The Application of Futures Studies in Innovation Processes : Scenario methods as a tool to facilitate flexibility and enable future resilient products

Abstract: Companies are pressured by dynamic markets and the increase of innovation speed, technology change and shortening of product life cycles. They need to attend to customer demands and ever-changing environmental conditions, policies and regulations set by governments and institutions in order to stay relevant on the market and be allowed to operate. Innovation has therefore become a must and the innovation processes are a central part of companies’ operations. Futures studies is presented as a systematic way of studying the future that can contribute to a better understanding of the needed direction of innovations. The aim of the study is to investigate how futures studies can be embodied in the innovation process of manufacturing companies in the industry of rail and road vehicles. The structure of an innovation process within the industry of rail and road vehicles is summarized to consist of three different phases: the fuzzy-front-end, the development and the maintenance. The innovation process is further divided by the components of the product and during the entire process there are decision points to evaluate the projects. The organizational aspects which are considered to have the most influence on the innovation process concern the company environment and internal knowledge sharing. Futures studies are moderately performed at different stages of the innovation process and levels of the organization, mainly at corporate level and in the fuzzy-front-end. The people involved in these activities are solely employees from the company in question and the main issue found regarding the activities of futures studies is that the results of the foresight are not communicated properly across the company. Two ways in which futures studies can be embodied in the innovation process are identified to create more high-quality ideas and to tune the product during the process according to the future market, with a third way ensuring alignment with corporate level.  A recommendation is presented consisting of a scenario workshop which enables for futures studies to be embodied in the innovation process of manufacturing companies. Activities and pointers for prior, during and after the workshop are presented. The results of the workshop will further be embodied in the innovation process in three different ways, in the beginning, alongside and as a basis for the corporate strategy.