News

Bringing incREDible minds together to develop specific scenarios

18 October, 2011

The future is unpredictable: we live in a fast-paced business and economic environment where things change on an hourly basis – if not quicker. So it is best to be ready for whatever lies in wait.

With this in mind, Etana recently held a scenario-planning session at Irene Country Lodge, where Etanans, industry leaders and external consultants came together to brainstorm a bunch of “what-if” situations and how they could impact on our country and our industry should they come to pass.

“The future will always be unpredictable,” says Carel Nolte, head of People and Brand at Etana. “Look at the 2011 Rugby World Cup: South Africans believed and critics were convinced that the Boks would come up against New Zealand, either in the semis or in the final. But that didn’t happen. Through a series of events that seemed unlikely before the tournament began, we didn’t get to face the hosts after the first round.

”Given the benefit of hindsight, what would we have predicted going into the World Cup? Would we have been as excited watching all the SA games had we known what the result would be?

“And so it is in business as well as in sport. Looking back with hindsight at what we as a company and group of Etanans could have or should have done once something happens is a harsh method of assessment. It teaches us in the hardest way to be prepared.

“Scenario planning presents a far gentler way of readying ourselves for what’s to come. Our two-day scenario-planning sessions gave us the chance to examine a range of possible future circumstances and think about how we would respond to each one.”

Business stalwart and renowned scenario planner Clem Sunter set the scene on day one by sharing a number of possible futures that have been constructed and planned for by companies like Royal Dutch Shell and Anglo-American Corporation.

Etanans from all areas of the business then discussed the three Dinokeng Scenarios with their creator, Reos Partners, which facilitated the discussion, before getting into groups and developing scenarios that they felt were relevant to the company and the short-term insurance industry.

“Etanans who attended the scenario-planning session have fed back to their teams and we’ve seen a lot of discussions developing around the topic within Etana,” says Carel. “We continue to encourage conversations around scenario planning and will be gathering input from individuals across the business to ensure we are ready for anything!”