Forrester’s latest report, How To Thrive Through Volatility, urges business and technology leaders to optimise costs, pivot resources, and scale back on non-essential projects amidst current economic uncertainty.
Frederic Giron, VP and senior research director at Forrester, said, “In this volatile environment, business and tech leaders must engage in comprehensive scenario planning to anticipate various outcomes and develop adaptive strategies that ensure organisational resilience. By proactively preparing for multiple contingencies, APAC organisations can navigate the complexities of the evolving trade landscape effectively.”
Thriving through volatility
Amidst the year’s unpredictability and volatility brought by new tariffs, trade wars, outages, threats, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions, Forrester recommends that business and technology leaders thrive through volatility by focusing on the following areas:
- Fiercely optimising tech investments and simplifying technology. Instead of reactive cost-cutting, Forrester urges companies to streamline and reprioritise modernisation plans.
- Reaffirming brand value and prioritising customers. Forrester recommends adjusting the brand’s value propositions by understanding and prioritising which customer segments to serve.
- Excelling at leading change. Forrester noted that confidence, clarity, and a culture of continuous learning and upskilling can help companies thrive through volatility.
- Proactively managing risk. Companies are also urged to take a continuous, holistic approach to risk. by managing three sources of risk: enterprise risks tied to their strategy and factors entirely within their control, ecosystem risks they can partially control arising from third-party relationships, and external risks they can’t control, including tariffs.
