Coronavirus: Managing your business through the next phase

First published 29th April 2020
by Tom Warneke
Global | Understanding Your World | Resolving Incidents & Crisis

Coronavirus continues unabated around the world as societies and economies are impacted. Governments, institutions and corporations are all deep in crisis response trying to make it through the day to day as well as prepare for what comes next. One thing’s for sure — no one has dealt with this before.

Depending on your location, some are newer at this than others. Those in Asia are likely entering their fourth month of pandemic management whilst those in South America or Africa are likely passing 4–6 weeks with everyone else somewhere on the continuum in between. If you’re working within a multinational corporation, you’re likely dealing with multiple milestones and phases simultaneously making your response and recovery all the more difficult.

The reality for everyone is, we’re not going ‘back to normal’. The Coronavirus pandemic is certainly an event that has changed us all globally — people and society, governments, educational institutions, media, corporations, operations, supply chains, consumers and suppliers — everyone is facing a brave new world.

Likely for most right now, you’re merely treading water if not stopped entirely.

Having said all of that, one of the benefits of a global crisis is that you’re not facing it alone. COVID-19 is truly a global challenge and you can likely take solace in that whatever challenges you or your organisation are facing, someone else is too. This is beneficial not just from an emotional or psychological one, it’s also beneficial as we collectively try to navigate and learn from each other.

The intense operational challenges have seen companies fall into two camps: those who had strong continuity and crisis management plans and those that don’t. We’ve written extensively over the past months about the basics of crisis management and business continuity in case you’re very quickly finding your feet.

But as some countries around the world start to look to lessen restrictions and some companies look to restart or recharge operations, many are beginning to look further ahead towards the return to ‘business as normal’ and the recovery phase.

In line with that, we’ve explored a few ways of how you can best assess your next steps and what you should be looking towards.

Monitoring and Information

Hopefully throughout the pandemic, one of the simplest and most obvious tasks has been to stay up to date with information and intelligence in the locations in which you operate. Monitoring this and analysing the information to make decisions is critical for your crisis management team. Establishing key crisis triggers and then using that data is vital to knowing what to do and when.

Review your plans & scenarios

Even the best crisis management plans out there need testing and assessing. It’s doubtful even the most robust plans had considered a pandemic akin to what we’re currently living. As such, it pays to be constantly reviewing your plans and whether they’re suitable and all the potential ‘what ifs’ that might accompany them.

It’s also worthwhile considering extending your tolerances and timelines. Most crisis management plans explore critical incidents — a fire, a flood, a data breach or a terrorist attack. Most of these are fairly rapid and have a short hangover time. Conversely, COVID-19 is likely to be an issue for 12+ months. This means the response needs to be different and considered. It also means considering all stakeholders — clients, customers, staff, vendors, suppliers, supply chain, transport and logistics. Review and actively engage these people to ensure your plans fit with theirs.

It’s also worthwhile constructing and testing scenarios of various next steps and ongoing crisis so you’re better prepared to deal with what’s coming.

Communication

We’ve written extensively about the importance of communications — both internal and external, at this time. Communication is an ongoing requirements so ensure that even as you may be moving into lesser restrictions and a more ‘normal’ operation that communications continue to all stakeholders.

Triggers & Decision Making

Perhaps the biggest unknown and most important question is — when will we be back to normal?

The new normal not withstanding, it’s pertinent for you to consider for yourself, your team and your organisation what that new normal might be and work backwards to define what will allow you to get there. There is no global trigger for when restrictions can be eased and operations restart — these are highly individual and subjective.

One of the baseline indicators being used by many govenrments and corporations is that of the incident curve. If you’re starting to see a flattening of the curve and a decrease in cases, it might be a sign that things are improving. Having said that, it’s also pertinent to have a plan if there’s another spike and you near to shutdown again or change operations to another iteration. It’s unlikely that it’ll be a straightforward return to normality.

Once you’ve considered all these things — ensure that everyone is aware of their responsibilities in making the next steps happen and that everyone’s aware who makes decisions and how they’ll be communicated.

Empathy

We’ve written previously about the importance of empathetic leadership and how important it has been throughout the pandemic. Particularly as we reach a potential break point, it’s certainly no time to stop. Empathy, transparency and caring leadership is vital and will continue to be. This includes keeping staff informed and reassuring them about what’s happening now and what’s coming.

A steady hand is key now and will be key to any further developments as we manage this crisis.

In Closing

There’s still a multitude of possibilities when exploring planning for what’s coming next week, next month, next quarter and next year. For those who manage the crisis well, there’s plenty of opportunity ahead. Decisions built on data, analysis, proper planning, tested procedures and a steady hand will help companies and organisations thrive in the times ahead.

Many of our clients globally are already engaging with us as they determine how to monitor the situation whilst continuing their operations and keep their teams and operations safe.

We’ve setup a hub on our website to help our clients track the situation as well as access the latest in analysis as well as advice from the World Health Organisation — find us at www.complexglobal.co/covid-19

We’re helping our clients through monitoring and analysis of the situation via inCountry as well as our local, regional & global analysts and experts as well as our crisis response and emergency management provisions — ensuring our clients are assisted in their time of need.

If you have concerns about your current operations and the risks to your team or your business or if you feel you need a more developed understanding in the current situation and what might help you be better prepared, our team is able to assist. We have an expansive team in most regions with access to the latest information and analysis as well as scenario planning and support. To find out how we can support you, our team can be reached at coronavirus@complexglobal.co