Koen Claessens, Partner BDO Advisory

Nobody can predict the future. However, we all know your organisation or company will need to prepare if it wants to stay relevant in the future; in other words, to survive. The question is, what are the best ways for your company to do so? During a two-day InnovationLab workshop, together with experts from BDO and TomorrowLab, you develop strategic goals and then shape them into a practical and feasible roadmap.

Jobs’ quote speaks volumes. Change is a given fact, and the speed of change is constantly accelerating and putting the life of businesses under severe pressure. New products are replacing “old” products before they are “end of use”. Successful companies are being squeezed into a corner by the “new kids on the block”. The cause? Digital disruption? Yes, sometimes. But more often than not because we stick to an outdated business model for too long. We view change too much as a risk, too little as an opportunity.

The fact that the need for more future-oriented thinking is growing rapidly among Belgian companies is apparent from the success of the “Vision 2030” event, which BDO organised together with TomorrowLab on the Living Tomorrow campus – view the aftermovie at www.bdo.be. “At this event, our BDO experts took the participants on a journey into the future and explored together what organisations will look like within ten years, and indicated the role of technology in this evolution,” says Koen Claessens, Partner at BDO Advisory and driving force behind Vision 2030.

It was then time to demonstrate how companies and organisations can prepare for this future using a number of immediately deployable strategic models, such as the Business Model Canvas and Scenario Planning. “Not an easy exercise,” says Koen. “After all, many participants indicated that they are convinced of the need for innovation and forward thinking, but just don’t get around to it because of time constraints and operational headaches. That’s why it takes an ‘inspiring push’ to really get started.”

We have translated this ‘push’ into a two-day workshop in the BDO InnovationLab on the Living Tomorrow campus. What could the market and my organisation look like in 2030? And what steps can we take from today to prepare for that future? During a two-day innovation workshop, the experts at BDO and TomorrowLab will join you and your management team in searching for answers to questions such as:

“We consciously organise the two-day event on the innovation campus of Living Tomorrow, an environment that breathes innovation and where we can also very specifically illustrate the possibilities of new technologies that are meaningful for the participants,” Koen emphasises. “If a two-day event is not convenient, we can also condense the formula or programme down to one day, for example.”

In unmodified form, the innovation workshop consists of two parts.

In the first part we explore the impact of general trends (business, socio-demographic, economic and technological) on your sector and organisation. In addition, we develop possible scenarios for how your organisation can evolve towards the future business model, and we identify and prioritise a number of possible strategic initiatives.

After thorough preparation, we will further develop these strategic objectives during the second part of day 2. This can be the roll-out of technological innovation, for example, using use cases and best practices in similar organisations. We then subject your strategic plan, new insights and ideas to a thorough reality check. We explore the extent to which these are attainable. Financially and from a technological standpoint, but also in terms of human resources and existing knowledge, skills and experience. Then we sit down together to convert all our findings into a workable strategic plan and roadmap.

For those who want to know more about the importance of innovation, Koen recommends the recent book “Why innovation fails” by Joachim De Vos, CEO of Living Tomorrow. Joachim not only teaches you why innovation is important, he also reveals common pitfalls in an innovation process, and how to get around them. The first ten readers who download the leaflet ‘BDO InnovationLab’ at www.bdo.be and leave their details will receive a free copy.