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Pitfalls in implementing a strategic early warning system

Jan Oliver Schwarz (Student of Futures Studies at the Graduate School of Business, University of Stellenbosch, Matieland, South Africa (email: jan.schwarz@gmx.de).)

Foresight

ISSN: 1463-6689

Article publication date: 1 August 2005

1858

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons why the concept of a “strategic early warning system” (SEWS) has not been widely introduced and why it fails to be implemented successfully in German corporations. The aim of such systems is to detect changes in an organizational environment ahead of time by scanning the environment for “weak signals”, which come in the form of trends.

Design/methodology/approach

The questions that arise, particularly because the concept of SEWS is not entirely new, are: What are the pitfalls in implementing these systems, why do they occur, and how can they be overcome? To answer these questions, a single case study was conducted.

Findings

The study suggests that the failure of SEWS is due mainly to a lack of participation of potential future users in the implementation phase, a lack of joint understanding of the nature of trends, differing and unrevealed requirements of trends by various interested parties, a broad misconception of the “weak signals” concept and trends, an excessively heavy reliance on alleged “hard data”, a lack of interaction among users, and finally a “missing link” to the strategic functions in an organization.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the study are limited due to the fact that they are derived from a single case study.

Originality/value

The identification of pitfalls contributes to the research on implementing SEWS and this can also be linked to “strategic issue management” and the foresight process.

Keywords

Citation

Oliver Schwarz, J. (2005), "Pitfalls in implementing a strategic early warning system", Foresight, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636680510611813

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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