Building future ready courts

Given the range of sizes and resources of both local and state court systems, there is no single recommendation for the number of core members your FRC team should include. The goal is to balance a diversity of perspectives with the ability to make decisions effectively and efficiently. In smaller to medium courts, you may be able to do this with less than 10 members; in larger courts you may need 15 or more members in your core team and supplement with sub-committees or working groups focused on specific topics. 

Enlist members who are in leadership positions as well as individuals with various skill sets and expertise. If your court has a strategic planning committee, consider including one or more members who overlap with the FRC team to ensure insights from FRC framework activities are explicitly considered in the court's strategic planning process. 

It is also important to include individuals with diverse thinking styles. The Three Horizons model identifies three different mindsets for thinking about the future:

• Managerial – ensuring the court's daily work gets done and that the court is safe and secure,
• Entrepreneurial – experimenting with applying innovative ideas that involve risks, and
• Visionary – focusing on the big picture and the potential of what could be. [1]

It is likely that team members will have a combination of these various mindsets and use them in different situations. However, most people have a more dominant way in which they approach their work, and it will be helpful for the team to have members who represent each mindset. 

Becoming future ready is a process that involves learning how to think differently. Our knowledge of the future is limited at best. Talking about the future will require team members to exercise their imaginations and give up reliance solely on data and evidence. This can be challenging for those who turn to facts and information first to problem-solve and make decisions. Thus, it also is important that team members be willing to challenge their own assumptions based on today and constructively challenge those of others. These types of open conversations will help the court develop an anticipatory capacity over time.

If your court is new to using strategic foresight, it would be helpful to involve a facilitator to lead your discussions. A facilitator with knowledge of strategic foresight would be ideal. However, a judicial educator or faculty member from a local university or college's organizational psychology or business school may also be options. You can also contact NCSC for assistance.