The Joseph Strategy: Why foresight decides who survives mobility crises in 2026

The Joseph Strategy is a leadership approach built on foresight, not reaction. It means using data to predict disruption, building buffers before shortages hit, and owning a single source of truth during a crisis.

In the automotive industry, this matters because a supply chain failure is not just an operational issue, it is a valuation threat. When shortages occur, the market does not punish the lack of parts. It punishes the lack of foresight.

That reality became clear in late 2025. A mobility crisis does not begin with falling demand. It begins with access.

When the Dutch government seized control of Nexperia, a Chinese-owned semiconductor supplier, China’s response reshaped the industry almost overnight. Exports tightened, prices surged by up to 400%, and production slowed.

Nexperia controls roughly 40% of the global market for automotive transistors and diodes. These components cost only cents, yet without them, a $100,000 vehicle cannot leave the factory.

The episode exposed the “Sovereignty Gap”, the gap between building vehicles and controlling the supply chains that make them possible.

Automakers quickly realised that modern mobility crises are no longer driven by oil shocks or pandemics. They are driven by geopolitics.

To navigate this reality, the most resilient #OEMs are adopting what I call the Joseph Strategy (JS).

JS 1. Data-driven foresight:

Like Joseph interpreting the dream before famine arrived, leading automakers use predictive analytics and digital twins to identify supply-chain risks before they become disruptions, and communicate that readiness to investors.

JS 2. Strategic stockpiling:

The shift from “Just-in-Time” to “Just-in-Case” manufacturing has turned inventory into a competitive shield, protecting production lines from geopolitical shocks.

JS 3. Centralized transparency:

By using blockchain-verified supply chains, brands become a single source of truth for regulators, investors, and customers, closing the perception gap where value is often lost.

N.B:

The Joseph Strategy does not eliminate risk but can turn crisis into resilience, authority, and market leadership.