Driving Forces Strategy - Executive Summary
Planning has to do with forecasting the future. Since the future is unknowable and therefore impossible to predict with certainty, planning for the future in a rapidly changing world is a challenge. Although the future is uncertain, the basic dynamics that are shaping the future and the courses they might take are relatively predictable.

Every organization is propelled into the future by key forces, both internal (e.g., organizational goals) and external (e.g., government regulations). These key forces, both known and unknown, are many and varied—from interest rates to new technology, to the actions of your competitors. They are known as Driving Forces and they represent the root causes of the strategic issues an organization must address to enjoy continued success. Since Driving Forces either constitute threats or create opportunities, it is becoming increasingly more important to be aware of them (we care about what we know) and to prepare the organization for the impact, both positive and negative, that they may have on the future.

As a first step, it is important to decide, which strategic decisions (issues) are the most important and then to identify the most significant Driving Forces in terms of potential impact on those decisions. Some of those Driving Forces are obvious; some are hidden. Some Driving Forces, once identified, reveal the presence of deeper, more fundamental forces. You will identify many of these Driving Forces under the broad categories of: 1) social, e.g., population growth, 2) technological, e.g., continuous improvement in computerization, 3) economic, e.g., changing market conditions, and 4) political, e.g., new laws or regulations. Once you have identified the most significant Driving Forces, you will then begin to plan the strategies and tactics that will either take advantage of these trends or protect you from them.

The Lachlan Group has developed a systematic process to take you through this planning procedure. This process, which we have called Driving Forces Strategies, is designed to provide new insights into value creation. Once the organization gains true insight into its future, planning to exploit those insights can be highly motivating and can produce realistic and viable strategies for “getting to the future first”.

Driving Forces Strategies, as a process, is grounded in the theoretical research and writings of Peter Schwartz and Lawrence Wilkinson of the Global Business Network; Clayton M. Christensen, associate professor at the Harvard Business School; and our own Strategic Action Process developed by Donald L. MacRae.
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