While nobody can predict the full impact of COVID-19, it is clear that organisations must prepare for business in the new low-touch economy to be anything but usual.
As experts in education market research and strategy, Shift Insight can help you align your teams and set priorities in this new normal through workshops to help you better understand the dynamics of the future, while identifying risks and opportunities in the short and longer term through the use of scenarios and road-mapping. Read on for a list of potential topics by research area, or jump down to find out what the workshops offer.
For the HE sector:
Almost overnight, online teaching had to switch from a secondary to primary delivery method, while current and prospective students have been reassessing their study plans, and institutions have had to revisit their strategies from day to day. Topics for workshop discussion could include:
- How can you deliver strong student experiences, both academic and social, in a world where physical interactions may be more limited or routinely cut back?
- How worried are international students about the UK’s response, and what can you do to assuage their concerns?
- What can be learnt from how others have responded?
- What subject areas become critical for this new world?
For the schools sector:
Homeschooling has changed parents’ relationships with their children’s education, schools have had to adapt and engage with online learning in a completely new way, and government is investing in a new national tutoring programme to overcome the learning lost by school closures. Topics for workshop discussion could include:
- What new opportunities might exist for schools publishers and EdTech organisations?
- What are the potential risks of continuing business as usual?
- What are the new problems that providers of resources and tools can solve for their customers?
- How can online resources be made truly usable and accessible to all learners and their parents?
For membership organisations:
No workplace has been untouched by lockdown restrictions, with some sectors facing devastating long-term impacts, while employees bear the isolation and impediments of homeworking, followed by an uncertain return. Topics for workshop discussion could include:
- How can your organisation’s expertise and powerful voice best serve your sector?
- How can you provide a strong sense of community when it’s needed most?
- What does education and networking look like in this new world?
For anyone considering sustainability:
The pandemic may have inadvertently provided us with a vision of what a more sustainable future could look like: cleaner air, a closer relationship to nature and a greater focus on local communities. But as economies try to recover, topics for workshop discussion could include:
- What sustainable behaviours are consumers likely to hold on to?
- What does sustainable business look like in the future?
- In which areas is behaviour change made easier and where might behaviours be more entrenched?
What the workshops offer:
Over the course of 2 days, through a series of virtual workshops, we will take you through:
- Identifying current and future trends for Education/Sustainability/Membership communities within the low-touch economy.
- Understanding the values and foundations that are critical to thrive.
- Short-term opportunities to grow.
- Long-term opportunities and white spaces.
- Understanding how best to align your strengths and mitigate risks.
Who should attend?
Leaders and decision-makers across multiple business areas, including strategy, marketing, operations, sustainability, finance and HR. These sessions are particularly effective with attendees from cross-functional teams.
How much does this 2-day workshop cost?
£3800 without synthesised write-ups, £4800 with.
We also offer shorter 1-day workshops – these are priced at £2500 without synthesised write-ups and £3200 with.
How are these sessions delivered?
Virtually, using collaborative software tool Mural. We recommend that the 2 days of workshopping are split across multiple sessions (roughly 6) to ensure higher quality engagement and outputs, but we are happy to discuss optimal delivery formats according to your preferences.
How many people can attend?
We suggest the optimal number of attendees is between 8 and 15, but we would be happy to talk about how sessions could be best designed to accommodate your internal needs and numbers.
Who delivers these sessions?
Jane Powell – Managing Director
Jane founded Shift Insight (then Shift Learning) in 2002. Since then she has managed or supervised a wealth of mixed-methodology research projects – specialising in providing insights into markets, products, services, competitors and policy developments. Jane also specialises in generating and delivering workshops to support clients in interpreting and acting on the results of our work. She has also run several market research training courses for the University of Exeter and ALPSP.
Want to know more? Email jane.powell@shift-insight.co.uk or call 0207 253 8959.
