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Outthinker Blog

The Outthinker blog offers our take on the latest news stories, trends, and ideas in strategy. Learn real-world examples of the Outthinker strategic process along with suggestions on how to apply them to your business

People

What the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank Can Teach Us about Sustainability

In January, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Entrepreneurship

5 Misconceptions about Intrapreneurs

In January, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Innovation

How to Strategically Plan for Uncertainty

In January, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Innovation

Will the Metaverse and VR Expand the Limits of What Humans can Achieve?

In January, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Innovation

Interviewing Kevin Nolan of GE Appliances on Shifting Organizational Models

In January, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Innovation

Strategic Parenting in the Days of ChatGPT

In January, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Marketing and sales

Will Netflix’s Rally Last? Look to Customer Lifetime Value to Find Out

Last week, we introduced our 2023 Strategic Agenda based on in-depth conversations with top CSOs in our Outthinker Strategy Network. We will be expanding on

Strategy

10 Trends on Strategy Officers’ Agendas for 2023

Chief strategy officers (CSOs) are tasked with a dual challenge in foresight: to observe and make short-term decisions based on the trends that are happening

Innovation

How to Improve Your Organization’s Financial Performance and Attract Top Talent

We at Outthinker hope you are enjoying a happy holiday season. We appreciate your year-round support and look forward to continuing to study and propel

Innovation

Is Revel Poised to Push Electric Mobility to the Masses?

Guest post by Hari Sripathi Vehicle electrification has been a largely supply-driven innovation. There was no overarching customer desire it addressed beyond climate change. Rather,

proximity

A Burger-Making Robot Displays the Principles of Proximity

Beef, bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese … there is nothing more American than the classic burger.

Innovation

Will AI and Machine Learning Facilitate the Creation of a Global Supermind?

In 2018, a famous Harvard study sought to understand which parts of the brain are responsible for creativity. Creativity, as defined in the study, is

Strategy

From Photosculpting to 3D Printing: The Power of Transitional Business Models

In a 1939 photo studio, an exquisite French model sits before renowned British photographer Marcus Adams. Rather than taking her photo traditionally, he uses a

Strategy

Who Will Own the Companies of the Future?

Patagonia’s purposeful transition “Earth is now our only shareholder,” wrote Yvon Chouinard. You’ve likely read the letter by now. Last week, Patagonia’s founder made an

Strategy

Does Your Business Model Need a “Managed Retreat”?

Every summer, for the past 12 years, my family has visited the Hamptons. After inching our way out of Long Island traffic, the road opens

Leverage Point	“8Ps” of Strategy	Opportunity for Disruption	Recommended Leverage Points
Position	- The farmers, individual and corporate, that you are targeting. - The need of the agricultural industry that you seek to fill.	3	- What technologies do you control that can help you tap into market segments that you previously thought unreachable? - What are the potential business alliances you could think about with key players in the segment to serve your customers with integrated solutions? (Serving customers with more integrated solutions example: serving farmers with fertilizers, crop protection and other).
Product	- The products you offer, and the characteristics that affect their value to customers. - The technology you develop for producing those products.	8	- What moves are your organization taking to implement Big Data and analytics to your operations? What IoT and blockchain applications can you use? - What tools and technology could you utilize or develop to improve food quality, traceability, and production? - How can you develop a more sustainable production model to accommodate constraints on arable land? - What is the future business model needed to serve new differentiated products to your customers?
Promotion	- How you connect with farmers and consumers across a variety of locations and industries. - How to make consumers, producers, and other stakeholders aware of your products and services.	8	- How are you connecting your product with individual and corporate farms who could utilize it? - How could you anticipate market and customer needs to make customers interested in accessing your differentiated products?
Price	How consumers and other members of the agricultural supply chain pay for access to agricultural products.	7	- What elements of value comprise your pricing? How do each of those elements satisfy the varying needs of your customers?
Placement	- How food products reach consumers. How the technologies, data, and services reach stakeholders in the supply chain.	9	- What new paths might exist for helping consumers access the food they desire? - How are you adapting your operations and supply chain to accommodate consumers’ desire for proximity to the food they eat? - How could you anticipate customer expectation to make products more accessible to customers/agile supply chain? - Have you considered urbanization as a part of your growth strategy?
Physical Experience	- How your food satisfies the needs and desires of your customer. - How the services you provide to agribusiness fulfill their needs.	9	- Where does your food rate on a taste, appearance, and freshness scale? - Could the services you provide to companies and farms in the agriculture industry be expanded to meet more needs? - What senses does your food affect besides hunger? How does your customer extract value from your food in addition to consumption?
Processes	- Guiding your food production operations in a manner cognizant of social pressure.	8	- How can you manage the supply chain differently to improve traceability and reduce waste? - How can you innovate systems in production, processing, storing, shipping, retailing, etc.? - What are new capabilities to increase sustainability (impact on the environment, or ESG) components?
People	- The choices you make regarding hiring, organizing, and incentivizing your people and your culture.		- How are you leveraging the agricultural experience of your staff bottom-up to achieve your vision? - How do you anticipate new organizational capabilities needed to perform your future strategy (innovation, exponential technologies needed, agile customer relationship, innovative supply chain)? - How do you manage your talents to assure suitable development with exposure in the agrifood main challenges/allowing a more sustainable view of the opportunities/cross-sectors?
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