Ignore the Ripples. Manage the Waves. Ride the Currents.
My first article - please do not expect too much.
I have been hearing across the companies, board meetings and other virtual interactions I have been having in the past nine weeks how "transformational" this pandemic will be on society as we know it. Hmm... I wonder. Will there be societal changes as a result of the pandemic? Sure. Will they be "transformational?" Maybe - depends on how "sticky" and emotional our experiences are through this pandemic. Let me try to explain my thinking.
I think most of us had a love / hate relationship with the way things were before the COVID-19 pandemic. While we saw the stress, the constant connection, the long commutes, the long and pointless meetings - insert your negative attribute here - we loved going to dinners with friends, the collaboration and debate in our offices, shopping, a stroll to the neighborhood pub - insert your positive attributes here. On balance, I think we would all agree the "before" is much better than the "current" - but what about the "future?" What will that look like?
My crystal ball is no more clear than anyone's, but here is what I have learned over the years: change sticks when it is vivid, emotional, scaring. This crisis has certainly been that for many (myself included) - but from the news and protests occurring across the nation, clearly not for all. So will crisis bring about fundamental change to how we live our daily lives? How we commute? How and where we eat? Who we hug, shake hands with, or kiss? Or express our emotions in the most basic forms? (An aside: imagine being single right now; what are your views and prospects on how to meet someone and fall in love? Through a Zoom call?) So for me, the fundamental question is this: have enough members of our society been impacted in a vivid, emotional, scaring way for us to want the changes to stick? In essence, asking the normative question - should we change?
Personally, I do not know the answer to that question as a whole, but there are parts that are simple. Should I wash my hands more often? Yes. Should I be more careful about my overall health? Yes. And what I eat? Yes. Should I be more vigilant about exposure to other people? Maybe, but where do I draw the line here? I am not living my life in a bubble - but I am not going out tonight to a crowded bar in Wisconsin, either - there has to be a medium ground. I would love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments.
Finally, a PSA: by now we have all heard the line "Let's not waste a good crisis." But let's also not co-opt this crisis to drive change agendas which are not related. To use the crisis as a burning platform to reduce costs in your company through largely unrelated activities? Disingenuous at best; devious and careless at worst. Do companies need to transform as a result of what we have learned from the COVID-19 crisis? Yes, in many cases they do. Commercial office space will look different. Collaboration will be done differently. The hospitality industry will probably look different. Air transportation and cruise lines - probably different in meaningful ways. How we provide service to people will probably look and feel different. But taking the crisis as a flag to drive higher education to an all-digital learning format? I am not sure a generation of on-line graduates is what the world needs right now... Let's not forget that people will also crave "normalcy" - whatever that is - after this as well. I predict the familiar will have a place too, and I wouldn't be surprised if that place wasn't at least as large as the "transformed" place.
I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on this subject - is the transformation being over-driven, sometimes for the wrong reasons? Or the transformation focus warranted? Comment and let me know.
Stay safe, everyone.
-- Jim
Hi Jim, Just read this article that answers the question from a business perspective: https://marker.medium.com/our-economy-was-just-blasted-years-into-the-future-a591fbba2298 In a nutshell, companies will shift to robots, automation and AI (driverless cars, health surveillance, mail order shopping). Companies will also rethink the just-in-time delivery, the one supplier concept and increase reliance on WFH. Of course there is a possibility that we may be able to control the virus very quickly in which case we may go back to the way we were before (as it happened with the AIDS epidemic). The answer probably lies somewhere in between. Take care and be safe -
Senior Commercial Manager at GE Vernova | Product Marketing Director | Cross-Functional Team Leader | Skilled Negotiator | International Business Developer | Creative Problem-Solver
5yJim-Good stuff. I'd like to think that this situation involves two main themes, science and community. On the science side, I'm cautiously optimistic that this episode will make the vast majority of the world trust science. On the community side, the results have been more mixed. There have been examples of a lack of community, from the people stiffing their personal grocery shoppers on tips to the meatpacking plant managers making their employees work in close quarters with COVID symptoms. Moreover, some of the most marginalized and lowest paid employees in the work force, assisted living workers and medical support staff, have borne an enormous (and in many cases, fatal) burden during these times. While some people believe keeping the community safe is a nuisance, I believe many more are showing their empathy, compassion, and humanity. I hope that once this is over, communities will be more inclusive and respectful to everyone, regardless of their perceived contributions. On the corporate side, companies have focused so much in recent years on being good corporate citizens. Those companies that make workers return with insufficient safety measures in place will very likely experience more negative repercussions than in "normal" times. Maybe this will be the impetus for those companies to not just pay lip service to good citizenry by being a truly positive influence on the community.
Regional Sales Manager
5yFrom a business perspective, work processes have been disrupted and have had to modified. When things are working well, few changes get adopted. The COVID-19 crisis has made change a necessity which is the mother of invention. Some work process changes will be temporarily and some will be permanent. The permanent new changes are more efficient and likely would have never been adopted in the pre-COVID 19 world.
I can only speak from my personal experiences and observations, but here are my thoughts on transformation. I have worked from home for several years and while I appreciate the flexibility and lack of interruptions in my work day, the sense of isolation is very real. My European colleagues have long had the practice of using video conferencing for all meetings. While I admired their willingness to "be seen," I was not eager to turn on my webcam, even though I recognized that doing so would minimize my sense of isolation. After all, I do live with my husband and two kids, am involved in school activities, active in a faith community and get out in the world! Then, COVID-19 hit; doors closed, activities ceased and my sense of isolation became overwhelming. When change is forced upon us we have two choices: give in and give up; or figure out what WE CAN DO to make the change work for us. For me it started with getting over my aversion to facetime and video calls. Less than a week after lock down, I attended my first Zoom meeting and used the video function. Four days later, I hosted my first Zoom meeting for the faith community that has sustained me for years. It was just not possible to go from seeing these people every week to not seeing them at all. And then my company closed our offices across the globe, forcing some of the members of my department home. Soon a weekly "hallway chat" was scheduled for our global team and we were asked to use the video feature for the meeting app. I had overcome my discomfort of being on camera in my personal life, now I had to do it at work. There is no business content to this meeting. Our conversations are driven by a topic, stories and trivia matches. We share, we laugh and we see one another, creating a community out of a team that is divided by the ocean. I've found myself wondering why we didn't do this sooner given that more than 50% of our department works from home. But the point of the story is that COVID-19 has forced me to embrace tools already available as a means to stay "physically" connected. I've also established connections with new colleagues and reinforced connections with others. In both my personal and professional space I know that I will continue to use video when talking to family, friends, and colleagues...even after all of the doors reopen. And when office reopen it will not put an end to our "hallway chats" because it is a great tool to build, support and sustain essential professional relationships in a global workforce. So for me, Lori Hansen, the consequences of COVID-19 have been transformational, not in a seismic or cosmic fashion but transformational none the less. My apologies, Jim Rekoske, for the lengthy response, but you provided a platform for me to "get this down." I have further thoughts on this with relation to society and business, in general, but will save those for another day. ;-)
Site Leader & Director Honeywell Sustainability Centre of Excellence
5yBehaviours are hard to change unless people go through a personal situation which has impacted them emotionally. So far COVID has impacted the world by and large economically and a section of people emotionally (loss of near and dear). I guess only this section of people will truly represent a new normal state. Others will resume back post lockdown, in the old normal ways.