In a rapidly changing world, knowledge retention is important for large organizations such as the SVB. How do we ensure that we obtain, find, use, retain and transfer the necessary knowledge? In this exploration, we use scenario planning to investigate possible future scenarios in 2040 to identify starting points to improve knowledge assurance within the SVB.

What is knowledge assurance?

Knowledge assurance includes four aspects:

• Acquiring knowledge (training and learning)
• Finding and accessing knowledge
• Using knowledge
• Transferring and retaining knowledge

Method: scenario planning

Scenario planning helps organizations prepare for different future scenarios. We start by identifying uncertainties through an internal and external analysis of driving forces. The most important uncertainties are plotted against each other in a matrix. From this matrix, scenarios are written about what the world of the organization could look like around a specific issue in 2040. Ideas and strategies can be generated with these scenarios.

Benefits of scenario planning

Scenario planning helps organizations better anticipate developments and changes. It helps to consider alternative future scenarios and think outside the box. By looking far ahead and then back to the present, new ideas and strategies can be formulated to respond to the changes.

What are we going to investigate?

We will investigate what happens inside and outside our organization, in different phases. We mainly look at current trends and existing research in this area for external analysis. For the internal analysis, we mainly look at existing sources and interviews with our colleagues at the SVB who are already working on this subject. We look at the actions that have already been taken for the short term, but our research mainly focuses on the longer term. We use available data and knowledge to strengthen our research.

Purpose of these phases

The purpose of these phases is to develop possible future scenarios for the SVB with regard to knowledge retention and to find ideas for improvement and innovation. In addition, Novum will assess whether the use of scenario planning is suitable for future function 3 explorations.