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Peripheral Vision: Detecting the Weak Signals That Will Make or Break Your Company
From emerging technologies to changes in consumer tastes, tremendous opportunities and threats often begin as weak signals from the periphery How good is your organisation at sensing, interpreting, and acting on these signals? George S. Day and Paul J. H. Schoemaker call this capability peripheral vision—and their research shows that less than 20 percent of firms have developed it in sufficient capacity to remain competitive. In this book, they reveal a systematic process for developing peripheral vision and offer practical tools and strategies for building "vigilant organisations" that are constantly attuned to changes in the environment. Through detailed case studies ranging from LED lighting to low-carb foods to children's dolls, the authors show how vigilant organisations win scoping widely and asking the right questions; scanning actively in the right places; interpreting what signals mean; probing carefully for more information; and acting wisely on signals before competitors do. This book will help your organisation see farther to seize the opportunities and avoid the risks that come from the periphery.
- GenresBusiness
256 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
George S. Day
48 books3 followersGeorge S. Day is the Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor and co-director of the Mack Center for Technological Innovation at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Chairman of the board for the American Marketing Association, he has served as a consultant to GE, IBM, Medtronic, Merck, W.L. Gore & Associates, and other corporations. His books include Strategy from the Outside In and Peripheral Vision, among others. Day lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 24, 2024
Я бы назвал это академической бизнес книгой прошлого поколения - которые ценят на программах MBA. Цепляющая идея, но отсутствие реально работающей сущности
June 22, 2016
Why traditional forecasting so often fail? How to improve the effectiveness of early warning system?
Is it possible to predict the discontinuity and the emergence of a new social pattern?
Traditional methods of prediction are limited usually large margins of error. The more complex the system, the faster the changes, the longer perspective the analysis the greater the risk of incorrect conclusions.
Proposed by Day and Schoemaker solution is located somewhere between forecasting and foresight, drawing one and the other. Pherpieral vision is both the system and the way of thinking. The entire process consists of five interlocking, highly iterative stages: Scoping, Scanning, Interpreting (the problem is not lack of information, but their effective pre-selection, selection and interpretation of information), Probing, Feedback (including adjusting).
The impression that I got after reading this book is contained in one word: "honesty". The authors presented the problem honestly and fairly interpret its solution. No unnecessary fireworks and excessive optimism. An additional point for authors for posting on the end of the book of information about publications expansion and deepening of topics pherpipheral vision.
Although the book is addressed primarily to business practitioners, theorists of forecasts and foresight will not be disappointed.
Is it possible to predict the discontinuity and the emergence of a new social pattern?
Traditional methods of prediction are limited usually large margins of error. The more complex the system, the faster the changes, the longer perspective the analysis the greater the risk of incorrect conclusions.
Proposed by Day and Schoemaker solution is located somewhere between forecasting and foresight, drawing one and the other. Pherpieral vision is both the system and the way of thinking. The entire process consists of five interlocking, highly iterative stages: Scoping, Scanning, Interpreting (the problem is not lack of information, but their effective pre-selection, selection and interpretation of information), Probing, Feedback (including adjusting).
The impression that I got after reading this book is contained in one word: "honesty". The authors presented the problem honestly and fairly interpret its solution. No unnecessary fireworks and excessive optimism. An additional point for authors for posting on the end of the book of information about publications expansion and deepening of topics pherpipheral vision.
Although the book is addressed primarily to business practitioners, theorists of forecasts and foresight will not be disappointed.
June 3, 2010
Some of the examples were interesting, but the book was pretty dry. I think it had a good message, though - take time to look around.
January 22, 2024
This work is very narrowly connected to scenario planning topics that I explored recently.
The book Peripheral Vision uses the metaphor of peripheral vision to explore this complex process in organizations.. Most people, when hearing the term peripheral vision, associate it with perception from the corner of the eye. When you focus on running your business, you face a barrage of weak signals from the periphery. So, how do you recognize important signals and how to send them to the right place in the company?
As the author says, "The weak signals that should be noticed may be obscured by irrelevant and distracting noise. If one person at the edge of an organization senses the significance of an early warning signal, will the rest of the organization receive or understand it? Take any of your past surprises; probably someone in your organization or extended network knew about it. But you didn’t know that they knew; and they didn’t know that you needed to know.
... Good peripheral vision is much more than sensing; it is also knowing where to look more carefully, knowing how to interpret the weak signals, and knowing how to act when the signals are still ambiguous.
So this is my assessment of the book Peripheral Vision by George S.Day & Paul Shoemaker, according to my 8 criteria:
1. Related to practice - 4 stars
2. It prevails important - 4 stars
3. I agree with the read - 5 stars
4. not difficult to read (as for non English native) - 4 stars
5. Too long (more than 500 pages) - short and concise (150-200 pages) - 4 stars
6. Boring - every sentence is interesting - 3 stars
7. Learning opportunity - 5 stars
8. Dry and uninspired style of writing - Smooth style with humouristic and fun parts - 3 stars
Total 4 stars .
The book Peripheral Vision uses the metaphor of peripheral vision to explore this complex process in organizations.. Most people, when hearing the term peripheral vision, associate it with perception from the corner of the eye. When you focus on running your business, you face a barrage of weak signals from the periphery. So, how do you recognize important signals and how to send them to the right place in the company?
As the author says, "The weak signals that should be noticed may be obscured by irrelevant and distracting noise. If one person at the edge of an organization senses the significance of an early warning signal, will the rest of the organization receive or understand it? Take any of your past surprises; probably someone in your organization or extended network knew about it. But you didn’t know that they knew; and they didn’t know that you needed to know.
... Good peripheral vision is much more than sensing; it is also knowing where to look more carefully, knowing how to interpret the weak signals, and knowing how to act when the signals are still ambiguous.
So this is my assessment of the book Peripheral Vision by George S.Day & Paul Shoemaker, according to my 8 criteria:
1. Related to practice - 4 stars
2. It prevails important - 4 stars
3. I agree with the read - 5 stars
4. not difficult to read (as for non English native) - 4 stars
5. Too long (more than 500 pages) - short and concise (150-200 pages) - 4 stars
6. Boring - every sentence is interesting - 3 stars
7. Learning opportunity - 5 stars
8. Dry and uninspired style of writing - Smooth style with humouristic and fun parts - 3 stars
Total 4 stars .
January 9, 2017
I read this as course material for my graduate studies on Marketing Intelligence. It provides a fundamental view on the "why, what and how" for scanning the peripheral. Having a peripherial vision is vital as managers (no matter which level you are at) but are easily neglected in daily operations which are mostly optimized for efficiency.
What I found interesting:
* Marketing intelligence is not to predict but to anticipate opportunities from existing early signals.
* It is not so much the lack of information but the lack of good questions to filter the right information.
* It involves luck but you could improve your chances by being "at the right place for the right time."
* Signal validation can be improved by triangulation or analyzing from different angles.
* Sometimes the best response to a warning signal is no response and let others do the leg work.
* Gaining organizational peripheral vision is a leadership initiative and better championed from the top.
What I found interesting:
* Marketing intelligence is not to predict but to anticipate opportunities from existing early signals.
* It is not so much the lack of information but the lack of good questions to filter the right information.
* It involves luck but you could improve your chances by being "at the right place for the right time."
* Signal validation can be improved by triangulation or analyzing from different angles.
* Sometimes the best response to a warning signal is no response and let others do the leg work.
* Gaining organizational peripheral vision is a leadership initiative and better championed from the top.
March 29, 2013
A should-read book on strategy for knowledge workers and entrepreneurs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews