Dear visitors,
It was a moment of high level learning, mutual understanding and intense cooperation between Foresight experts and company representatives. A group of 7 experts from the V4 countries and 12 V4 companies composed the group of Participants of this really interactive event. On the one hand, the experts put their knowledge at service of the companies, providing academic and technical information concerning the story of Foresight, its aims and methods. On the other hands, the company representatives contributed by offering their opinions and comments both in moments of collective activity and reflection on specific topics. The 2 day workshop was carried out as follow:
DAY 1
This has been the day of KNOWLEDGE BUILDING
After the registration, a refreshing brunch and a warm welcome speech delivered by Mr Michal Pazour, Head of the Department of Strategic Studies of the Technology Centre ASCR, Ms Anna Sacio-Szymańska, project coordinator from the ITeE-PIB in Poland, took the floor.
The Participants were invited to introduce their selves to the others as an ice-breaking activity. Then, Ms Sacio-Szymańska delivered a brief and effective introduction on the story of Foresight, its declination at the corporate level and its main business uses and aims. To follow, the experts took the floor to provide a quick overview about
To follow, the experts took the floor to provide a quick overview about foresight and corporate foresight activities in the V4 region, presenting each one the situation at one national level (in the order Mr Ondřej Valenta for the Czech Republic, Ms Anna Sacio Szymańska for Poland, Ms Éva Hideg with the support of two company representatives – Mr Gergely Tyukodi and Mr Tamás Demus – for Hungary and Ms Klaudia Gubová and Ms Brigita Boorová for Slovakia). After a lunch break, Ms Anna Kononiuk, independent expert from Poland and PhD lecturer at the Białystok University of Technology, introduced the company representatives to Grim’s Model, a well-known method for understanding the Foresight Maturity Level (actual level of foresight activities implemented even without clear understanding of it) of a company. Afterwards, the companies filled in with considerable effort the Questionnaire about FML that Ms Kononiuk prepared for them. The results will be soon analysed and will be part of our Final Publication.
Following as last activity for the day, the participants were asked to move in a new room, where they were involved, divided into 3 groups, in a series of 3 20-minute roundtable discussions. The topics of the roundtables were:
- The profile of a V4 company which most likely can benefit from foresight (moderator Corvinus University)
- The main characteristics of a foresight offer tailored on the companies’ needs (moderators Technology Centre ASCR and University of Economics of Bratislava)
- Appealing traits of an online tool that will be developed by the FOR_V4 partners to check if “foresight fits the company” [tool “fit-fot-foresight”] (ITeE-PIB).
The brilliant participation of the companies gave to the experts valuable insights and precious suggestions on the topics, which will be reported and developed in the Final Publication of the project and will result also in the development of the abovementioned online tool.
2 DAY
This has been the day of CREATIVITY
After a light breakfast, the participants were ready to concentrate on one of the most used method of Foresight: the so-called scenario building. Ms Anna Kononiuk delivered a presentation from which the company representatives had a clear repository of the Foresight methods and methodological hints related to scenario building. Ms Anna Sacio-Szymańska went deeper in detail on how companies in the previous years used foresight for their strategic purposes and how scenario building remains a favourite instrument to deal with an uncertain future. Finally, Mr Stefano Tommei provided a brief presentation concerning the economic situation of the V4 region and its current trends. This moment was set as a background for the participants to develop their following reasoning for the scenario building activity and put themselves in the framework of the wider perspective of the V4 Region.
The scenario building activity occupied most of the day. All participants were divided in three different groups, while Mr Anna Kononiuk was giving guidelines and hints to correctly carry out the exercise. The participants were asked to develop their scenarios, working freely and collectively in the groups.
The process, with a lunch break, was carried out following these steps:
- Identifying field of business and characteristics of their imaginary company [the groups chose to focus on three sectors: machine; 3d printing and transport industries],
- Selecting relevant factors in 7 different thematic areas (STEEPVL – Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Values, Legal),
- Selecting 2 most relevant factors per thematic area (14),
- Selecting 2 most critical factors to use as key drivers to build a scenario matrix,
- Developing the names of 4 possible scenarios localized in the 4 areas of the matrix,
- Selecting one of the scenarios and developing its description: how would the trend of the two key drivers impact the remaining 12 factors detected?
The FOR_V4 Team is still amazed by the effortful contribution the company representatives gave to workshop activities, the vivid interest and the insatiable curiosity for deeper explanations. .
This small summary wants only to offer a brief overview of the Workshop activities. But the pictures and the upcoming video of the event will even better illustrate the incredibly positive and interactive environment of the event.
Maybe uncertainty still can scare a bit our companies or the introduction of Foresight activities in the companies may require further information, but one huge aim was for sure achieved: our companies are now more familiar with the futures glossary, they have been presented with the potential of Corporate Foresight and will for sure be “the twelve apostles” of Foresight among companies throughout the V4 countries.
