Developing a plan for strategic innovation


At a time when everything around us is radically changing, it is not logical that we can continue to think and plan as we have in the past. To be successful in the future, we must learn about the future, think in the future, plan in the future, and have a vision for the future. Without a vision we have no direction, and with no direction we are lost before we start. Only with a vision can we develop a strategy for innovation.

There is a seven-step strategic process that we can use to develop our vision, enhance our foresight, focus our innovation, engender wisdom, and create our future.

1. Investigate scenarios

Learn about future trends and directions in demography, economics, environment, government, society and technology. This research will enable you to develop a panoramic view of the future and explore different possibilities from which to create alternative scenarios for ten years in the future (a period of ten years is usually chosen so that you are not influenced by present perceptions nor do you have to rely on science fiction ).

Using the knowledge gained from research about the future and the creation of scenarios, you can then evaluate possible futures .

The second part of this stage involves differentiating between possible, plausible, and preferred scenarios for the future. Your preferred scenarios will become the reference points from which to chart your course for the future.

2. Define your strategic vision

Now develop your preferred scenario for the future. To do this, you must first define the values on which your decisions will be based. From these values, state the aspirations for the future you wish to create.

Scenarios are simulators of the future that allow us to practise the future in our imaginations without cost or risk. From the insights we gain and the foresight we create by researching answers to these questions, we can define our own strategic visionwhat we wish to create for the future.

  • Answer these questions:

  • What will the social and economic environment be like in ten years time?

  • What will be the nature of local, national and global markets, distribution channels, and organisational structures?

  • Who and where will your customers, consumers, competitors and suppliers be in the future?

3. Select from the options

Having established your vision for the future, you know where you want to go. Armed with this detailed foresight, you can now investigate the possible options of how to get there.

  • How can we turn your vision into reality?

  • What possible directions can you take?

  • What material resources do you need?

  • Should you do it yourself or with others?

You can then evaluate all these options and select a preferred option, bearing in mind that you will need to continuously realign your direction as you receive updated information.

4. Develop a strategy

Having chosen our preferred option, we then develop the strategy we need to achieve the transformation that will take us from where we are today to where we want to be in the future.

  • What new human resources and intellectual attributes are required?

  • What new organisational structures do we need?

  • What networks do we need to build?

  • What alliances do we need to develop?

5. Develop an operational action plan

Once we have our strategy we need to develop an operational plan to implement the strategy.

  • What actions need to be taken?

  • Who does what?

  • What is expected, and by when?

  • How do we build in the flexibility, agility and quick response required for the continuous change that we need as we learn more about the future?

6. Continually re-evaluate and re-align

Information on which we have made assumptions will keep changing. In the light of new information, we need to continuously re-evaluate our previous decisions and re-align our operational plan and actions to ensure that we can constantly focus on our strategic vision.

  • What new challenges have we recognised?

  • What new opportunities have we found?

  • What new contacts have we made?

  • What assumptions do we need to change?

7. Review and rethink

The speed of change and pace of innovation will constantly alter our perspectives of the future, so our thinking and planning should always be held in a state of flux and our organisation capable of changing course quickly.

  • What circumstances have changed your perception of the future?

  • Do you need to adjust your preferred scenario and re-align your vision?

  • How does this adjustment affect the previous six steps?

This process for strategic futures planning is never static, but must be continuously reviewed and rethought in order to remain relevant. The iterative nature of the process ensures that we remain constantly updated, and that we are continuously learning about the future and developing our foresight. It allows us to be more aware of the future, greatly increasing preparedness to meet new challenges and our ability to identify new opportunities. It uses a strong vision of the future to focus our thoughts and concentrate our efforts on creating the effective and efficient strategic innovation that keeps us ahead.




Innovation and Imagination at Work 2004
Innovation and Imagination at Work 2004
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 116

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