Emerging Need State 22: The truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth

Preference for the unvarnished truth, which increases credibility

“The truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth” is the second of three emerging need states at the core of the 7^th (and final) meta need in ConsumerShift.

These consumers have a strong sense of self and identity and are confident in their ability to handle problems or issues. They demand to be treated with respect and hate to be talked down to, and they are highly sensitive to this. They pride themselves on their realistic view of life and their ability to handle the truth, no matter how bad the news might be. They have a skeptical view, particularly of institutional authority, and they are likely to follow up and check on any information relayed to them either via sources on the Internet or with friends and their networks.

They can handle bad news and would prefer it be given to them straight. They appreciate forthrightness and take it as a sign that an individual or organization can be trusted—and they reciprocate that trust. They will ask many questions and may seem overly demanding at times. This has both an information aspect and a trust and relationship building aspect. They will not get information about a product from one business and then go and buy the same product more cheaply from someone else; they value trust, and back it up with their spending. Andy Hines

About Andy Hines

Dr. Andy Hines is Program Coordinator at the University of Houston’s Graduate Program in Foresight, bringing together the experience he earned as an organizational, consulting, and academic futurist. He is also speaking, workshopping, and consulting through his firm Hinesight.

Before that, he was Managing Director of Social Technologies/Innovaro, and served as an Adjunct Professor with the university since 2004. Hines enjoyed earlier careers as a consulting and organizational futurist. He was a partner with Coates & Jarratt, Inc., a think tank and consulting firm that specialized in the study of the future. He was also Futurist & Senior Ideation Leader at Dow Chemical with a mission of using futures tools and knowledge to turn ideas into new business opportunities. Before that, Hines established and ran the Global Trends Program for the Kellogg Company.

Hines is motivated by a professional hunger to make foresight practical and useful, and he believes that foresight can help deliver the insight that is so needed in today’s organizations and the world. His goal, he says, is to infect as many change agents as possible with this message. Thus, he has honed a skill set designed to make foresight more actionable in organizations.

In this pursuit, he has authored five books: Teaching about the Future: The Basics of Foresight Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012); ConsumerShift: How Changing Values Are Reshaping the Consumer Landscape (No Limits Publishing, 2011); Thinking About the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight (Social Technologies, 2007); 2025: Science and Technology Reshapes US and Global Society (Oak Hill, 1997); and Managing Your Future as an Association (ASAE, 1994) and has another in the hands of publishers: Teaching about the Future: The Basics of Foresight Education. He has also authored dozens of articles, speeches, and workshops, including the 2003 Emerald Literati Awards’ Outstanding Paper accolade for best article published in Foresight for “An Audit for Organizational Futurists” and the 2008 award for “Scenarios: The State of the Art.” He has appeared on several radio and television programs, PBS Houston, KRIV-26 News, and the CBS “Early Show.” He also co-founded and is former Chair of the Association of Professional Futurists.

About Andy Hines

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