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The conversation is great, but we need to talk more about theory, emotions, and ‘gut’ feelings: Commentary on Rowland and Spaniol (2021)

“…To date, however, too little of this body of work has addressed directly the microfoundational challenges pertaining to futures and foresight practices, thus presenting rich opportunities for deeper theorizing, not least to explicate fundamental bridging mechanisms that might integrate better the art and science of scenariosbased practices (cf. Figueiredo, 2007Figueiredo, , p. 1014.…”

“…The academic and practitioner communities are both surely all the richer for it. However, it is rather telling that, like van der Heijdenan (1996Heijdenan ( , 2005, Rowland and Spaniol (2021) only fleetingly mention emotion, quoting Figueiredo (2007Figueiredo ( , p. 1014, who in an earlier review of this classic work, underscored the basic point "that strategic conversation is best understood as charged with "emotion" and about "informal conversation" (Rowland & Spaniol, 2021, p. 10, endnote 13). Affect, or related conceptions such as "gut" feelings/intuition, despite their obvious significance in all but the most mundane of scenarios-based events, attract no mention whatsoever.…”

The strategic conversation, 25 years later: A retrospective review of Kees van der Heijden's Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation

“…van der Heijden's extensive experience is noted, without exception, in every academic review of the book of the first edition (Desmarais, 2000;Kleiner, 1999c;Miller et al, 1998;Pitt, 1998;Schlange, 1997;Starkey, 1998;Voss, 1997) and second edition (Figueiredo, 2007;Lawton, 2005), no matter how critical (Fildes, 1998).…”

“…12 Unknown date of production; in the public domain. 13 On this topic, in a review of Scenarios, Figueiredo (2007Figueiredo ( , p. 1014 underscores, in true Kees fashion, that strategic conversation is best understood as charged with "emotion" and about "informal conversation." Also, from a review of the second edition, Lawton (2005, p. 104) verifies that:…”

“…32 Some reviewers of the book have characterized van der Heijden's work as both art and science; for example, according to Figueiredo (2007Figueiredo ( , p. 1014, "Kees integrates scenario design both as a science and an art." 33 As Graham noted during our interview: "We [Kees and Graham] used to perform together at amateur music circles in our home areas and, since we lived quite a few miles apart, used to practice at the office."…”