Although small companies seem to be white spots in foresight research, it does not mean that it is a mission impossible to carry out decent foresight research for those enterprises. Bialostocka Fabryka Okien representing doors and windows industry is an example of the small company where foresight research has proved its worth. The case was based on the concept of business foresight which embraces a triad of assumptions, namely: anticipation, innovativeness and communication of the future (Hiltunen, 2013).
The foresight research process in the company took place in 2014 (within the project B+R platform – an innovative model of cooperation among science, business and administration in Podlaskie region coordinated by the Bialystok Foundation for Staff Training) and comprised of logically linked research methods including: an in-depth interview with the presidents of the company, business coaching workshops with the company’s employees, STEEPVL analysis, scenario analysis, future box technique, Porter’s five forces analysis, a survey carried out among the enterprise’s customers, and strategy formulation.
The main results of the research have enabled to determine the company’s foresight maturity level, the most important factors influencing its activity, possible areas of improvement and to set strategic goals in the fields indicated by the presidents, customers and the employees of the company. During foresight research process, staff in this company was expected and enabled to constantly probe the future through a coaching exercise based on employees creativity and their needs for self-development within a company.
Are you interested in the detailed description of this case? Read:
- Kononiuk A., Glińska E.: Foresight in a small company, Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 213, 2015, 971–976