www.semiosearch.lt/trainingPART 1 of TREND TRAINING COURSE

WHAT IS TREND RESEARCHand WHY DO WE NEED IT?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT NOW?

Strategic foresight, future planning and trend research have been around for a long time – why are these disciplines becoming

increasingly relevant?

ACCELERATING CHANGEWith critical technology becoming more and more available in different industry sectors and financing coming from diversified sources, it is easier to get innovative projects off the ground.

PARADIGMSHIFTSOr we might know this one by the name of disruption, which basically means a new way of doing things that abolishes the old ways (think of Uber, Netflix, Cloud and subscription services as just a few examples).

INNOVATIONSPILL-OVERConsumers are getting loads of new things in different areas and their expectations are now shaped by these innovations. It means that by getting a specific value in one field, I form my expectations for equivalent value everywhere else.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT NOW?

WE ARE LIVING IN KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

DATA IS OPENLY ACCESSIBLE, INSIGHTS ARE NOT

with data becoming open and accessible, the need for data synthesis and insights is growing

WHO NEEDS TREND RESEARCH?

THE ANSWER - ORGANIZATIONS

organizations have to keep up with accelerating change and complex environments – they have to know how to predict change,

account for it and react to it or act based on it

EFFICIENTORGANIZATIONS

LEARNINGORGANIZATIONS

ADAPTIVEORGANIZATIONS

organizations that are focused on streamlining their processes and

performing with most effective capacity without extra resource waste

ORGANIZATIONS ARE EVOLVING

organizations that are trying to increase their expertise in the field by constantly

improving their operational knowledge

organizations that are optimized for the unpredictable world with processes and

structures optimized for agility and experimentation

EFFICIENTORGANIZATIONS

LEARNINGORGANIZATIONS

ADAPTIVEORGANIZATIONS

organizations that are focused on streamlining their processes and

performing with most effective capacity without extra resource waste

organizations that are trying to increase their expertise in the field by constantly

improving their operational knowledge

organizations that are optimized for the unpredictable world with processes and

structures optimized for agility and experimentation

DEVELOPMENTfrom efficient to adaptive performance

IN ORDER TO BE ADAPTIVE AND RESPONSIVEorganizations need to have tools, processes and methods to deal with changing environment – one of the most important parts of it is TREND RESEARCH.

THE PURPOSE OF TREND RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT

is to have an impact on organizational culture and thinking

WHAT DISCIPLINE DOES TREND RESEARCH FALL

UNDER?

organizations deal with future through planning and strategies

and strategy is the essential link between the organization and the environment that it

operates in

organizations deal with future through planning and strategies

LINK

TREND RESEARCH AS A STRATEGIC DISCIPLINEthe main purpose of trend research is to establish a link

between the environment and the things that the organization is doing – the main difference between trend research and

other types of analytic activities is that trend research deals not only with the present but also with future environment

so TREND RESEARCH can be defined

as activities that allow to establish the link between

organization’s activities and its future operating environment

present environment

future environment

TREND RESEARCH IS A

STRATEGIC DISCIPLINE

WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF?

TRENDANALYSIS

TRENDMAPPING

SCENARIOPLANNING

WHAT ARE THE MAIN TREND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES?

analysing the structure of the trend across different areas and different levels – from the basic needs to specific innovations and applications and then across different fields

mapping the proliferation of trends and different trend relationships – creating the trend landscape with numerous options

building scenarios that detail plausible outcomes based on critical trends within the industry

DATATREND RESEARCH DEALS WITH

DIVERSE SETS OF DATA:

business developments, expert opinions, design, marketing and branding, consumer research and insights, mass media

and content

METHODS

scout panelsscenario building

stakeholder workshopsexpert research

consumer researchsocial monitoring

JUST A FEW OUT OF MANY:

TREND RESEARCH

is multi-dimensional and multi-layered

TREND RESEARCH

is multi-dimensional and multi-layered

AND IT HEAVILY RELIES ON SYNTHESIS – COMBINING DIFFERENT TYPES OF

INSIGHT INTO A COHERENT AND ACTIONABLE WHOLE

PEOPLE IN THE CENTREeven though you might be discussing businesses,

innovations and technology, it is people who are always in the center of any kind of trend research. TREND

RESEARCH is human centric.

www.semiosearch.lt/training

TREND TRAINING COURSE

WHAT IS TREND RESEARCHand WHY DO WE NEED IT?

- END OF PART 1 -