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“Turning the Future into an asset". As stated by the CEO of Skandia, Björn Wolrath in 1996.
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Pre 1995 Björn Wolrath is CEO of Skandia Insurance Company. Skandia is at this time an old full scale traditional insurance company. He and some of his colleagues in the top management team foresees that Skandia soon will face big changes within the insurance market. The insurance market had been under protection for many years in most countries and Sweden was no exceptions. |
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But looking ahead management realized that this state could not go on for ever. New competitiors around the corner, new ways to sell and market, new type of products etc One step to prepare for the future was to get all employees and managers open minded and be prepared to work in new ways, with new products against new competitors and in new constellations. A Future Center could be one brick, building a New Skandia. The initial idea is born. |
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1995
A project team consisting of Ola Ramstedt, Leif Edvinsson, Ingrid Tidhult, Henrik Danckwardt and Bernt Johansson is established. They have their first meeting in august 1995. Several meetings follows and the work begins.
SFC are designed to experiment with future organizations, work methods and environments, to become a innovative, organizational prototyping cyber campus. It should be a meeting space or the cross-border collaboration of value-creating partnerships. The vision is to create a meeting space with focus on renewal and development, where people from different countries, age groups and professions can meet in a knowledging dialogue about enterprising and organizations of the future. This shall happen in an enviroment with trust, homey smell and music shall bost physical harmony in an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit.
1996
The doors to Skandia Future Center opened on the 17th of May 1996. Local team at this point on an on and off basis included: Leif Edvinsson, Ingrid Tidhult (Cultivator), Caroline Stenfeldt (FuturICer), Jesper Nylin (IT), Elly Rubnell (CalendICer), Sven-Olov Granberg (FuturICer), Axel Sjöstedt and Kristian Högberg.
Caroline Stenfeldt and Madeleine Jarehov produced the first in the world prototype of IC of Nations. The prototype presented an alternative and colourful image of Sweden, representing welfare and security for future generations. Using the Skandia Navigator they tried to quantify some of Sweden’s critical driving success factors for the future.
SFC is part of the AFS (Assurance and Financial Services unit) in Skandia. Jan R Carendi, CEO of AFS and executive Senior Vice President in Skandia, becomes the long term protector of SFC.
Lars Lekander plays an important role at this stage for the SFC. His ideas are influential on both Jan R Carendi and Leif Edvinson.
Lars-Eric Petersson replaces Björn Wolrath as CEO of Skandia.
1997
In August SFC has had 5000 visitors. SFC creates fantastic good-will for Skandia. The new top management are too busy with other activities to fully recognize the value (good-will) SFC is creating. Many projects are initiated with SFC as a platform. Different meeting and facilitation tools are introduced: Knowledge Café, Knowledge Safari, IC Salong. The Dolphin Navigator System is launched in September 1997.
To be able to prepare for the future it was decided to establish a number of "Future Teams" with the important task to investigate the future. These teams together with other future oriented actiivties (that could be foreseen) needed some sort of base, a Skandia Future Center. The Future Teams where given different tasks and they reported back to Skandia. The focus for the Future Teams was not only to come up with future scenarios within the insurance market but also, and maybe more important, to come up with the right questions to ask about the future. Answer to many of these “questions” resulted in a number of activities. On basis of their findings (plus other information), Skandia went into a big reconstruction program which resulted in a very new and different Skandia and over time very successful new Skandia.
BBC visits SFC under the direction of Keith Bradley and produces a special BBC/Open University TV Program on the theme “IC as the new wealth of Nations”.
IC in Israel is initiated by Edna Pasher in cooperation with Leif Edvinsson, Caroline Stenfeldt and Madeleine Jarehov.
1998
In January 1998 Leif Edvinsson is recognized as the father of the IC evolution at Skandia and around the world, and receives the Brain Of The Year award by the Brain Trust Foundation in England. This award plus the supplements to the annual report, Skandia had been issuing since 1995, resulted in a big number of visitors to SFC. Visitors comes from around the world to meet with Leif and to get inspiration from the SFC. In June 10 000 people has visited SFC. More Good Will is created for Skandia. Many visitors also comes with the purpose to meet with Henrik Danckwardt to learn more about the Skandia Navigator and the Dolphin Navigator System.
In August The Vaxhol Summit is held. It is the first International Meeting on Visualising and Measuring Intellectual Capital of Nations.
Ingrid Tidhult retires and Anna Dansk is added to the local team as FuturICer.
Ingrid Tidhult writes the Memories From The Future, a very good and inspiring description of the development of the SFC’s first 3 years.
Leif, Axel, Sven-Olov and Leif Hansson goes out on a “Road trip”, visiting a number of Swedish cities and give lectures on IC and two new Skandia products: Competence Insurance and IC Insurance.
Chaos Pilots.
Words of Value.
Accounting for Minds.
1999
To handle all requests for visits to the SFC and all requests to meet with Leif, two CalenderICers are hired. Administration is starting to become a burden both in practical and economical terms. All activities at SFC together with the production of booklets and brochures is also expensive. Income less expenses at SFC is at a level of 2 M € negative. The cost for these activities are of course small in comparison to the fantastic Good Will this is creating for Skandia. However this Good Will is still not fully recognized by the busy top management, who are focusing on business affairs and the big year 2000 shift which are causing big changes to all insurance IT-systems.
Leif is starts up his own company, UNIC, and leaves Skandia in September.
To bring some order in the administration mess which has escalated over the last two years, it is decided to change organisational structure of the SFC. It goes from a cost center to a company on it’s own. SFC is moved from AFS and becomes a subsidiary to the Knowledge Management unit (a corporate function in Skandia) headed by Henrik Danckwardt. The ambition is to bring expenses under control and to sort out the administration. Henrik is chairman of the board and Anna Dansk takes charge of operations as Hub Director. Other board members are Ola Ramstedt and Lotta Leukfelt.
In October 15 000 people has visited SFC.
Caroline is moving to the UK.
2000
Visitors are now being charged but it doesn’t slow down the number. Administration gets under control thanks to Anna and Margareta Kahnlund. Expenses are down and income increases and the economic result is now on a 0.5 M € loss level.
Local team at this point: Anna Dansk, Margareta Kahnlund, Anna Carin Hasselblad, Marie Lundström, Ulrika Jansson and Gunilla Stridbeck suported on and off by Caroline Stenfeldt, Benny Karlsson and Henrik Danckwardt
Opportunity Program
Oren Lyons is visiting and shows us the power of storytelling.
Here are some people and companies who visited SFC during 2000:
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North Group
Telefonica
Telia
Vattenfall
Statoil
Spinalis
South East Telephone Comp
SJ
SCA
Posten
Old Mutual
Luftfartsverket
ICA
IBM
Ericsson
Astra
ABB
Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
Dolphin System Network
Oren Lyons
Madeleine von Heland
Hamish Mc Rae
Danah Zohar
Lars Bern
| | S K Chakraborty
Bob Johansen
Keith Bradley
Ralph Stacey
Rolf Österberg
Martela
Thomas Furth
James Brian Quinn
Richaard Norman
Brian Bacon
Sven-Olov Granberg
Addingvalues
Alenio
Arthur Andersen Consulting
Aneo
APIS
BMW
Carlson fonder
Cell Network
DN
E & Q Rating
Future Center Norway
Föreningssparbanken
Försvaret
Good Year
Humatec
IC Visions
If
Instore solutions
IC Sweden
Klaraberg Mngmnt
Komrev
KPMG
| | Norsk Tipping
Pharmacia
Riksskatteverket
SEB
SACO
Näringsdepartementet
Storytelling
Svenskt Näringsliv
Sveriges Radio
Expressen
Vattenfall
Boston Consulting Group
City Mail
Cepro
Den Norske Bank
Ekonomistyrningsverket
Rabo Bank
Hitachi
Actcell
Kanebo
SAS
Svenska handelsbanken
Svenska EU Programkontoret
Tetra Pak
Unilever
Vägverket
Lunds Universitetessjukhus
KTH
Linköpings Universitet
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2001
The Meeting Site is launched. Meeting Site is a web based tool for visitors building networks to be able to continue their networking also after leaving the SFC.
New facilitation tools are introduced: Strategic Visioning, Graphic Facilitation and Storytelling.
Some important companies are starting to use the SFC on a regular basis.
In March 20 000 people has visited SFC. The Garden project. It is decided to create an inspiring garden which should be in harmony with the House and the concept. Gunilla Stridbeck, project leader, brings in Ulf Nordfjell – a well known Swedish garden architect.
The board of SFC suggest to top management in Skandia to export the concept of SFC to the other larger subsidiaries in Skandia. Due to expense reasons it is finally decided only to rebuild the entrance of the head quarter at Sveavägen in Stockholm in accordance with some of the learnings from SFC. The “Entrance Project” gets a fantastic result and the entrance is now the most creative area in the entire building. Project team consists of Gunilla Stridbeck and Marie Falkman.
2002
Jan R Carendi is leaving Skandia.
SFC is approached by HTK (The Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm. It is decided to set up a SFC hub in KTH’s new Learning Lab. The project team consists of Prof Mats Hansson (KTH), Anna Dansk and Henrik Danckwardt. Anna starts working att SFC/ Learning Lab on a 50% time basis. The project is funded by a Skandia Trust.
In March Skandia is voted one of the best 10 employeers in Europe by the Fortune Magazine. Main reasons are Competence Insurance, Butler services and SFC.
Operating result is still on the same 0.5 M€ loss level. Even though the real cost for renting the building is low, SFC are charged the same office rent as is being applied at headquarters in the city centre of Stockholm (many times higher). Also an administrative cost per employee is charged to SFC even though the centre are running their own much lower admin expenses. The stock market has been depressed for a couple of years and the economic results in Skandia are under big pressure. Top management looks at SFC as a non profitable subsidiary and are discussing what to do.
The board at SFC suggest to Skandia management to put SFC into a trust to be able to secure the centre for the future. This is accepted in principle. The idea is to officially do this in 2005 when Skandia is celebrating it’s 150 years in operation.
In December 25 000 people has visited SFC.
2003
In January Henrik Danckwardt and 7 colleagues leaves Skandia to set up their own company, IC Community. The business idea is to market the products and services they have provided in Skandia internally from their Knowledge Management function. IC Community buys the property rights to Dolphin Navigator System , Knowledge Café and Ibility software. SFC is not included. IC Community are asked to help out at SFC when needed.
Anna Dansk is leaving Skandia together with Gunilla Stridbeck.
Later in the year the major part of the top management are forced to leave Skandia due to “the big bonus scandal” in Skandia. The whole board is replaced and a new management are hired. The new board and the new top management, in most cases hired externally, have no idea about what SFC is and they have no interest and no time to put any interest into it. They are fully occupied trying to rebuild some of the bad reputation previous top management have caused Skandia.
The SFC / KTH project is stopped by Skandia.
2004
Activities at SFC are lower now and most visitors are internal Skandia employees.
During the summer SFC are used as a “Summer camp”. Skandia employees from outside of Stockholm are invited to apply for a week with their family at the center, just for recreation.
It is decided to close SFC. December the 23rd is the last working day for 3 of the 4 remaining staff, Marie, Ulrika and Margaretha.
2005
2005 puts an end for both SFC and Skandia.
SFC finds a new owner, Vaxholms Hotel (owned by Mr Forbes). The center is now being used for weddings and anniverseries.
Old Mutual puts an unfriendly bid on Skandia. Months later Skandia becomes a subsidiary to Old Mutual. This happens just after Skandia celebrated it’s 150 years of history.
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During the years of 1996-2004 Skandia Future Center provided the following services. Read more» |
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NAVIGATING
IC SALOON
KNOWLEDGE CAFÉ
KNOWLEDGE SAFARI
KNOWLEDGE KICK-START
KNOWLEDGE NOMAD
STRATEGIC FACILITATION
STORYTELLING
KNOWLDEGE PATH
DOLPHIN NAVIGATOR SYSTEM
STRATEGIC VISIONING |
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There have been a lot of people working, part-time or full-time, at the Skandia Future Center over the years. Read more» |
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Skandia Future Center has in collaboration with other people and organisations been involved in a number of publications over the years. Have a glimps at some of them here. Read more» |
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