Woody Wade on Scenario Planning
The following 11 points are an incredibly succinct summary of the 11 mega-tendencies I write about (at much greater length…) on my scenario planning website 11 changes.I’d like to thank Karen Lindquist at MCE in Brussels for wading through the 11 essays and capturing their essence so well. She’s kindly given me the OK to reproduce her list, which comes from an MCE press release announcing my appointment as an official facilitator of workshops for their corporate clients, focusing on generating future business scenarios.Without further ado, here is Karen’s excellent distillation of my significantly longer essays:11 years into the future....what will change for you?
- Declining populations mean fewer talented employees - the war for talent is going to get worse.
- People (customers!) have more choice than ever in their lifestyles, and do not fit so neatly into categories (demographic customer segments) as they used to.
- Education providers will be forced to find cheaper and more efficient ways to educate students and most people will continue learning throughout their lives.
- Doing business in China may become increasingly difficult as the population deals with an ageing society and too many males/too few females in the younger generations.
- Urbanisation and consumerism are putting a huge strain on natural resources.
- Generation Y is growing up, they will soon be important decision-makers and consumers. Is your business ready for them?
- As government debt and obligations continue to strain budgets, there will be increasing conflict over the right way to get out of the mess.
- Science vs. politics
- The internet will continue to connect people across distances (at the expense of nearby relationships?) and provide transparency (at the expense of privacy?).
- Globalised business will continue as everyone vies to serve the "next billion" emerging market consumers.
- People live longer, healthier lives... and can work longer.
Which trends do you see as most evident? Most important? Most impact for your business? For the way you live your life?
