Catalyst for Change

COVID-19 has been the catalyst for profound societal and organizational change, forcing leaders to accelerate the transition into the workplace of the future. Even the most forward-thinking companies couldn’t anticipate the significance and impact of the crisis. Almost everyone needed to change the way they operate during COVID-19. While some changes were mandated, others demonstrate the extent to which innovation occurs during a crisis. To quote Plato, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Leaders now need to take stock of this innovation and change in order to reset the strategy for their organizations. It’s the time to ask, “How do we want to move forward?”. 

Taking stock

Without a doubt, the post-Covid-19 workplace will operate differently than the pre-pandemic workplace. Focusing merely on the physical return to work would minimize everything that organizations experienced and learned. Leaders have the opportunity to consciously reflect on what has happened over the past few months in order to chart the course forward.

For many organizations, immediate actions focused on keeping employees safe and essential business functions operating. This may have led to temporary fixes to stop the bleeding, but also provided incredibly useful information. Insights were gleaned, such as where and how the crisis undermined existing models. As companies adjust to the COVID-19 business ecosystem, in addition to risks and vulnerabilities, opportunities have also been coming to light.

What should leaders focus on?

While the progression to the workplace of the future will be different for every organization, there are common themes that leading companies are focusing on:

●     Adaptability: COVID-19 exposed processes and systems that lacked flexibility. The organizations that will be most successful are the ones that focus on adaptability. Strategic planning should be conducted regularly so it can respond quickly to the changes that will inevitably come. 

●     Digital transformation: At the end of April, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella stated that they’d seen 2 years of digital transformation occur within 2 months.[1] Since the onset of the pandemic, digital transformation has taken place at an unprecedented rate. According to Accenture CEO, Julie Sweet, “Companies can’t simply reduce costs and “freeze,” but must accelerate to new levels of digital performance to serve new customer expectations, adapt to the health challenges of COVID-19, and pivot to new growth opportunities”[2] It’s clear that there is no turning back.

●     Fusing technology with human connection: Despite the ongoing role that technology and automation play in the workplace of the future, the importance of human connection cannot be overstated. This is the time for leaders to push the agenda on how to effectively integrate teams of humans and technology.

●     Future of physical office space: COVID-19 has shown that many of us can work from home productively. Leaders need to think about what makes sense for their organization moving forward. Even when restrictions lift, we will likely see more hybrid models, allowing for work from home to continue in addition to a return to traditional offices. Traditional offices will need to adjust to allow for adequate social distancing, which could actually impede communication and collaboration thus supporting hybrid models. As more employees work from home, there is increasing potential for the commercial real estate industry to be disrupted.  

●     Importance of leadership: The mark of a good leader will be the ability to not only help the transition into the workplace of the future but enable employees to emerge from this crisis as a more cohesive, agile team. This will require a leader to model a company’s values, such as operating with empathy and decency. It has never been more important to “lead with purpose.”

●     Building resilience: Without a vaccine or cure for COVID-19, the future is uncertain and will likely continue to be. Building resilience is the key to managing uncertainty. This will be achieved by prioritizing agility, establishing flexible systems and having a cohesive, purpose-driven team, so businesses aren’t caught off guard again.

Conclusion: 

While COVID-19 has caused a lot of hardship, it has provided a reset for the business ecosystem. Leaders have the opportunity to design the future of work, employing the lessons and insights they gained during the crisis response. In answering the question, “How do we want to move forward,” leaders need to go beyond employing practical (yet necessary) strategies to keep businesses operational. They also need to lead with purpose, empathy and decency. This will accelerate the transition to the workplace of the future and allow businesses to be better equipped to face whatever comes their way.

[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/04/30/2-years-digital-transformation-2-months/

[2] https://fortune.com/2020/06/26/coronavirus-accenture-ceo-digital-transformation/