Taking the Crystal Out of the Ball - CI2020 Future Scoping Workshop
At a recent SCIP meeting, a question was asked to a speaker about the future of competitive intelligence and what our roles could look like in ten years time? To help address this question as well as to show case a useful tool in the CI professionals tool kit , the UKCIF hosted an afternoon workshop to explore what our individual and collective futures may look like. Borrowing from the Department of Transport’s introduction of an alternative futuring exercise a few years ago;
“We can either stumble into the future and hope it turns out all right or we can try and shape it. To shape it, the first step is to work out what it (the future) might look like“
A hands-on workshop took place to learn about and apply a mini alternative futuring exercise to gain a sense of what we might all be doing in a few years time. As CI professionals we are often charged with alerting our stakeholders about likely or anticipated future market place evolution or competitor strategy. Alternative futuring helps us define what we should be doing today to make sure that whatever the future holds we put ourselves in the best position to thrive. The exercise asked teams to look at CI in 2020 from the perspective of 4 groups – the practitioner, the stakeholder, the vendor and the information aggregator. This is a pioneering activity and the intent is to publish the results of the collective work for which the participants will be acknowledged. Participants came prepared to think and actively contribute. Most of the work was done by the participants!
This networking event looked at:
- Hands-on learning of a futuring technique to take back to your business
- The potential business environments and job expectations
- Publishing the results of the event as a pioneering insight into our chosen profession
As ever, there was the opportunity for light refreshment and to engage with peers and practitioners warmly. Sincere thanks to Thomson Reuters for their generous hosting of this event.
Presenters
Anthony Nagle is Managing Director at Fuld & Company Ltd based out of London. Prior to this role Mr. Nagle’s career has included 17 years of international commercial & product development roles across the globe with multinational pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotech organizations. As the head of Fuld & Company in Europe, Mr. Nagle and his London based team has overseen the expansion of the business across a wide variety of industry sectors.
Sheila Wright (Panel Chair) is a Reader of Competitive Intelligence and Marketing Strategy at De Montfort University, Leicester. She is by far one of the most qualified authorities on the discipline’s application reinforced by her past elected role on SCIP’s Board, her numerous articles and workshops on CI as well as front-line practitioner experience.
Background reading ahead of the event can be downloaded below, upon registering your details or entering your registered username and password, as well as through on the links below:
Shell Scenarios
Intelligent Intelligence Career Planning, What the Practitioners Say
