Engagement Dynamics in Online-Workshops for Future-Making: A Case Study of an Open Foresight Project

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened new avenues for strategizing and potential to develop new methodological approaches. These include future-making inquiries characterized by representations of the future, such as narratives, visuals, and graphs, allowing individuals to envision and shape their desired futures. In this sense, future-making practices are highly participatory, involving emotional and cognitive engagement with physical materials and artifacts among participants. Due to social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift from in-person to online interactions became necessary, significantly impacting future-making practices. This transition raised concerns about the lack of shared experiential knowledge, which is typically facilitated by physical proximity and interaction with tangible materials. However, the linkages between online collaboration and future-making in their practical implementation have received relatively little attention yet. Hence, this study explores how participants of an inter-organizational future-making initiative are able to create and maintain emotional and cognitive engagement in an online environment. Against this background, this Master's Thesis explores the dynamics of engagement in online future-making workshops to provide practical insights and strategies for facilitating effective and engaging online workshops.