Scott Newton, Navigating Strategy in a VUCA World artwork
The G&T Sessions

Scott Newton, Navigating Strategy in a VUCA World

  • S5E246
  • 56:53
  • February 27th 2025

In this episode of the G&T Sessions podcast, host Andrew Turner speaks with Scott Newton about the evolving nature of strategy in today's volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world.

They discuss the importance of having a dynamic strategy that adapts to changing environments, the shift from traditional planning to more flexible approaches, and the impact of misinformation on decision-making.

Scott emphasises the need for organisations to cultivate a data culture to ensure that their strategies are informed by accurate information, ultimately leading to better outcomes in an ever-changing landscape.

In this conversation, Scott Newton and Andrew Turner explore the current limitations of AI technology, the challenges faced by autonomous machines, and the importance of up-skilling for a tech-driven future.

They discuss the implications of productivity gains and market disruption, the ethical use of technology, and Scott's journey into strategy and technology. The conversation also touches on resilience in business amidst crises, understanding business cycles and risks, and offers valuable advice for founders and startups regarding capital and growth

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene

02:49 Navigating Strategy in a VUCA World

11:25 The Evolution of Strategic Planning

20:51 Emergent vs. Planned Strategies

28:06 Misinformation and Its Impact on Strategy

32:23 The Limitations of Current AI Technology

34:26 Autonomous Machines and Their Challenges

35:48 Up-skilling for a Tech-Driven Future

37:54 Productivity Gains and Market Disruption

39:24 Navigating Ethical Technology Use

41:44 Scott's Journey into Strategy and Technology

44:48 Resilience in Business Amidst Crises

48:35 Understanding Business Cycles and Risks

50:19 Advice for Founders and Startups

54:45 The Cost of Capital and Business Growth

Scott is The Managing Partner of Thinking Dimensions, and a member of the Board of Directors at Sirius (Netherlands,) and Strategy Tools (Norway.)

Scott works with Boards, CEOs, Private Equity, and senior leaders on Strategy, M&A, and Digital Transformation with an emphasis on embedding sustainability into their business models today and for the future.

His experiences have taken him to North America, Latin America, Europe, MENA, and Asia Pacific assisting global organisations.

Scott and his teams focus on building new business model portfolios, future proofing the organization, and linking impact to sustainable growth and profitability.

Technology and the implications to industry shifts are major points of attention in the boardroom and C-Suite, and with more than 25 years of international experience in advisory activities balanced between both multinational and family-controlled enterprises, Scott has had the unique opportunity to assist more than 250 CEO’s and Senior Leaders.

The organisations Scott works with achieve speed, alignment, and most importantly bold growth outcomes by focusing on a long-term view.


Linkedin Profile

 / scottbnewton  

The G&T Sessions

We cover G = Growth from a Personal & Business perspective, as it is a fascinating and compelling topic to share stories and experiences, and T = Technology, something that is everywhere and is firmly here to stay...asking the questions about what does it mean, is it for good, how do we harness it and ensure it helps our future.

So, in the G&T Sessions Podcast, we are speaking directly to ourselves, when we were younger, not as wise as we are today, how could we know how transformative that Technology would affect the world .... And know how getting your personal growth and mindset in order, is a key building block and enabler to any organisation or business idea you want to scale.

We're going to try to take you, the audience, on a journey through the stories and lessons of gifted and talented people who have written their own personal growth stories, dealt with amazing peaks and character building valleys, but have learned and carved their own path to making their own history and future.

#Gifted #Talented.

Given Tech now integrates into so many areas of our life and many people see this as their new path for opportunity, we will also discuss Tech with our guests who are growing, advising, supporting, coaching and innovating in and around technology and so the founders, co-founders, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, leadership teams of tomorrow will know how to realise their dreams, find and unleash their own ideas to become unicorns, build new markets, new businesses & disrupt the world for the greater good.

#Growth #Tech

Andrew J Turner avatar
Andrew J Turner
Founder & Host of The G&T Sessions Podcast

Andrew Turner has worked for corporates, start-ups within corporates and start-ups in UK, EMEA, USA and Asia and proud alumni of organisations including GE, SAP, Tesco, WANdisco, EE & Telefonica and now having gone plural, supporting multiple organisations on growth strategy besides spreading the word with The G&T Sessions https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamandrewjturner/ 

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