A brief summary of building blocks for a sound future business design

In 2010 we were at the height of a collaborative design project, to create a new pool of concepts for a pharmaceutical company… a marvelous project. We dug deep into design, emotional connection, progressive technology, and how to create a balanced Innovation Portfolio in ideas for the next 10 years. I remember one workshop particularly well, about the need for agility, integration and synergies between the management processes.With this in mind, I sketched a figure on a napkin after a relaxing debrief at the hotel pool bar. It was not until weeks later that I found the note, and explored the ideas further.I transformed the ideas into connected boxes, asked for feedback from friends, and created a draft version of what I call today The Future Value Framework. The logic isn’t something academic, but practical; not simple, but simplified.

Why not offer guidance as to how to explore new value and its implementation, based on the organizational context and Strategic Capabilities?

The logic created — The Future Value Framework — offers the integration of innovation, foresight and strategy, exploring synergies instead of disparate processes. The logic can be adapted for any context, any challenge, and any style organization. And as a science-fiction lover and a designer at heart, my logic naturally incorporates the integration of a techno-human perspective, which forms the cornerstones of the Framework.

Present Value Proposition: For whom and when do we generate value? What value flows? The Present Value Proposition describes which value is exchanged. The flow must be sustainable for all parts involved. It is where the Value Generator (organization) and the Value Perceiver (people) meet. This connection defined the “why” of existence and how the organization adds extra value for clients.

Portfolio of Changes: What are the relevant Attractors and Drivers? Do we prioritize opportunities or risks? The Portfolio is a choice of Driving Forces (faster changes) and Attractors (slower accumulating changes) relevant to the organizational context. It establishes a strategic focus for practical implementation. Integrated with the other Building Blocks, it increases awareness of shifts and facilitates agile decision making. The Portfolio improves strategic alignment between the present and the future.

Futures Context: What drives future societies? What do people value? The Futures Context describes techno-human future logic. “People of the Future” play a central part in this setting. Their preferences define how the organization can offer and be relevant in the new context. The interplay of the individual, society and technology allows the identification of new opportunities and risks.

Vision: What is the reason we will exist? What is our purpose? Vision is an energetic commitment, balanced with what is possible for the organization. It integrates the desires, purpose, the present/future Strategic Capability and sense-making to internal and external stakeholders. The vision mobilizes and sets a workable strategic north.

Future Value Proposition: Why will people choose us in the future? What value will we add? The Future Value Proposition describes what value the organization adds to people, and the possible exchange of value. We identify new opportunities, and determine what business logics and Strategic Capabilities are necessary to generate future value.

Value Polices: What new Strategic Capabilities do we need to generate future value? What is our strategy of change? Value Policies lay a course of action and define an approach for agile decision making. Policies define the change necessary to create new value. They connect the future with the present, and external changes with the internal organizational context. Each Value Policy allows a controlled implementation of short-term tactics aligned to the set strategic north, adjusting the Strategic Capabilities.

Options Portfolio: What options do we have/need to implement the change? How can we generate new options? The Options Portfolio is a combination of alternatives aligned to the organizational boundaries. Pre-validated against the Value Policies, it offers a buffer of choices to be accessed when needed. The Portfolio facilitates decision making when a fast response is necessary, and increases alignment with the Vision and Future Value Proposition. It integrates a process of innovation aligned with strategy.