Charting Your Re-Entry Into the Post-Pandemic Economy

5 Questions to Guide Your Process

Business leaders across the country continue exploring every conceivable way of adapting to the unprecedented stresses and challenges of the current coronavirus-driven economy. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that, even after the threat of coronavirus has passed, it will leave in its wake a vastly changed economic landscape.

When I read this recent piece in the Harvard Business Review, it struck a chord with me. In it, authors Carsten Pedersen and Thomas Ritter have turned to 5 classic pillars of strategic planning, as envisioned and made famous by the ever-pithy management expert, Henry Mintzberg.

You can read the whole thing below. I hope you find it as thoughtful and thought-provoking as I did. If you would like to know more about how Skybridge Americas can help you transition your call center from an on-site operation to one that is fully staffed with at-home agents, please reach out. We would love to talk.

Preparing Your Business for a Post-Pandemic World

by Carsten Lund Pedersen and Thomas Ritter, April 10, 2020

  1. Along with the severe health and humanitarian crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, executives around the world face enormous business challenges: the collapse of customer demand, significant regulatory modifications, supply chain interruptions, unemployment, economic recession, and increased uncertainty. And like the health and humanitarian sides of the crisis, the business side needs ways to recover. Ad hoc responses won’t work; organizations must lay the groundwork for their recoveries now.

    The management theorist Henry Mintzberg famously defined strategy as 5 Ps: plan, ploy, pattern, position, and perspective. We have adapted his framework to propose our own 5 Ps: position, plan, perspective, projects, and preparedness. The following questions can guide you as you work to bounce back from the crisis. 

    1. What position can you attain during and after the pandemic?

    To make smart strategic decisions, you must understand your organization’s position in your environment. Who are you in your market, what role do you play in your ecosystem, and who are your main competitors? You must also understand where you are headed. Can you shut down your operations and reopen unchanged after the pandemic? Can you regain lost ground? Will you be bankrupt, or can you emerge as a market leader fueled by developments during the lockdown?

    We hear of many firms that are questioning their viability post-pandemic, including those in the travel, hospitality, and events industries. We also hear of firms accelerating their growth because their value propositions are in high demand; think of home office equipment, internet-enabled communication and collaboration tools, and home delivery services. Because of such factors, firms will differ in their resilience. You should take steps now to map your probable position when the pandemic eases.

    1. What is your plan for bouncing back?

    A plan is a course of action pointing the way to the position you hope to attain. It should explicate what you need to do today to achieve your objectives tomorrow. In the current context, the question is what you must do to get through the crisis and go back to business when it ends.

    The lack of a plan only exacerbates disorientation in an already confusing situation. When drawing up the steps you intend to take, think broadly and deeply, and take a long view.

    1. How will your culture and identity change?

    Perspective means the way an organization sees the world and itself. In all likelihood, your culture and identity will change as a result of the pandemic. A crisis can bring people together and facilitate a collective spirit of endurance — but it can also push people apart, with individuals distrusting one another and predominantly looking after themselves. It’s crucial to consider how your perspective might evolve. How prepared was your organization culturally to deal with the crisis? Will the ongoing situation bring your employees together or drive them apart? Will they see the organization differently when this is over? Your answers will inform what you can achieve when the pandemic ends.

Read the entire article here >

-Bobby Matthews

Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Skybridge Americas
bmatthews@skybridgeamericas.com


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