The Inclusive Futures Method: Five Phases for Designing Ethical, Strategic, and Inclusive Futures

The Inclusive Futures Method: Five Phases for Designing Ethical, Strategic, and Inclusive Futures

The Inclusive Futures Method (IFM) represents Dr. Colin Russo’s most advanced framework for shaping ethical, strategic, and inclusive futures. Building on years of applied research and practice, IFM expands upon the foundations of his earlier work — The Unicity Method: Narratives Guiding More Inclusive and Sustainable Societies — offering a comprehensive process for creating shared preferred futures across systems, organizations, and communities.

Where The Unicity Method first established the importance of unity, collaboration, and understanding in diverse groups, The Inclusive Futures Method deepens this approach through five interconnected phases that guide leaders in designing futures grounded in ethics, inclusion, and intergenerational responsibility. Each phase — from Unique Advancement to Inclusive Synthesis — builds momentum toward creating cohesive and adaptive strategies that sustain both people and planet.

In The Unicity Method, Dr. Russo introduced the SELECTIONS framework, a structured approach to understanding how social, economic, legislative, environmental, cultural, and technological domains interact to shape systemic transformation. Drawing on his extensive experience in government consultation, engagement, and futures studies, this earlier work provided the intellectual scaffolding from which The Inclusive Futures Method evolved.

Together, these two books trace a journey of transformation — from envisioning inclusive and sustainable societies to implementing strategies that make them real. The Unicity Method illuminates the early architecture of Dr. Russo’s thinking, while The Inclusive Futures Method translates that vision into a practical guide for creating aligned, forward-looking, and ethically grounded futures across cities, regions, and nations.

Throughout The Inclusive Futures Method, Dr. Russo demonstrates how futures thinking can be applied to complex, real-world challenges — from climate adaptation and technological disruption to civic leadership and intergenerational planning. The book’s five phases provide a clear structure for identifying shared values, aligning systems, and co-creating preferred futures that reflect collective ethics and long-term sustainability. Each phase is designed to move practitioners beyond foresight alone, toward the lived realization of inclusive, transformative outcomes.

In parallel, The Unicity Method remains a key reference point for those interested in the philosophical and methodological roots of this evolving body of work. By showing how the SELECTIONS framework can be applied to multiple societal domains and governance contexts, it complements the Inclusive Futures Method by grounding its later complexity in an accessible, community-based origin. Together, these two works serve as both a practical guide and an enduring source of inspiration for individuals, organizations, and policymakers seeking to build more connected, ethical, and sustainable societies.