Scenario-Based Strategy Work for Long-Term Competitive Advantage
To make sound long-term decisions, global pharmaceutical companies must go far beyond traditional market analysis. They need advanced, scenario-based strategic tools that help leadership teams navigate a complex and uncertain future.
THE CASE IN BRIEF
The Challenge
The global pharma landscape is undergoing rapid transformation. Patient-centric care, precision medicine, digitalisation, evolving regulations and cost-efficiency demands are reshaping healthcare as we know it.
For a leading global pharmaceutical company, the task was clear: support the executive leadership team with an advanced external analysis – directly tied to the company’s long-term strategic decision-making.
The Solution
Working closely with the leadership team, we developed a tailored analytical framework based on advanced scenario planning. Together, we explored multiple futures for three core business areas – and for the company’s role as a societal actor.
For each business area, we created a bespoke scenario matrix built around key uncertainties. Each matrix mapped out a set of distinct future scenarios – each with different strategic implications. We then analysed how each scenario would impact operations, which opportunities might arise, and what risks would need to be managed.
Every scenario was linked to concrete, strategic decisions the leadership team needed to consider – decisions that would shape the company’s direction going forward.
To bring these futures to life, we even produced podcast episodes that dramatized each scenario – making the strategic choices more tangible, memorable, and real.
The Result
The work triggered a paradigm shift in how the organisation approaches long-term strategy. Previously, external analyses were seen as interesting but not directly useful. Our scenario-based approach changed that.
The leadership team gained concrete tools and strategic clarity – enabling more robust, flexible planning across multiple futures. The framework became a key input into the company’s 2026 strategic roadmap – and received the highest possible rating from senior leadership.