Cases
In over 32 years of consulting interesting engagements have come to us. Many involve sensitive information and proprietary results. But we can describe many for you to consider as you look at our qualifications and scope of work. We don’t name names. Bob Treadway’s work as a foresight advisor and consulting futurist has application in a wide range of organization settings and processes. These are just a few of the more interesting and challenging of those engagements:
- Crisis consultation and decision-making.
- Application of unique, foresight-based technique.
- Engagements in 8 different countries and 3 continents.
- Each project is a learning experience that adds to the value for your engagement.
Implication development in a crisis management situation for a multi-national corporation. This engagement came on short notice as a public health crisis affected two of the organization’s major international markets. We facilitated a 72-hour process that resulted in major strategic decisions, new processes and techniques, and a successful resolution of the challenge.
Consultation on the redirection and reengineering of a $billion company that realizes that its core business will disappear in another five years. This project transitioned the organization to a robust bundle of products and services from a dominant “cash cow” due to end as a result of regulation and litigation. The challenging facets of the engagement included substantial organizational change, new competencies, and a strategic commitment to diversification in a balanced portfolio of fields directly related to their core business.
A 20-year forecast for a multi-national company's core product being challenged by biological evolution. Facilitation of a gathering of 25 scientists, top management, and subject-matter-experts. Organization and drafting of the final report and conclusions. Advisory role on strategy, investments, and new R&D efforts. A multi-billion dollar course correction for the company was one of the key results.
Organization and facilitation of a think tank on the most important new technology facing an entire industry. Conducted by the most-recognized innovative organization in the field, this work centered on how the adoption of the technology will affect the end-user behavior, economics, applications, and competitive environment a decade in the future. The conclusions enabled the sponsoring organization to develop strategies, timing, and investment decisions.
A three-year strategic planning program for a professional society that focused on renaming, repositioning, redirecting, and technologically streamlining the organization. A challenging engagement given the nature of the society’s professional makeup, the wide scope of functional competencies, and rapid technological change occurring in multiple areas of professional certification. The deliverable of a new name, international scope, re-founding the basic principles, and a new strategy came about after three years of debate and eventual strong consensus.
Advisor to the board of directors of a national telecommunications organization. Bob counseled on future trends, market developments, decision making, evaluating emerging technology, projections of consumer behavior, pricing strategies, staffing trends, and organizational change at each board meeting. He was given the organization's distinguished service award on his departure.
Educator, counselor, and foresight consultant to an internal advisory group in a large, very influential government professional society. This multi-year project involved skill development, process development, future reports, installation of scanning systems, and reestablishment of the groups role and influence. Members were elected officials from across the United States.
Counsel to an organization that is not* attracting new customers from younger age groups. The resulting strategy involved “skipping” a generation to* build a bridge to a successful future**. Acquisitions, competitive tactics, diversification to multiple product lines,
Advisor on the renaming of an organization to more accurately reflect its role in the future. This involved techniques revolving around creativity, marketing, competitive positioning, and branding scenarios.
Consultation for a financial services organization looking to expand offerings to increase profits in a challenging regulatory environment. Many of our projects over the past 32 years of future-oriented consulting we’ve conducted involved this challenge. There are a range of potential solutions and paths that turn this obstacle into a positive situation. In this case an imaginative organizational structure, diversification into non-regulated businesses, and a resulting enterprise-wide resurgence was the result of our engagement. Highly rewarding.
Development of scenarios and resulting strategic direction for an organization facing an even more competitive environment that will eliminate a patented technological edge. This classic case of reinvention, innovative necessity, and realignment of an organization is a typical situation we find in mature industries. The paradox of maintaining a strong revenue component while simultaneously developing its competing alternatives is common to many organizations. Perhaps yours.
Fees and references available on request. Please contact us through the link below for questions, a conversation, or an engagement proposal.