclusive futures.
“We become the stories we tell,” she affirmed.
Carleton explained that futures literacy enables individuals and organizations to anticipate changes and make strategic decisions. This concept means “the ability to better understand the role of the future in what we see and do.”
“Being futures literate empowers imagination and enhances our ability to prepare, recover, and innovate as changes occur,” she added.
Carleton presented three practical tools for building strategic narratives and planning the future:
- Futures Literacy Labs: Experimental processes proposed by UNESCO to unite communities and explore shared futures. “These labs have already been implemented more than 100 times worldwide,” she noted.
- Personal Obituaries: An introspective exercise that allows individuals to imagine their legacy and make decisions aligned with their life goals. “Writing an obituary enables you to envision what you want to achieve and make decisions today to get closer to that future,” she explained.
- Future Press Releases: Inspired by Amazon’s Working Backwards process, this tool invites imagining a future achievement and documenting it in a press release that connects the visionary with the practical. “It’s about writing a narrative that bridges the visionary and the practical,” she stated.
With these approaches, Carleton encouraged rethinking personal and organizational narratives, positioning futures literacy as essential for anticipating global changes and building a sustainable, inclusive future.
KEYS TO ANTICIPATORY LEADERSHIP
The panel “Co-Creating Futures: Leadership and Vision for a Renewed Mexico,” moderated by Benavides, brought together experts from various sectors to reflect on challenges such as integrating innovation and sustainability, the importance of diverse perspectives for inclusive solutions, the impact of long-term visions supported by clear metrics, and the critical role of collaboration between governments and citizens for achieving impact.
Paulina Medina, Corporate Innovation Manager at CEMEX, explained, “Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand; together, they create creative solutions to complex challenges and ensure these solutions endure over time.”
She also shared that her company’s sustainability strategy is designed with short-, medium-, and long-term horizons, enabling preparation for future scenarios while addressing current issues.
Luis Plata, founding partner of Girasolve México, emphasized the importance of dialogue spaces: “The first step to engaging more stakeholders is giving them the importance they deserve—not just saying it but demonstrating it through actions.”
The EGADE Business School alum and current student of its Master’s in Finance program stressed the importance of incorporating different perspectives in discussions to create inclusive, sustainable futures.
Boyd Cohen, Professor of Sustainability at EGADE Business School, reflected on the importance of long-term visions, explaining that “ambitious visions inspire, but they must be supported by clear metrics and tangible projects that produce visible results.”
TRANSFORMING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH ANTICIPATION
Alfonso Ávila, co-leader of the UNESCO Chair, shared progress on developing tools to foster anticipation in organizations.
He explained that the Chair focuses on integrating future thinking, innovation, and anticipatory leadership, emphasizing cross-sector collaboration and breaking silos.
These initiatives aim to integrate anticipatory competencies into organizational strategies and operations, enabling them to better prepare for global and regional challenges.
The UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Leadership for Better and Innovative Futures positions itself as a convergence point among academia, industry, and society, offering a roadmap toward a resilient and innovative Mexico.
With this focus, EGADE Business School reaffirms its commitment to generating relevant business knowledge and building sustainable futures.