»It broadened my horizons and gave me new ideas about how to prepare our works council for the future.« With this statement a participant summarized his first experiences of working with the Worker Participation 2030 scenarios in one of the »Anticipation Workshops« organized by the ETUI. During these workshops, participants explore the four alternative futures of Worker Participation 2030, jointly reflect on their implications and exchange views on strategies and priorities for today. A great opportunity for creativity and out-of-the box thinking and the possibility to take more of a bird’s eye view and see developments as a whole.

Exploring the Scenarios

The first part of an anticipation workshop is devoted to the exploration of the scenarios Worker Participation 2030 in order to become familiar with the different scenarios and »synchronizing« participants’ understanding of what was happening here. Moreover, the group is looking for »possible early signs« that are already discernible today and/or example stories for each of the scenarios.

What if? (Possible Impacts and Adaptation measures)

The next phase consists of reflecting in small groups and in the plenary on possible impacts of each scenario: What does this story mean for you/your organization/your branch? What would be the impact if your environment were to behave/change in this way? Where do you see risks and dangers, where might there be opportunities? How might you/your organization contribute to the outcomes of this scenario? What would be the best strategy to enable you/your organization to succeed in this scenario?

What can you do? (Possible Actions and Strategies)

Following the analysis of possible impacts, the participants reflect on actions and strategies for each of the four scenarios: What is your most/least preferred scenario? Why? How can you prepare yourself for the different scenarios? What can you/your organization do, to influence a development in „the right direction“ and to avoid the „wrong ones“?