The Rise of Forerunners | Accenture

The Rise of Forerunners | 02
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Accenture surveyed 1,500 senior executives in 10 industries across 12 countries to see
how (or if) companies intend to adapt to societal shifts in the medium term.
Almost two-thirds of senior executives expect these lifestyle shifts to become the new
norm in the next five years. Yet 60% admit their companies are not yet preparing to
meet the evolving societal needs.
Our study identified a small group—
162 companies—that is well ahead of the curve in recognizing the
imperative to embrace change. Wecall these companies Forerunners.
There is awide gap between recognition of the opportunity and readiness to tap into it.

Investors and
consumers are calling
for the business world to
lead the wayin efforts
around social inclusivity
and environmental
sustainability.

Which attributes will define society in 2030?
A vast majority of the senior executives we surveyed said they expect the
society of the future to be defined by four attributes.
Prominent attributesofa future society (by 2030)
Percentage of respondents who selected “to a very large extent” or “to a large extent” on a five-point scale
Total sample; n=1,500
Source: Accenture Growth Markets C-level Survey, September - October 2020
Greater focus on
human ingenuity
73%
Greater focus on
improving our
environment
68%
Greater focus on
leveraging
technology to make
society smarter
66%
Increased focus on
collective well-being
59%

Companies see a
different future
emerging, but they
aren’t adapting their
strategies rapidly
enough tocapture
new market
opportunities.

High awareness
of societal shifts
is not translating
into a sense of
urgency
We sought senior executives’ perspectives about the
individual lifestyle trends they foresee becoming prevalent by
2030. We found that, in fact, they expect these changes to
arrive much faster. However, this is not accelerating the
cadence of organizational change for many companies.
According to our research:
of senior executives expect
emerging new lifestyles
to arrive within five years
of survey respondents say
their companies arenot
proactively reshaping
their pre-crisis strategies
64% 60%

Forerunners aredriving
strategic change
For companies to thrive in the next decade, they must not only
recognize the changes that are coming, but also reshape their
growth strategies in bolder ways. And a few companies are
doing just that.
In our study, we found a small
groupin our sample (11%)—
whom we call Forerunners.
These companies are expecting a significant business
impact from most of the lifestyles which will arrive much
faster, in the next four to six years
These companies are also planning to continue
embracing bolder strategic moves in the next five years
11%
Forerunners (162 companies)

We identified four business priority areas where companies must
intensify change—today and in the next five years—to meet the needs
of a rapidly shifting society.
Forerunners stand out in the business priorities they choose to focus
on, over time. With their forward-thinking and strategic business
positioning, these companies are taking concrete steps to meet the
challenges and opportunities that are arriving at a furious pace.
Forerunners maintain
their strong lead in
priority areas
Prepare the workforce for a moreautomated,
AI-powered future.
Put sustainability at the center of the business.
Master innovations that focus on human care.
Deploy technology in a more responsible manner.

Forerunners represent a small
fraction—just 11%—of companies
surveyed. This means 9 out of 10
companies urgently need to step up,
or risk being left behind.

01
Target
versatile
talent
02
Create
sustainable
solutions
03
Invest
in human
care
04
Use
technology
responsibly

of jobs to be
fully automated
of jobs (on average) to be
AI-augmented
15% 29%
As automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) become
commonplace, companies must attract and hire new leaders
who can chart a different course. Forerunners go beyond
improving their digital fluency of the current workforce by
attracting versatile, tech-savvy talent in all spheres of work/life,
as well as niche skills needed for new roles in businesses of the
future—such as digital anthropologists and AI ethicists.
According to our research, over the next five years, senior
executives expect:
01
Target versatile talent

Getting the
workforce
up tospeed
Health, technology and
financial services are
among the top industries
accelerating efforts in
the next five years to
prepare their workforce
for an automated and
AI-driven future.
Key: Today In the next five years % Shift
Preparing the workforcefora more automated, AI-poweredfuture, todayand in the
nextfive years
Health (Private Sector)
Technology
Financial Services
Life Sciences
Transportation & Travel
Manufacturing
Infrastructure
Energy
Education (Private Sector)
Consumer & Retail
20%
10% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
24%
24%
28%
26%
17%
23%
27%
29%
34%
39%
Other companies; n=1,338 Source: Accenture Growth Markets C-level Survey, September–October 2020
Percentage of Other companies who selected “to a very large extent” or “to a large extent”
on a five-point scale

While many companies have taken steps to reduce their carbon
footprint, Forerunners have stepped up efforts to infuse
sustainability in every aspect of their business—from the way
they operate, to how they produce and go to market, to how
they design and build smart infrastructure and habitats.
According to our research across 12 countries and 10 industries:
of surveyed companies
consider becoming
more sustainabletheir
main area of focus for the
next five years
35%
Create sustainable solutions
02

Manufacturing
Energy
Consumer & Retail
Life Sciences
Infrastructure
Financial Services
Technology
20%
10% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
26%
16%
18%
23%
22%
27%
27%
43%
26%
29%
Planning
for green
Manufacturing,
transportation & travel
and energy industries
are prioritizing efforts in
the next five years to
infuse sustainability into
their business.
Putting sustainability atthe center of their business, today andin the nextfive years
Other companies; n=1,338 Source: Accenture Growth Markets C-level Survey, September–October 2020

The pandemic has made it imperative for companies outside of
healthcare to realign their innovation capabilities to be more
centered on individual as well as collective health and wellbeing.
Forerunners are transforming their business portfolios to meet
the complex needs of a health-minded society and explore new
opportunities in highly personalized “fringe markets.”
According to our study, Forerunners are focusing on preventing
illness and responding to new market demands:
plan to investin early
diseasedetectionand
personal wellbeing services
plan to launch new
business models to seize
future opportunities
related to individual
wellbeing
83% 49%
Invest in human care
03

100%
Energy
20%
10% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
19%
Consumer & Retail 22%
Transportation & Travel 25%
Infrastructure 26%
Manufacturing 28%
21%
Life Sciences 24%
Financial Services 34%
Health (Private Sector) 16%
Technology 27%
Other companies; n=1,338
Getting
into health
Life Sciences, Financial
Services and Health
industries are leading
others in their efforts to
innovate with consumer
well-being in mind.
Mastering innovations that focus on human caretoday and in the next five years
Source: Accenture Growth Markets C-level Survey, September–October 2020

Society’s expectations around data privacy and protection are
rising fast. Companies must meet and surpass those
expectations as they continue to leverage big data, sensors,
advanced analytics, and AI throughout customer interactions
and in their back-office operations.
According to our study, Forerunners recognize that more
technology will necessitate enhanced capabilities:
are focusing on digital
assets protection—
customer and employee data
are building tech-augmented,
smarteroperations
66% 61%
Use technology responsibly
04

Financial Services
Consumer & Retail
Technology
Infrastructure
Life Sciences
Manufacturing
Energy
20%
10% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
17%
15%
18%
18%
17%
8%
12%
20%
22%
23%
Other companies; n=1,338
Deploying technology in a more responsiblemanner today andin the nextfive years
Making
technology
ethics apriority
In the next five years, the
Education and Financial
Services industries are
stepping up to create
safer and smarter
products and services.
Source: Accenture Growth Markets C-level Survey, September–October 2020

While most senior executives
recognize that the future will
not be an extension of the past,
they have more work to do
in accelerating the necessary
changes within their organizations.

Becoming future-ready
Acommitment to create abetter society for all
Many senior executives are trying to emerge from the pandemic
unscathed while, at the same time, having to prepare for the impact
emanating from emerging lifestyles.
Forerunners in our study have shown that the bold steps they are taking
in the areas of new talent, sustainability solutions, human-centric
innovation and responsible technology are necessary to lay the
foundation for a better future in the long term. Not only for their own
business success, but also for the benefit of their employees,
customers, partners, and communities.
Future market opportunities cannot be captured
with pre-crisis strategies.

About the research
In order to better understand where business leaders expect society to be in 2030 and how companies can
embrace change to thrive, we conducted our research in two phases:
1. Exploratory interviews:
In-depth interviews with six representatives from
multilateral organizations, an academic institution
and a research institute.
2. C-level executive survey:
An extensive phone-based survey with 1,500 senior
business leaders in Strategy, Innovation, Technology,
Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain and Operations.

Our study is
focused on how
radical uncertainty
is reshaping society
and business
priorities across
12 countries and
10 industries for
companies at
or larger than
USD $250 million
in annual revenues.
12%
Brazil
12%
China
12%
India
12%
Japan
9%
Australia
7%
Indonesia
7%
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
7%
Malaysia
7%
Singapore
7%
Thailand
7%
United Arab Emirates
3%
New Zealand
Country currently based in
Consumer & Retail
11%
Industry focus
Energy
11%
Financial Services
11%
Infrastructure
11%
Life Sciences
11%
11%
Manufacturing
11%
Technology
11%
7%
Health
Education
7%
$250 to $499 million
10%
Annual revenues (USD)
$500 to $999 million
30%
$1 to $10 billion
40%
$10.1 to $30 billion
10%
$30.1 to $50 billion
5%
Greater than $50 billion
5%

The Rise of Forerunners | Accenture

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