global business network on 'why scenarios'
"Scenarios are stories about how the future might unfold for our organizations, our communities and our world. Scenarios are not predictions. Rather, they are provocative and plausible accounts of how relevant external forces — such as the future political environment, scientific and technological developments, social dynamics, and economic conditions — might interact and evolve, providing our organizations with different challenges and opportunities.
The
purpose of scenario thinking is not to identify the most likely future,
but to create a map of uncertainty - to acknowledge and examine the
visible and hidden forces that are driving us toward the unknown future
. . . "
GBN is a world leader in scenario planning; this quotation is from their section called Why Scenarios?