Date & Time

• Date: 9th & 10th July, 2025
• Time: 10h00 – 12h30 CEST each day
• Duration: 4.5 hours (plus breaks) split over two days to allow for participant internalisation between sessions

Workshop Description

The Three Horizons framework has become a go-to tool for many leaders navigating our current polycrisis. It explores and reveals how change and transformation unfolds by mapping the dynamic tension between declining systems (as we are experiencing today), emerging possibilities and the critical transition space where breakthrough innovations either flourish or fail. The 3H framing and process can enhance strategy and theory of (transformative) change development, and inform different types and stages of evaluation/MEL. What makes it particularly powerful is its participatory nature – bringing diverse stakeholders together to collectively build 3H maps reveals shared patterns and opportunities that no single perspective could capture alone, making it invaluable for planning and implementing cross-programme, cross-organisation and cross-sector initiatives – and their evaluation. In this way it helps to integrate abstract foresight into concrete processes and steps that diverse partners can take together. Examples of recent use include Kate Raworth of Doughnut Economics fame, the Scottish Government and UNICEF Innocenti seeking 100 youth-led climate solutions. 

This workshop will introduce the 3H framework, demonstrate its use in practice for strategy and ToC development and their evaluation, and enable hands-on working with an actual example, including how to prioritise and select pathways for action. 

Short Bios of Workshop Facilitators

Ian Kendrick

Working with NGOs and commercial organisations, Ian engages with ethos cohered communities to facilitate systemic transformation in their environment and themselves. He uses approaches that are cybernetic and systemic, engage with complexity and bring different perspectives to bear on the matters in focus. These include Viable Systems, Syntegration, futures thinking such as Three Horizons; discontinuous, disruptive and transformative innovation; decision making and narrative creation, all often using visual thinking. He has held senior positions in small and large organisations, facilitating them through difficult periods of transition as a CEO. Ian works in cross cultural appreciation and local communities, is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and of The Schumacher Institute, a co-founder of H3Uni, and works as a Samaritan Listening Volunteer and mentor in the UK. As a father and grandfather, for Ian the core issue is Jonas Salk’s “Are we being good ancestors?

Zenda Ofir
Zenda is an independent South African evaluation and transformation specialist. She works across the world from local to global level with a special focus on Africa, Asia and the Global South more broadly. She continues to advise international initiatives and organisations, most recently as member of the High-Level Evaluation Advisory Committee of the IEO of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB). She is a former AfrEA President, IOCE and IDEAS Vice-President, AEA Board member and Steward in the SDG Transformations Forum. With a PhD in Ecological Chemistry, she has held several senior academic and management positions, published widely and provided editorial advice for four international evaluation journals. She has given keynote presentations around the world and holds a prestigious Richard von Weizsäcker fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. Zenda is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Workshop Agenda

 Day 1, 9th July, 2025:

10h00 – 10h15 (15 min). Introductions; why this workshop, why now?

10h15 – 11h00 (45 min). Exploring the value of foresight and in particular the Three Horizons (3H) framework and process for strategy, theories of change and evaluation/MEL: Why is 3H important, useful and “different”? 

11h15-12h30 (1 hour 15 min). Show and engage with practical and relevant examples of its use for strategy design, theories of (systemic) change development, implementation and evaluation/MEL. 

Overnight: Familiarise with background for example to be co-created on Day 2. 

Day 2, 10th July, 2025:

10h00 – 10h30 (30 min). Reflections on Day 1 and 3H generally. 

10h30 – 11h45 (1 hour 15 min). Building confidence by using 3H to co-create, prioritise and select pathways and initiatives for action and evaluation towards an aspirational future, in an area familiar to the participants.

12h00 – 12h30 (30 min). Inspiration for the future: A “What now?” conversation, and final reflections. 

Post-Workshop: In 1-2 months, a 1 hour shared on-line ‘shared coffee’ will be arranged to enable participants to reflect on the potential and/or actual use of 3H in their work, and what further steps might help to advance their application of the framework and technique. 

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the workshop participants will have had an opportunity to:

1. Understand the value and use in their day-to-day practice of the Three Horizons framework and process, and how it differs from other foresight techniques;
2. Know how to apply Three Horizons at different stages and spaces in their planning, ToC and evaluation/MEL work;
3. Have confidence to test and implement 3H in their practice. 

Workshop Structure and Activities

Day One

On Day One, we will share the origin, history, theory and practice of Three Horizons and how it can help to develop a group view of three key questions: “Where are we?”, “Where are we trying to get to” and, most importantly, “How are we going to get there?” and the implications for evaluation/MEL. These will be illustrated using examples from smaller group work, through to larger projects that help address challenges across national boundaries. The sessions will explore the spaces in design and their evaluation where the application of Three Horizons can be valuable. 

Day Two

Overnight, the participants will be asked to review a completed set of Three Horizon maps for a current initiative, focused on the field of evaluation. The maps will be used for a facilitated working session to help participants to experience using Three Horizons in practice to build and implement a strategy for transformational change. The session will consist of interactive plenary and group work using visual thinking approaches to help build shared insights and to learn from diverse perspectives.  

Day Two will close with a reflection on the learning and what might be needed to include this learning in their practice.

Post-Workshop 

In 1-2 months, a 1 hour shared on-line ‘shared coffee’ will be arranged to enable participants to reflect on the potential and/or actual use of 3H in their work, and what further steps might help to advance their application of the framework and technique.

Target Audience

Target audience: Evaluation commissioners, managers, facilitators and evaluators, as well as anyone engaged with a shared interest in how strategy or programme planning and/or theory of change development, evaluation/MEL and foresight can work together to increase the chance of transformative impact. 

Level of understanding: Working knowledge and experience of developing strategies, programmes and/or theories of change as well as evaluation/MEL in practice, with a very basic understanding of the value of foresight. 

Workshop Fees :

• EES Members – 180 Euros
• Non member – 230 Euros
• Plus same discretion as previously for people whose euro exchange rate makes participation impossible at regular pricing

Group Discounts available on request

To book your tickets for this event online click here