Stop playing catch-up: why your team must scan the horizon, starting immediately!

In my previous post on this blog, I emphasised the need for proactive planning to navigate the current geopolitical uncertainty. I mentioned, and firmly maintain, that a 'wait and see' approach is not wise, leaving companies vulnerable and data protection and GRC leaders looking unprepared. Building a sound plan to address immediate pressures – supply chain vulnerabilities, shifting market dynamics, internal reprioritisation – is absolutely essential. However, in my opinion, focusing solely on the immediate fires, however intense they may be, is dangerously short sighted. True strategic resilience demands looking further ahead. It requires establishing horizon scanning capabilities now, not later.

It might seem counterintuitive. When immediate crises demand attention and resources are stretched thin, dedicating effort to scanning the distant future can feel like a luxury. Data protection and GRC leaders are understandably consumed by stabilising the ship in the current storm. Yet, I believe this perspective misses a crucial point: failing to look ahead while managing the present is like trying to navigate a complex waterway by only looking at the water directly over the bow. You might avoid the closest rocks, but you risk running aground on a sandbar just beyond your immediate focus, or missing a crucial channel that leads to safer waters.

Establishing a horizon scanning function today serves a dual purpose, vital into account our current challenges. Firstly, it provides a structured way to gain a clearer, more objective sense of the current complex environment. It moves beyond reactive issue resolution to systematically identify the signals, trends, and potential disruptors shaping today's landscape – including those geopolitical factors causing immediate concern. Secondly, it lays the foundation for anticipating what's coming next. By cultivating this foresight capability now, you begin building the organisational 'muscle' needed to identify emerging threats and opportunities before they fully materialise.

Delaying this implementation means constantly playing catch-up. By the time a future trend or disruption becomes obvious enough to demand immediate attention, the window for proactive strategic response has often narrowed considerably, or even closed entirely. You're forced into reactive mode. Opportunities are missed, threats are harder to mitigate, and your company perpetually feels one step behind. In my view, this reactive stance is unsustainable and significantly increases long-term risk. Starting horizon scanning now, even modestly, allows you to build a baseline understanding and develop the internal processes and skills needed before the next major wave of change hits. And further change is always on the way.

Horizon scanning: a collaborative endeavor for deeper insight

So, what does effective horizon scanning look like in practice? Crucially, it is not a solitary activity confined to a strategy department or an analyst's desk. At Purpose and Means, our approach is fundamentally rooted in collaboration. We believe that getting the right people around the table is the key to success.

Why? Because the future rarely announces itself neatly in one discipline or business function. Signals of change are often weak, ambiguous, and scattered across different domains.

• Diverse perspectives: bringing together individuals from various parts of the company – operations, R&D, marketing, finance, HR, technology – provides a richer set of perspectives. Obviously much depends on the scope and objectives - is this purely from a data protection, AI or GRC context, or are broader elements applicable? Someone in legal might spot a subtle shift in AI regulation driven by a distant political tension, while a technologist might identify an emerging niche technology with disruptive potential, and marketing might sense a subtle change in consumer sentiment, e.g. attitudes towards privacy expectations.

• Breaking silos: horizon scanning inherently cuts across traditional organisational silos. A collaborative approach forces communication and knowledge sharing, connecting dots that might otherwise remain isolated within specific departments.

• Collective sense-making: interpreting weak signals and potential futures is complex. Group discussion, debate, and synthesis are vital for building a shared understanding and evaluating the potential significance and implications of identified trends or events. This collective intelligence is far more powerful than individual analysis alone.

Identifying who constitutes the "right people" is a critical first step, mirroring the process we advocate for in crisis planning workshops. It requires a thoughtful mix of expertise, seniority levels, and even cognitive styles – blending deep subject matter knowledge with broader strategic thinking, and including individuals known for challenging conventional wisdom.

Tools to support the scan: from a simple start to a dedicated platform

While the human element – collaboration and critical thinking – is central, the right tools can significantly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of horizon scanning. The process involves gathering, filtering, analysing, and interpreting vast amounts of information from diverse sources (news, reports, academic papers, social media, expert networks, etc.).

Dedicated software platforms exist specifically for this purpose. One tool I highly recommend exploring is Fibres. Platforms like Fibres offer features designed to streamline the workflow:

• Structured data collection: providing frameworks to capture signals and trends systematically.

• Collaborative features: enabling team members to share findings, comment, rate significance, and build upon each other's insights.

• Visualisation: offering ways to map trends, identify connections, and visualise potential future scenarios.

• AI augmentation: some tools leverage AI to help filter noise, identify patterns, and suggest relevant connections.

Using such dedicated tools can bring scalability, and sustainability to your horizon scanning efforts. However, I strongly caution against letting the desire for the perfect tool become a barrier to starting. To begin with, any collaboration tool can be used.

The key, in my opinion, is to start documenting the process and the findings somewhere accessible and collaborative. The features and fuctionality of the tool can evolve as the practice matures within your company. The most critical step is to simply begin the systematic process of looking outwards and forwards, together.

How Purpose and Means can help

Recognising the importance of horizon scanning is one thing; implementing it effectively, especially when facing immediate pressures, is another. Many companies struggle with where to begin, how to structure the process, or how to engage the right people effectively.

This is where Purpose and Means can provide crucial support. We don't just advocate for planning and foresight; we help companies embed these capabilities. We can assist your company in getting started by:

• Educating your team: we provide foundational training on horizon scanning principles – what it is, why it matters, and the key methodologies involved. We demystify the process and build internal understanding and buy-in.

• Tailoring the approach: we work with you to design a horizon scanning process that fits your specific business context, industry, strategic priorities, and available resources.

• Facilitating initial efforts: we can facilitate initial workshops to kickstart the scanning process, help identify relevant domains and sources, guide collaborative sense-making, and establish a sustainable rhythm for the activity.

• Defining roles and responsibilities: we help clarify who needs to be involved and what their contributions should be, ensuring the collaborative effort is structured and productive.

Our role is to provide the structure, know-how, and facilitation needed to move from recognising the importance of foresight to actively cultivating it within your company.

Want to hear more? Feel free to get in touch to arrange a no obligation call to discuss your current situation and hear how Purpose and Means can help you navigate through these turbulent times.