Emerging Need State 9: Living in real time | Hinesight....for Foresight

Opening up to spontaneously take advantage of opportunities as they arise

“Living in real time” is the third of three emerging need states at the core of our third meta need “Every Moment Matters” in ConsumerShift.

These consumers are seeking to live in the moment. Their core needs are being creative, spontaneous, and reaching their fullest potential. They see life as an adventure and filled with possibilities. They feel it is up to individuals to discover their passion and pursue their dreams. They prefer to keep an open and flexible schedule and avoid getting tied down by too many commitments. They abhor monotonous routine and will struggle in these situations.

This may be a reaction to previously feeling that they missed out on the simple pleasures of life in dogged pursuit of some goal or dream—or just being caught up in the struggle to keep up with an overload of responsibilities. Their spontaneity may be viewed by others as impulsiveness. If a mood or idea strikes them, and they want to do something about it, they would rather go for it in that moment and not wait for the “proper” time. They resist convention and expectations about what they are supposed to do. If today seems like a good day to go to the beach, they arrange it and go, confident that they will make up for any lost time and keep their commitments. 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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