CIO Career: Left Behind

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How sure are you that your technology company will exist in 2018? Are you ready for the extreme future? Is your company concerned more about winning its next big contract rather than what is necessary to sustain a competitive advantage 10 years in the future? Do leaders in your organization know how to detect threats and opportunities before your competitors? If you are having difficulties answering any of these questions then your company may get left behind. The good news is that your company can be prepared for what is on the horizon if leaders are willing to invest in strategic foresight.

Strategic Foresight

What is strategic foresight? Strategic foresight is an approach which provides leaders the ability to get a perception of the future based on reliable current and historical data as well as expectations.[1] It is equivalent to stepping into the future, seeing the problem and returning to the present with views on how to fix the problem. With this view, leaders can take strategic action in the present which could secure a competitive advantage for their organization’s in the future.

On the Horizon Workforce 2018

What will your workforce look like in 2018? Imagine in the year 2012 the United States has elected a president that has decided to be inclusive instead of exclusive and has chosen to remove all borders allowing immigrants open access to America and by 2018 the county is saturated. Recently, the Pew Research Center indicated that by 2050, the Latino population will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005.[2] What if this huge influx of Spanish speaking people forced the Congress to declare Spanish as a secondary language in America for use in government and commerce? Are you prepared to provide mandatory Spanish language and cultural immersion courses to your current employees to prepare for the possible future or will you wait and risk?

1. running out of time to train them?

2. having large layoffs because non-Spanish speaking employees cannot communicate with customers, clients and vendors?

3. finding out in 2018 that you have employees that refuse the training?

Strategic foresight can provide insight, probable scenarios and implications that could positively or negatively impact your organizations. You can be prepared for 2018.