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Discussion and Conclusion

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Corporate Foresight

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

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Abstract

With the presented literature analysis in mind, I began this research with the hypothesis that most firms still lack effective systems to identify, interpret, and respond to external change. This is troubling, because corporate foresight capabilities are closely associated with the ability of a firm to retain its competitive advantage in times of discontinuous change (Levinthal 1992:427; Teece et al. 1997:509; Eisenhardt and Martin 2000:1105; Helfat and Peteraf 2003:1007) and its ability to ensure long-term survival (Stubbart and Knight 2006:79; Anderson and Tushman 1990:604; Audretsch 1995:441). Even though I was able to identify various best practices in specific capability dimensions, none of the firms had implemented a comprehensive, stable, and effective corporate foresight system. Most companies had mature practices in one or two capability dimensions but few capabilities in the others. Thus, the overall implementation level is still troubling and raises serious concerns about the ability of firms to retain their competitive advantage in times of discontinuous change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Innovation and Technology Management, TU Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623, Berlin, Germany

    Dr. René Rohrbeck

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  1. Dr. René Rohrbeck
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Correspondence to René Rohrbeck .

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Rohrbeck, R. (2010). Discussion and Conclusion. In: Corporate Foresight. Contributions to Management Science. Physica, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2626-5_6

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