Prepare for Future Trend Changes

Prepare for Future Trend Changes

In this era of rapid changes, the future is full of uncertainties, which is a well-known fact. For managers, it is more crucial to discern the changes that are already taking place in the present than to predict the changes that have not occurred in the future. Managers need to keenly capture those changes that have already emerged in reality, grasp the "future that has already happened", and use a systematic strategy to conduct meticulous observation and in-depth analysis of these changes. Only in this way can they have a far-sighted vision when formulating strategic decisions and avoid falling into the predicament of being shortsighted.

If an enterprise does not make adequate preparations for the future, it is highly likely to face the outcome of being eliminated from the market. When making decisions, if managers only focus on immediate interests and only consider expediency for a while, while ignoring the necessary considerations and reasonable arrangements for future development, the enterprise will surely pay a heavy price for this. In mild cases, this will lead to a slowdown in the development speed of the enterprise and a gradual lag in the fierce market competition; in severe cases, it may directly put the enterprise in a crisis of bankruptcy. Therefore, managers must attach great importance to the forward-looking nature of decision-making, carefully build a bridge connecting the present and the future, and make preparations in advance to prevent being caught off guard in the future.

In fact, in many industries, we can easily find the traces of changes in structural trends. The impact of structural trends on the industry may not be significant in the short term and seem uneventful, but in the long run, their importance far exceeds short-term fluctuations. Short-term fluctuations are like ripples on the sea surface. Although they can attract momentary attention, they are difficult to have a fundamental impact on the overall pattern of the industry; while structural trends are like undercurrents beneath the sea, surging quietly and gradually reshaping the underlying structure of the industry.

It is a pity that many economists, politicians, and managers nowadays have almost all their attention attracted by short-term fluctuations. Many enterprises are also racking their brains and running around in circles due to the impact of short-term fluctuations on profits. However, facts have proved that enterprises that can truly make good use of structural trends are often able to stand out in the market competition and almost inevitably achieve success.

Take the information industry as an example. In the era when personal computers were popular all over the world, internationally renowned enterprises providing digital information technology such as Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, and Oracle became the mainstay of the industry and were in the limelight. At that time, although network companies providing digital information services had already emerged, in the eyes of many people, this was just a negligible small change and an insignificant episode in the development process of the industry, and they did not realize at all that this was actually the beginning of the upcoming structural trend. Moreover, no one could foresee prospectively that the development potential of mobile phones would far exceed that of the personal computer industry, which was at the height of its popularity at that time. Now, we can clearly see that the annual sales volume of personal computers in the world is about 200 million units, while the sales volume of mobile phones is five times that of computers. The rapid arrival of the mobile Internet era has caught many enterprises and individuals off guard and has profoundly changed the pattern of the entire information industry.

Once a structural trend is formed, its power will be irresistible. It is already quite difficult to try to compete against the trend in the short term; and in the long term, there is almost no chance of winning in the confrontation with the trend. Enterprise managers must always maintain a keen sense of insight, closely examine and go all out to grasp the future development trends. Only by following the trend can they gain the initiative in future market competition, and they must never fall into a passive and beaten situation due to blindly competing against the trend. When structural changes occur, those enterprises and individuals who stick to the old ways and remain the same will face the severe risk of being eliminated, while those enterprises and individuals who can quickly make changes and actively adapt to the trend will usher in unprecedented development opportunities. For any enterprise, foreseeing and making reasonable arrangements for structural trends in advance is the key path to achieving great success.