Future of Retail
The senior executive of one of the world’s largest FMCG companies scrutinised future retail landscapes in two major markets to better understand the strategies of new players, to generate strong business options and form a strategic plan for radical and sustained change.
Healthcare scenarios
With increasing uncertainty and pressure on the future of UK healthcare, Outsights worked with a leading insurance company to develop scenarios for health funding with implications and strategies for the client.
Scenarios for the Poorest
In a multi-stakeholder project involving 10 countries and 70 participants from around the world, Outsights developed four scenarios for the Future of the Poorest to 2030 for the UK Government’s Department for International Development. The scenario process was developed as a pro-poorest planning and dialogue tool to be used by international institutions, donors, national governments and NGOs in developing country contexts and presented in Washington and London to stimulate debate. See also Scenarios for the Poorest to 2030
Financial scenarios
A major multinational bank wanted to think much more broadly and develop a robust strategy and communicate it worldwide. Outsights worked with the senior global strategy team to create global scenarios, which were then refined down to country and business unit levels.
Future of Information and Transactional Services
A global information services provider and Outsights identified four major external themes to develop and test strategy at the customer level. These “themed scenarios” were then used to integrate the thinking with other work plans and projects ongoing in the company.
Media scenarios
To challenge the thinking of global media executives in one of the world’s biggest and most reputed media businesses, Outsights explored the possible futures for news, especially radio and the implications and actions for the company. The outside-in approach pushed the executives to consider issues rarely on their radar screens and make the link the day-to-day transactional world of broadcasting.
Scenarios for Change
A healthcare provider needed a robust strategy that was sensitive to changes in medical science, the political environment, consumer expectations and a shifting competitive landscape. Three key scenarios were developed and rolled out to the whole organisation, used in public debate and as ongoing reference points for change. Outsights continues to help facilitate the change process, to embed the action plans that resulted from the scenario process.
Modelling Product Demand
A major Japanese auto manufacturer needed to understand how the future of Europe would impact on demand for specific car models. Outsights and the client built four scenarios for Europe, providing underlying assumptions for the company's demand forecasting models. Internal and external interviews were followed by scenario building workshops for the board and senior management, which were reinforced by an extensive research programme.
Convincing Sceptics on the Board
Strategists at a major UK insurer believed that an aggressive growth plan was essential for survival in the future marketplace. Not all the board felt the same and preferred to occupy the traditional niche the company had enjoyed for many years. A rapid-fire scenario process surfaced the issues for the future, aired the differences and moved the decision-making process towards a series of mergers and acquisitions.
Scenarios for the future of mobile communications
A major mobile communications player brought its leading players from across the business to develop four scenarios to challenge its existing strategy and to develop ideas for new business options. The Outsights Drivers of Change analysis tested the company’s internal thinking and research.
