It’s obvious that strategic competitive intelligence contributes to the success of companies. Management has to cross the border from data-information-knowledge towards intelligence. However, management currently is stuck in data and information. They have “to walk another mile” to get to strategic intelligence.
Intelligence agencies around the world are busy, 24/7, to get the best insights and foresights with the aim to avoid surprises which might have impact on countries and their citizens. Well-known examples are French DCRI, US-based CIA and NSA, Russian FSB (formerly KGB), British MI5 and MI6 and more. Since 1985 our firm is active in establishing strategic intelligence in international companies around the globe. In our Master Class we train managers, professionals and business leaders how to apply strategic intelligence within their organizations.
Yes, we have new insights about the life expectancy of companies. It is based on the S&P Dow Jones Indices of the 500 leading companies in the USA. Here are the key figures about life expectancy of companies (source Innosight/FD, December 2018)
The largest 187 technology companies in the world have a total market value of US$ 7.000 billion, of which 70% is owned by the ‘Big Seven’. Research shows that this dominance will lead to an escalation of our labour laws, competition, and consumer protection. Only 2% of the companies active in the platform economy come from Europe. The ‘rules of the game’ in this platform economy are developed and determined outside the monitoring mechanisms of the EU.
Since the mid-1980s we are active in the implementation processes of strategic intelligence as well as with our international master class at numerous companies across the world. Combined with our publications of six books on strategic intelligence since the year 2000 and the execution of over 75 International Master Classes, we are proud to be recognized as one of the premier strategy & strategic intelligence firms in Europe. The creation of new positions nearby the boardroom such as ‘Vice President of Future Disasters’, ‘Head of AARs’, SEALS Teams and ‘Corporate Radar Rooms’ are for us the so-called “icings on the cake”.
Since 1976 the painting of the Dodo is hanging in the office of the Head of Shell’s Global Business Environment, currently led by Jeremy Bentham. After the Scenario Plans ‘Oceans’ and ‘Mountains’, in Spring 2018 the latest scenario plan ‘Sky’ was launched. ‘Sky’ assumes that the world in 2070 still needs 50-60 million oil barrels/day and describes what must be done to meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Everybody who makes analyses knows that we have to re-organize the complete world economy within the next 50 years. Jeremy Bentham: “It’s my accountability that Shell doesn’t become a Dodo”.
The following four questions are the guiding principles in Peter Hinssen’s book “The Day after Tomorrow”. During the past five decades we have seen many similar publications. In essence, not much has changed within our companies, which are still guided by inward-looking control-mechanisms. This remains a key problem!
the essence of strategy has not changed and will not change during the coming decade! It represents the common understanding regarding the ever-changing competitive environment, and what the company’s response is to that. It represents your promise to deliver value to your customers, both now and in the future, in a way that no other company can do, in a world of VUCA.
Professor Jaap Koelewijn’s quote is telling, pointing out that a number of multinationals may be reaching the end of their company life-cycle. The financial press reports that an increasing number of hedge funds put heavy pressure on those boards of management to divest and/or to split up their companies to meet shareholder value. Management’s answer throughout 2017 has typically been to make ‘unrealistic’ promises that they will somehow succeed in meeting shareholder expectations. In addition, they took the easy and relatively straightforward way forward of cost-cutting and increasing consumer prices.
Traditional companies spend much of their time monitoring start-ups. Likewise, the financial world does this by monitoring the fintech sector. Should we fear those start-ups or should we fear others? In his new book, “The Day after Tomorrow”, Peter Hinssen tells us that we should fear potential new competitors who will take over interactions with customers. The following eight companies: Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba, are the new ‘hub firms’ that will shape our collective future.