Published on July 24, 2020
As Lock-down eases and we transition into the much-mentioned “New Normal” many organisations are coping with the rigours of novel scenarios and how that is affecting their business. Whether that’s remote working, reduced workforce or a change in business priorities; most companies will adapt and survive but that is only the start as far as we can see.
As some sort of normality returns, companies and specifically the management teams will need to re-start their businesses and open their doors again. That step involves challenges but also significant opportunities. To just open the metaphorical doors for business, switch on the computers, sit your people back at their desks and expect things to go back to how they were at the beginning of March 2020 would be to underestimate the scale of the changes most businesses have undergone over the last 4 months, voluntarily or otherwise.
In the situation we’re facing as businesses re-start the challenges will be far more fundamental. Over time, Organisations create their own momentum, their own direction, their own logic and in some cases their own language or ways of communicating. In normal times things evolve and make sense for lots of different reasons. When a "hard-stop" is introduced such as Corona it's not just a case of coming back to the office and picking up where we left off. That is a recipe for disaster, not just for BAU but for all the change initiatives, programmes, priorities and targets that were in place immediately before Corona kicked in.
We know from experience helping companies resume business after much smaller disruptions, that detailed planning is required to achieve a controlled re-start that can be scaled up over time until a full resumption is achieved.
To give an example of how different things are I spoke with an MD of a significant financial services company recently who was looking to re-open their offices earlier than planned to assist with the mental health of employees who had been working from small flats or rooms during the lockdown. He also acknowledged recent news that some staff saw the office as their safe place. Who could have seen that thought pattern 6 months ago?
In the lead up to resumption so much value can be added by management teams by asking better and more challenging questions. Nothing should be off limits with these questions and there never has been, and never might be, a better opportunity to ask them. How about:
Are we still in the right business / segment?
Are we still the right size / do we have the right people & skills?
Do the big change ideas and programmes we had in place back in March still make sense?
Is our budget still realistic?
Has our risk appetite changed after Corona?
Are their new opportunities that we can explore?
Do we need to re-think our technology platform to make future Corona type events more manageable?
