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Scanning methods
Different organizations use a variety of ways to encourage strategic thinking through serendipitous discovery. Their intent is to engage people in continuous thinking about potential future issues, uncover previously unseen opportunities and risks, and determine their implications for the organization. Here are some common methods used by our clients:
Organization-wide approach
One method of driving idea management throughout an organization is through using a web-based system for collecting ideas and concepts. Local teams often collect this information themselves but applying the same principles across the whole organization means greater idea transference and adoption. Encouraging disciplined adding, tagging of, commenting on, and ranking of Insights and Trends is one way to create continuous organizational narrative and thought transference and a better view of the emerging landscape.
Groupthink
People are encouraged to record and tag Insights of interest to them over a period of time, e.g., a week, month, or quarter. No restraints are placed on what people record but they are expected to talk to their Insights at a group meeting at the end of the period. The group discusses everyone’s recorded Insights and then agrees on new trends, uncertainties, and wild cards that need adding to their Trends base. This process is repeated with the group adding new Insights to their existing Trends, retiring old ones, and adding new ones as the future unfolds. Further research is then carried out on these selected issues as described in the sections on Strategic Thinking and Action Planning.
Project or Program focus
Encouraging associates to browse latest Insights and Trends added by others, or to use a web-based scanning system every time they start a project or program or need to consider future implications of their actions, is a way of creating a forward-thinking culture. This brings similar benefits in terms of making sense of idea and views held in the organization by aggregation and visualization.
Issue-focused
Another method takes a specific issue and asks everyone to use the method above to find multi-sourced insight and ideation activities that would help solve the problem, create an opportunity, or reduce a risk. This method improves on the generic company idea scheme by focusing on key issues as they arise resulting in more quick wins, far greater stakeholder engagement, and visible successes.
Out-of-the box thinking
A different approach but with the same underlying principles is to ask people to regularly research and contribute areas outside of their own disciplines. For instance a marketing person reviewing latest technologies or an IT specialist researching finance developments. This type of approach often reduces organizational barriers, increases cross-team empathy, and drives innovation through better awareness of solutions beyond current paradigms. People are encouraged to record and tag Insights on topics unfamiliar to them but directly related to their work over a period of time, e.g., a week, month, or quarter. No restraints are placed on what people record but they are expected to report their Insights to a central group of reviewers at the end of the period. The process then follows the Group Think process above.
Citation analysis
Leading organizations adopt a variety of methods to obtain serendipitous discovery here. Some regularly search for first mentions of new keywords, organizations, or patents. Others track favourite sources or watch key competitors, countries, or ongoing R&D projects. For instance, fresh insight can be gained by examining previously unheard of organizations and looking to discover their unique selling points. These can then be compared to the needs of an organization and the learning shared.
Scouting networks
New Insights can also be identified through listening posts or an international scouting network of external or internal people to the organization. Tasks include scanning the research scene, in both academia and start-ups, for new knowledge, technologies, or competitive threats and opportunities.
The main benefit of the scouting method is the reduced time lag between the discovery and identification of an emerging Insight. This time lag can be up to 18 to 24 months in publication and patent analysis compared to a robust scouting process.
Scouts are expected to provide a title, short description, references, an image (if available), a judgement on potential and potential applications and possible risks. Out of a long list of scouted Insights an editor together with an expert panel selects a short list according to potential impacts based on:
There can be a comparatively high cost for the establishment, management, and maintenance of an extensive scouting network.
Another disadvantage is the lack of scalability when using the scouting method. Each scout has a limited identification and processing capacity and therefore a desired output increase can only be achieved by a continuous increase in the number of scouts. This increases overhead management.
Stakeholder surveys
Surveys are a fast way to find out what others see in terms of future development.
Survey types
Key steps
Most adopt a combination of these approaches and have established regular forums amongst participants to discuss perceived underlying shifts hidden in their latest Insights research. These then become new Trends to track as a first step to clustering Trends into Key Drivers affecting the organization.
These methods, and more, can be used for visioning, target setting, road mapping, scenario planning, option selection, and risk assessment among others. Each relies on more convergent strategic innovation approaches through a co-ordinating staff function, heavy use of system analytics, encouraging diverse thinking, parallel exploration, and decision-making.
Above all, leadership and commitment to action from the very top of the organization is key to making innovation a cornerstone of an organization's strategy. Organizations take a variety of approaches to creating an innovation culture but best practice companies have carefully considered and articulated their vision, the values they expect people to adhere too, the the measures of success, the processes and measures to gauge progress, and the ongoing communication mechanisms to inspire, engage, and enable.
Common flaws
Next: Source Selection Back: Scanning Strategies To: Shaping Tomorrow
Copyright: Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Organization-wide approach
One method of driving idea management throughout an organization is through using a web-based system for collecting ideas and concepts. Local teams often collect this information themselves but applying the same principles across the whole organization means greater idea transference and adoption. Encouraging disciplined adding, tagging of, commenting on, and ranking of Insights and Trends is one way to create continuous organizational narrative and thought transference and a better view of the emerging landscape.
Groupthink
People are encouraged to record and tag Insights of interest to them over a period of time, e.g., a week, month, or quarter. No restraints are placed on what people record but they are expected to talk to their Insights at a group meeting at the end of the period. The group discusses everyone’s recorded Insights and then agrees on new trends, uncertainties, and wild cards that need adding to their Trends base. This process is repeated with the group adding new Insights to their existing Trends, retiring old ones, and adding new ones as the future unfolds. Further research is then carried out on these selected issues as described in the sections on Strategic Thinking and Action Planning.
Project or Program focus
Encouraging associates to browse latest Insights and Trends added by others, or to use a web-based scanning system every time they start a project or program or need to consider future implications of their actions, is a way of creating a forward-thinking culture. This brings similar benefits in terms of making sense of idea and views held in the organization by aggregation and visualization.
Issue-focused
Another method takes a specific issue and asks everyone to use the method above to find multi-sourced insight and ideation activities that would help solve the problem, create an opportunity, or reduce a risk. This method improves on the generic company idea scheme by focusing on key issues as they arise resulting in more quick wins, far greater stakeholder engagement, and visible successes.
Out-of-the box thinking
A different approach but with the same underlying principles is to ask people to regularly research and contribute areas outside of their own disciplines. For instance a marketing person reviewing latest technologies or an IT specialist researching finance developments. This type of approach often reduces organizational barriers, increases cross-team empathy, and drives innovation through better awareness of solutions beyond current paradigms. People are encouraged to record and tag Insights on topics unfamiliar to them but directly related to their work over a period of time, e.g., a week, month, or quarter. No restraints are placed on what people record but they are expected to report their Insights to a central group of reviewers at the end of the period. The process then follows the Group Think process above.
Citation analysis
Leading organizations adopt a variety of methods to obtain serendipitous discovery here. Some regularly search for first mentions of new keywords, organizations, or patents. Others track favourite sources or watch key competitors, countries, or ongoing R&D projects. For instance, fresh insight can be gained by examining previously unheard of organizations and looking to discover their unique selling points. These can then be compared to the needs of an organization and the learning shared.
Scouting networks
New Insights can also be identified through listening posts or an international scouting network of external or internal people to the organization. Tasks include scanning the research scene, in both academia and start-ups, for new knowledge, technologies, or competitive threats and opportunities.
The main benefit of the scouting method is the reduced time lag between the discovery and identification of an emerging Insight. This time lag can be up to 18 to 24 months in publication and patent analysis compared to a robust scouting process.
Scouts are expected to provide a title, short description, references, an image (if available), a judgement on potential and potential applications and possible risks. Out of a long list of scouted Insights an editor together with an expert panel selects a short list according to potential impacts based on:
- entirely new highly impactful Insights
- important direct development changes to existing Insights
- important indirect development changes to existing Insights
- important rises in take up, or awareness, of an impactful Insight
There can be a comparatively high cost for the establishment, management, and maintenance of an extensive scouting network.
Another disadvantage is the lack of scalability when using the scouting method. Each scout has a limited identification and processing capacity and therefore a desired output increase can only be achieved by a continuous increase in the number of scouts. This increases overhead management.
Stakeholder surveys
Surveys are a fast way to find out what others see in terms of future development.
Survey types
- Field trips
- Windshield surveys
- Key informant surveys
- Issues-oriented surveys
- Delphi studies
- Public opinion polls
- Staff surveys
- Prediction markets
Key steps
- Establish the key questions and overarching goal(s) of your survey
- Determine who is your target sample
- Choose your method
- Test the questions
- Conduct the survey
- Analyse the results
- Produce the output
- Add to the Horizon Scanning database
Most adopt a combination of these approaches and have established regular forums amongst participants to discuss perceived underlying shifts hidden in their latest Insights research. These then become new Trends to track as a first step to clustering Trends into Key Drivers affecting the organization.
These methods, and more, can be used for visioning, target setting, road mapping, scenario planning, option selection, and risk assessment among others. Each relies on more convergent strategic innovation approaches through a co-ordinating staff function, heavy use of system analytics, encouraging diverse thinking, parallel exploration, and decision-making.
Above all, leadership and commitment to action from the very top of the organization is key to making innovation a cornerstone of an organization's strategy. Organizations take a variety of approaches to creating an innovation culture but best practice companies have carefully considered and articulated their vision, the values they expect people to adhere too, the the measures of success, the processes and measures to gauge progress, and the ongoing communication mechanisms to inspire, engage, and enable.
Common flaws
- Choice: same tool every time, attempting too much rigour, attempting too much creativity
- Application: excluding participation, process inflexibility
- Communication: no explicit time horizon, theoretical base or values, too much complexity, no dialogue or action
- What Are The Most Effective Approaches To Drive An Innovation Pipeline
- Adapted from The Technology Radar -an Instrument of Technology Intelligence and Innovation Strategy, R. Rohrbeck, J. Heuer, H. Arnold - Deutsche Telekom Laboratories (2006)
- Technology Scouting - a case study on the Deutsche Telekom Laboratories, Rene Rohrbeck (2007)
- Survey Design : Survey System
- Introduction to Survey Methodology and Design : Sysurvey
- Survey and Questionnaire Design : Statpac
Next: Source Selection Back: Scanning Strategies To: Shaping Tomorrow
Copyright: Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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