Preparing your Business for a Post-Pandemic World

When SARS and Ebola viruses invaded the African Continent, individuals were at the peak of their usual nothing-out-of-the-ordinary lifestyles. However, the course of evolution would change in the year 2019, when the COVID-19 Pandemic reached the global population.

With the health crisis at its peak, the global market was prone to newer challenges due to the decline in the client demand, substantial regulatory changes, disruptions in the supply chain, unemployment, an economic downturn, and uncertainty of the future.

Consequently, the livelihoods of individuals were transitioned into a digital context, where tactile screens took the place of face-to-face interactions. One of the biggest challenges was adjusting to this ‘new normal’ while ensuring that employees remained active, engaged and motivated throughout the distributed workforce. However, this resulted in the population being tested on their resilience in sustainability against all odds.

Currently, in the year 2022, it can be noted that there has been a gradual transition from the digital context to the physical environment, while other institutions have opted for a hybrid approach. However, despite the change, the individuals have noted difficulties in adjusting back. That is, they have gotten used to the familiar alternate reality and are now being thrust back into what was once normal but is now an experience that is both vaguely familiar yet utterly foreign.

While it can seem like the Global Pandemic is over, the reality is, that it has only been mitigated to a certain extent. Therefore, fluctuations could occur in terms of possible lockdowns in different parts of the world.

Although the saying, “Prevention is better than cure” can be related to the health sector, we can associate this to the business sector as well. Management Theorist, Henry Mintzberg, famously defined the strategy as 5 Ps which can be revamped as Position, Plan, Perspective, Projects and Preparedness to the current context, to help the businesses navigate through the post-pandemic industry with ease.

Position
To make sound decisions regarding the company, one must first understand the organization’s position within the industry, what its customer base consists of, who its competitors are and what the end target is.

Are the products and services still in demand or does the company offer less than the value?
Are employees ready to come back to the once normalcy?
Will you be able to recover your losses?

During the pandemic while some questioned their viability, some emerged stronger than others by adapting to the situation. Shifting to online platforms for work , social media for promotions , internet-enabled communication and collaboration tools, doing e- commerce, offering online-services for customers has become more efficient over time.

Evidently the company is responsible for mapping probable positions to determine the necessary steps to be taken to come out ahead in the industry.

Plan
A plan is a course of action that points the way to the position you hope to attain. Understanding the positionality of the company, enables individuals to create a roadmap in decision-making. Without a plan, the company would be stuck in a never ending cycle which will inevitably lead to bankruptcy.

With the advent of the pandemic, many companies around the world experienced a drop in their finances. However, more than 50% of companies were able to get back on track after a while. They were able to rebound from their losses and sustain themselves comparatively.

Examining the competition, industry, supply chain, business processes, and technological infrastructure can be taken into account when creating plans for the future of the company. Having in-depth insight to these factors can help in drawing up backup plans for multiple realities at the same time.

Perspective
is the way an organization perceives the world and itself. Like how a crisis can unite people and foster a sense of shared tenacity, it also has the ability to create discord.

Therefore, post-pandemic thinking has evolved to questioning the culture and identity of a company, leading to re-examination of the company’s vision and mission.

Ergo, it is crucial to consider how the employees’ perspectives change. By analyzing the outcomes one can turn the tides to achieve the best for the organization.

Projects
With the pandemic, previously planned projects were neither successful, nor achievable and employees had to come up with different ideas that facilitated the working environment amidst the COVID- 19 Pandemic.

Preparedness
By strategically selecting and prioritizing projects that are situation- specific, utilizing available resources more effectively, by cutting down costs, and thinking of alternative ways to tackle the projects are key point indicators for success. This allows organizations to re-visualize standards and re-strategize its future in the Global Market.

That is, the company must be prepared to accomplish outlined projects while being realistic about the goals and adjusting time as necessary while having new energy. Depending on the resources at hand, and speed and quality of decision making processes and variations and fluctuations in these factors can determine who achieves and who falls short of success.

Like Confucius once said, “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”

The COVID- 19 Pandemic is a reality, changing the era for all around the world. Or more so, the era in which digitalization came in handy. Although the pandemic had unprecedented impacts on the world, especially in the business sector, it created many opportunities as well. However, companies must be prepared for the inevitable future to ensure that organizations could be resilient.

Written by: Chathurya Kondapperuma