Foresight-driven Strategic Competitiveness

Together with Departamento del Atlántico, Colombia, represented by CESi – Centro de Excelencia en Sistemas de Innovación – in Baranquilla, Atlántico in Colombia, we have been working with a comprehensive project with a future study with scenarios for the agro industry in Atlántico. The scenarios formed the basis for an innovation and strategy plan for the sector. This was followed by a benchmark of different regions around the world in terms of innovation and research for the whole region (not just the agrosector), where Atlántico could be compared with others to gain input for its development work in research, development, and innovation.

The project has included traditional desktop research, workshops, scenario planning, AI-supported big data analysis, and more to analyze the competitive landscape (a so-called Competitiveness Plan) as well as develop and formulate an innovation agenda for the region. The final report includes a vision as well as a strategic development plan for the region, aimed at a "smart region" or "smart territory" based on six parts: smart environment, smart economy, smart citizenship, smart life, smart governance, and smart mobility. In these areas, we highlighted and designed strategies for areas like digitalization, automation, and more.

"Everyone is so happy with the work and especially the benchmarks have been fantastic. Kairos Future brings prestige and credibility!"
Jose Polo, CEO, CESI

The project was planned in January-March 2020, still believing we could perform much of the project on-site in Baranquilla, Colombia. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we developed an online process including remote meetings, and workshops where 50 or more invited participants worked in breakout rooms to deliver knowledge on future and development.

The project and its process were based on the TAIDA model[1] , developed by Kairos Future and used extensively during the last 30 years in foresight, strategy, and innovation projects in the service of a vast number of clients.

The results of the project have been published in Spanish in Plan de Competitividad Atlantico 2035 and Plan Estrategico Departamental de CTeI Atlantico 2035.

[1] TAIDA: Tracking – Analyzing – Imaging – Deciding – Acting