Webinar: Foresight & R&D in a Pandemic

Using the discipline of foresight in late January of 2020 Wavepoint was able to brief clients (and the public through its public blog) on the upcoming impacts of the novel coronavirus, providing valuable advance notice for companies to protect their employees and communities, solidify their supply chains, safely serve their customers, and innovate products, services and experiences.

Recommendations Wavepoint made to clients in January using the discipline of foresight included:

• Preparing for remote working

• Ensuring access to PPE for employees

• Putting in place Buy Online PickUp in Store (BOPUS) capabilities for retailers

• Strengthening E-commerce

• Preparing for several quarters of lower revenues and profits.

Ten days later in early February we added guidance on:

• Product rationalization

• Investing in productivity and digital capabilities

• The severe recession

• The need to give back to communities.

And by February 28 we warned that the outbreak

• Had become a pandemic (ahead of the WHO)

• That conspiracy theories and a deeply divided electorate would challenge public health mitigation strategies

• And that severe lockdowns would be needed to protect the 30 million estimated at-risk population in the United States.

How did Wavepoint get so much right, so early? And how can your organization flourish by looking ahead for opportunities in a post-pandemic world? It isn’t magic, but the application of foresight methods to grasp uncertainty. I will be giving a webinar on August 12th at 1pm EDT for IRI on how foresight can help leaders spot discontinuities and guide innovation and operations to create value in disruption, using the pandemic as an example. The webinar is open to the public and based on my latest column in Research-Technology Management, IRI’s journal. In addition to the presentation, the webinar will also include breakouts and Q&A discussion. Register - I look forward to seeing you there!