It’s not about predicting the future, but to make it possible to imagine multiple futures in creative ways that heighten our ability to sense, to shape and to adapt to what happens in the years ahead of us. Farsightedness or Strategic Foresight is not what to think about the future, however, to figure out how to think about it.
Since the 1980s-1990s we have seen not that many new tools & techniques within the area of strategy and competitive intelligence. Research of SCIP during the last couple of decades confirms this. We still speak of Porter’s Five Forces, Where-to-Play & How-to-Win, Strategic Sweet Spot Analysis, Strategy under Uncertainty, Porter’s Four Corners Analysis, Extrapolation, Key Success Factor Analysis, Scenario Planning & Analysis and SWOTI. Most managers, professionals and leaders are familiar with these tools and techniques.In this article I argue for a totally new way of looking at strategic planning & competitive intelligence. And how I was able to implement this at our company.
Strategic Invention Points, SIPs, are an creation of former CEO and Founder of Intel’s Andrew Grove. SIPs are not always easy to spot, but you can’t hide from them. Intel’s first SIP was when the Japanese started producing better-quality, low-cost memory chips. It took Intel three years and huge losses to recognize, to rethink and to reposition the company to become, once again, leader in its field.