Angela Torres ( ENEA ' 97 ) 

 Reflection Assignment – Visualization Applied to Scenario Planning 

 Challenge   I have a working session with a new client on Tuesday , June 9 in which they would like to prepare for strategic   thinking .   The organization is a health benefits and wellness consulting firm and they have recently experienced   friction within the leadership team over the direction they should take the business . Two high - ranking executives   have recently separated from the organization , largely due to the discord at the top . I have the opportunity to   engage the remaining six members of the leadership team in an hour - long conversation , preceded by a survey to   gather their candid input and perspectives .   While I have my own professional services firm and do consulting   work , my familiarity with their particular industry and focus is fairly limited .   They did not seem ready for a   comprehensive strategic planning engagement , so I concluded that an appropriate first step would be to engage   the team in a scenario planning exercise , especially given the vast uncertainty that all businesses are now facing .   I   incorporated design thinking concepts into the facilitation model for this session .     Selection   I decided to integrate the tool of visual thinking , or visualization , into the scenario planning exercise I will be   leading for my client . I felt this would be the best way to guide them through an exercise focused on key   uncertainties they are facing in the business .   My objective is to have   them produce two versions of a 2x2 matrix similar to the one on the   right , but instead of the two axes shown here ( “ production costs ” and   “ product differentiation ” ) , their chosen dimensions will be external   factors that are important for them to consider in their business .   I want   the team to think about forces over which they have no direct control ,   and for which two possible extremes of the future could occur ( e.g. ,   “ high ” vs. “ low ” ) .   I feel that this visual approach will allow them to   develop a shared view of the probable future .   In Week 1 , Angela Meyer   discussed that visualization helps design thinkers make their ideas   tangible and concrete , and that this is a more likely path to achieve   consensus and agreement than through verbal deliberation alone . Given   the current climate of this team ’s interaction , I felt that promoting   collaborative thinking through visualization would be the most productive path .     Application   The most critical input for this visualization exercise is the team ’s thoughts on critical uncertainties facing their   business , which I gathered through a preliminary survey to the team .   Specifically , I asked the following question : 

 Angela Torres ( ENEA ' 97 ) 

 I have assembled the list of uncertainties that they collectively identified and plan to share with them during the   session .   I will provide time for them to ask questions of each other and get clarification on any factors that are   unclear or too ambiguous .   I will then split the team into two subgroups , using the Breakout Rooms feature of   Zoom , and I will ask for each group to select the top two forces that they feel should be taken into account in   future strategic decision making .   During this breakout time , I will also task them with producing a 2x2 matrix like   the one shown above . Then they will select one quadrant that they feel best reflects the most likely future , assign   it a descriptive title , and outline some of the details that might unfold in their shared view of the future .   I have   prepared Google Slides in advance with templates for them to populate during this breakout period .     After 15 minutes , we will return to the main Zoom room to discuss the two matrices , comparing and contrasting   the two alternate versions of the future the groups visually depict .   We will also discuss how these images can be   used as a strategic frame to consider some of the pressing decisions the team is facing .   I also asked them to think   ahead about these decision before the session as well , using the following survey question : 

 Insights   The core four - question framework of the course , on its own , yielded the most substantive insights I am taking   away at this point in time .   Specifically , the framework and how it was presented led me to make three important   observations , which I will connect in each case to my focus of scenario planning : 

 a ) Questions drive ideation .   Asking what is , what if , what wows , and what works led to highly impactful 

 results in all of the case examples highlighted .   I was most struck by how asking and answering questions   accelerated the generation of concrete options in The Good Kitchen and MeYouHealth cases . ‘ Possibility   thinking ’ is at the heart of scenario planning and design thinking . 

 b ) Ideas come to life in pictures . Right at the outset of the course , in the Week 1 segment 3 video , Professor 

 Liedtka unravels a spaghetti of lines to unveil the key framework of the course .   In a similar revelatory   fashion , conducting scenario planning visually should help the future to unfold and become clearer to my   client team , right before their eyes . 

 c ) Visualization aids decision making . As we saw in formulating the new menu for The Good Kitchen and the 

 MVP app for MeYouHealth , pictures were instrumental at the beginning of the design process .   Similarly ,   my client will first conduct scenario planning to create matrices that visually depict the future , and then   they will use these pictures to make important decisions about the future of their business . 

 Approach   I have begun to review the survey data to see what the team has submitted for the two key questions highlighted   earlier in this paper , and I am encouraged by what I see .   A sanitized overview of the possible decisions ( Q#2 ) and   key uncertainties ( Q#3 ) is listed on the following page .   While the responses for Q2 are all well - framed decisions to   explore , not everyone followed the directions for Q3 to identify the two extremes of the key uncertainties ( see   next page ) .   I will learn during the session whether this issue is due to misunderstanding the instructions or to   trouble articulating their thoughts .   Either way , I think these data show that the leadership team will have a lot of   meaningful questions to consider and visually explore together .   My hope is that they are also able to experience   the promise of increased alignment that Angela Meyer highlighted at the end of Week 1 .   This was a great course   to take during the tectonic shifts underway in our world and I am fortunate to have made new connections also ! 

 Angela Torres ( ENEA ' 97 ) 

 Actual Data from Client Survey 

 conducted via SurveyMonkey June 1 - 3 , 2020 

 Responses to Q2 ( key decisions ) – note : should all be framed as yes / no questions starting “ Should we … ” 

 be leading with one practice ( EB vs. HCC ) in the marketplace ?      modify our " go to market " strategy to integrate HCC and Benefits together ? If so , how integrated should / could they be with   regards to sales , pricing & delivery ? 

 Better define markets and market based solutions and align sales team accordingly 

 lead with only Employee benefits ? 

 Reevaluate benefits team structure ?   invest aggressively in technology that will help us better engage with our prospects and clients , allow us to appear more   ' polished ' , and make us EXPERT and MASTER communicators ? 

 expand geographical footprint ?     double down on the virtual environment concept and adaption and use the opportunity to modify our offerings and invest in   technologies / tools / products that would enable us to do that ? 

 Establish a client advisory group to gain better insight into client needs based ? 

 invest in new products/ innovation ? 

 Consider buying smaller agencies ? 

 consider a reduction in salaries across the board , and when ? 

 restructure our service model and support staff to enable additional investments sales and production ?    consider changes to the budget and/or the organizational structure / staff in anticipation of the business impact of COVID-19   and lack of anticipated sales ? 

 Double down on DEI solutions ? 

 expand to other cities more aggressively ? 

 Look at an individual wealth management partner ? 

 change our sales model to include and involve ALL employees in the business development process ? 

 Responses to Q3 ( key uncertainties ) - note : should all define two possible future extremes in parentheses 

 socialization of healthcare ( yes , no )   degree to which virtual interaction will be desired / accepted after COVID is under control ( fully accepted / desired , no longer   accepted / desired ) ) 

 Role of DEI in organizations based on recession and current events   ( low importance / high importance ) ) 

 Prevalence of market consolidation and a boutique 's firm ’s ability to compete ( extremely unlikely , very likely ) 

 Universal healthcare   Effect of a Biden Administration on HealthCare - specifically around a change to Employer based purchasing . ( non - issue ,   devastating ) 

 role of insurance carriers setting brokerage fees ( stay as is , eliminate ) 

 carrier 's payment to Brokers / General Agents after the COVID impact ( same as today , elimination of 3rd party payment ) 

 Impact of current external factors on state of mental health of our clients employees ( irrelevant/ paramount ) 

 Degree in which economic changes will impact our sales and service offerings ( Very Low , Very High ) 

 COVID 19-   Current Crisis diminishing our ability to " connect " with prospects in the traditional way and generate new business . ( painful ,   painful ) 

 threat of business closures in Fall with resurgence of COVID . 

 prevalence of small - mid size companies open to using brokers / consultants without a local presence ( common , highly unlikely ) 

 Degree of change for the HR function adequately support the next nor ( low change / high change 

 Degree to which political changes could impact our EB business ? ( Very unlikely , Very likely ? ) 

 How do we engage prospects virtually 

 Short - to - midterm Impact of recession on ability of our Human Capital division to generate opportunities and revenue ( 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Angela Torres, Angela Torres, Angela Torres
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Angela Torres ( ENEA ' 97 ) 

 Reflection Assignment – Visualization Applied to Scenario Planning 

 Challenge   I have a working session with a new client on Tuesday , June 9 in which they would like to prepare for strategic   thinking .   The organization is a health benefits and wellness consulting firm and they have recently experienced   friction within the leadership team over the direction they should take the business . Two high - ranking executives   have recently separated from the organization , largely due to the discord at the top . I have the opportunity to   engage the remaining six members of the leadership team in an hour - long conversation , preceded by a survey to   gather their candid input and perspectives .   While I have my own professional services firm and do consulting   work , my familiarity with their particular industry and focus is fairly limited .   They did not seem ready for a   comprehensive strategic planning engagement , so I concluded that an appropriate first step would be to engage   the team in a scenario planning exercise , especially given the vast uncertainty that all businesses are now facing .   I   incorporated design thinking concepts into the facilitation model for this session .     Selection   I decided to integrate the tool of visual thinking , or visualization , into the scenario planning exercise I will be   leading for my client . I felt this would be the best way to guide them through an exercise focused on key   uncertainties they are facing in the business .   My objective is to have   them produce two versions of a 2x2 matrix similar to the one on the   right , but instead of the two axes shown here ( “ production costs ” and   “ product differentiation ” ) , their chosen dimensions will be external   factors that are important for them to consider in their business .   I want   the team to think about forces over which they have no direct control ,   and for which two possible extremes of the future could occur ( e.g. ,   “ high ” vs. “ low ” ) .   I feel that this visual approach will allow them to   develop a shared view of the probable future .   In Week 1 , Angela Meyer   discussed that visualization helps design thinkers make their ideas   tangible and concrete , and that this is a more likely path to achieve   consensus and agreement than through verbal deliberation alone . Given   the current climate of this team ’s interaction , I felt that promoting   collaborative thinking through visualization would be the most productive path .     Application   The most critical input for this visualization exercise is the team ’s thoughts on critical uncertainties facing their   business , which I gathered through a preliminary survey to the team .   Specifically , I asked the following question : 

 Angela Torres ( ENEA ' 97 ) 

 I have assembled the list of uncertainties that they collectively identified and plan to share with them during the   session .   I will provide time for them to ask questions of each other and get clarification on any factors that are   unclear or too ambiguous .   I will then split the team into two subgroups , using the Breakout Rooms feature of   Zoom , and I will ask for each group to select the top two forces that they feel should be taken into account in   future strategic decision making .   During this breakout time , I will also task them with producing a 2x2 matrix like   the one shown above . Then they will select one quadrant that they feel best reflects the most likely future , assign   it a descriptive title , and outline some of the details that might unfold in their shared view of the future .   I have   prepared Google Slides in advance with templates for them to populate during this breakout period .     After 15 minutes , we will return to the main Zoom room to discuss the two matrices , comparing and contrasting   the two alternate versions of the future the groups visually depict .   We will also discuss how these images can be   used as a strategic frame to consider some of the pressing decisions the team is facing .   I also asked them to think   ahead about these decision before the session as well , using the following survey question : 

 Insights   The core four - question framework of the course , on its own , yielded the most substantive insights I am taking   away at this point in time .   Specifically , the framework and how it was presented led me to make three important   observations , which I will connect in each case to my focus of scenario planning : 

 a ) Questions drive ideation .   Asking what is , what if , what wows , and what works led to highly impactful 

 results in all of the case examples highlighted .   I was most struck by how asking and answering questions   accelerated the generation of concrete options in The Good Kitchen and MeYouHealth cases . ‘ Possibility   thinking ’ is at the heart of scenario planning and design thinking . 

 b ) Ideas come to life in pictures . Right at the outset of the course , in the Week 1 segment 3 video , Professor 

 Liedtka unravels a spaghetti of lines to unveil the key framework of the course .   In a similar revelatory   fashion , conducting scenario planning visually should help the future to unfold and become clearer to my   client team , right before their eyes . 

 c ) Visualization aids decision making . As we saw in formulating the new menu for The Good Kitchen and the 

 MVP app for MeYouHealth , pictures were instrumental at the beginning of the design process .   Similarly ,   my client will first conduct scenario planning to create matrices that visually depict the future , and then   they will use these pictures to make important decisions about the future of their business . 

 Approach   I have begun to review the survey data to see what the team has submitted for the two key questions highlighted   earlier in this paper , and I am encouraged by what I see .   A sanitized overview of the possible decisions ( Q#2 ) and   key uncertainties ( Q#3 ) is listed on the following page .   While the responses for Q2 are all well - framed decisions to   explore , not everyone followed the directions for Q3 to identify the two extremes of the key uncertainties ( see   next page ) .   I will learn during the session whether this issue is due to misunderstanding the instructions or to   trouble articulating their thoughts .   Either way , I think these data show that the leadership team will have a lot of   meaningful questions to consider and visually explore together .   My hope is that they are also able to experience   the promise of increased alignment that Angela Meyer highlighted at the end of Week 1 .   This was a great course   to take during the tectonic shifts underway in our world and I am fortunate to have made new connections also ! 

 Angela Torres ( ENEA ' 97 ) 

 Actual Data from Client Survey 

 conducted via SurveyMonkey June 1 - 3 , 2020 

 Responses to Q2 ( key decisions ) – note : should all be framed as yes / no questions starting “ Should we … ” 

 be leading with one practice ( EB vs. HCC ) in the marketplace ?      modify our " go to market " strategy to integrate HCC and Benefits together ? If so , how integrated should / could they be with   regards to sales , pricing & delivery ? 

 Better define markets and market based solutions and align sales team accordingly 

 lead with only Employee benefits ? 

 Reevaluate benefits team structure ?   invest aggressively in technology that will help us better engage with our prospects and clients , allow us to appear more   ' polished ' , and make us EXPERT and MASTER communicators ? 

 expand geographical footprint ?     double down on the virtual environment concept and adaption and use the opportunity to modify our offerings and invest in   technologies / tools / products that would enable us to do that ? 

 Establish a client advisory group to gain better insight into client needs based ? 

 invest in new products/ innovation ? 

 Consider buying smaller agencies ? 

 consider a reduction in salaries across the board , and when ? 

 restructure our service model and support staff to enable additional investments sales and production ?    consider changes to the budget and/or the organizational structure / staff in anticipation of the business impact of COVID-19   and lack of anticipated sales ? 

 Double down on DEI solutions ? 

 expand to other cities more aggressively ? 

 Look at an individual wealth management partner ? 

 change our sales model to include and involve ALL employees in the business development process ? 

 Responses to Q3 ( key uncertainties ) - note : should all define two possible future extremes in parentheses 

 socialization of healthcare ( yes , no )   degree to which virtual interaction will be desired / accepted after COVID is under control ( fully accepted / desired , no longer   accepted / desired ) ) 

 Role of DEI in organizations based on recession and current events   ( low importance / high importance ) ) 

 Prevalence of market consolidation and a boutique 's firm ’s ability to compete ( extremely unlikely , very likely ) 

 Universal healthcare   Effect of a Biden Administration on HealthCare - specifically around a change to Employer based purchasing . ( non - issue ,   devastating ) 

 role of insurance carriers setting brokerage fees ( stay as is , eliminate ) 

 carrier 's payment to Brokers / General Agents after the COVID impact ( same as today , elimination of 3rd party payment ) 

 Impact of current external factors on state of mental health of our clients employees ( irrelevant/ paramount ) 

 Degree in which economic changes will impact our sales and service offerings ( Very Low , Very High ) 

 COVID 19-   Current Crisis diminishing our ability to " connect " with prospects in the traditional way and generate new business . ( painful ,   painful ) 

 threat of business closures in Fall with resurgence of COVID . 

 prevalence of small - mid size companies open to using brokers / consultants without a local presence ( common , highly unlikely ) 

 Degree of change for the HR function adequately support the next nor ( low change / high change 

 Degree to which political changes could impact our EB business ? ( Very unlikely , Very likely ? ) 

 How do we engage prospects virtually 

 Short - to - midterm Impact of recession on ability of our Human Capital division to generate opportunities and revenue (
### Output: 