---
id: "action-isolate-scenario-planning"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["¶20", "¶21", "¶22"]
tags: ["risk-management", "internal-communications"]
related: ["claim-geopolitics-challenges-multinationals"]
speakers: ["Indra Nooyi"]
action: "Assign extreme scenario planning to an isolated expert group to prevent organizational panic."
outcome: "Maintains operational focus while ensuring the company is prepared for systemic shocks."
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2025/10/innovating-at-the-core-and-for-the-future"
source_title: "Innovating at the Core—and for the Future"
sources: ["futures"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-futures"
originDay: 2
articleStem: "hbr-cl-91-innovating-core-and-future"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/10/innovating-at-the-core-and-for-the-future"
sourceTitle: "Innovating at the Core—and for the Future"
---
# Isolate Scenario Planning

**Action:** Assign extreme scenario planning to an isolated expert group to prevent organizational panic.

Do not broadcast extreme geopolitical scenario planning to the entire company, as it will spook employees and cause chaos. Instead, extract a small group of experts to conduct deep scenario planning while insulating the bulk of the organization so they can focus on running the core business. This is the operational response to [[claim-geopolitics-challenges-multinationals]].

**Outcome:** Maintains operational focus while ensuring the company is prepared for systemic shocks.

**Enrichment.** Strongly supported by risk-management best practice (scenario planning in contained strategic forums) and organizational psychology (exposure to highly negative scenarios without action plans heightens anxiety and reduces performance).


## Related across articles
- [[action-deploy-sensing-team]]
- [[action-ask-what-if]]