Currently, we keep talking about Corona and the effects the virus is currently having on our economy and our lives. But despite all the negative aspects we are currently experiencing, the pandemic must also be seized as an opportunity.
Rarely have new and digital skills been more in demand. Seldom have companies had to face a real disruption – not man-made, but situational. We are all now struggling to maintain our status quo, but we should rather see the current situation as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves.
For the first time since the advent of virtual teams and digital working, collaboration tools are not just a nice-to-have, they are becoming a central tool for working effectively. What employees and teams are currently learning about remote working broadens their horizons and enables them to work efficiently and productively even after the corona crisis. Entrepreneurs must not make the mistake of forgetting what they have learned. Rather, they must live it and use it in their everyday lives so that employees continue to use the tools and expand their knowledge.
They must maintain the confidence that has now been forcibly gained in the independent work of their colleagues and thus free themselves from the previous constraints and controls so that the company can run more independently and with greater self-determination.
We are also experiencing a revolution in terms of technology. While applications such as augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence or robotics have so far lacked a truly value-added application, innovative technologies are experiencing a revolution in the pandemic. Virtual Reality will become a central meeting point for people who, at least locally, have had to distance themselves. In VR they can live out their social contacts and interact. Artificial intelligence helps doctors to combat the virus and sequence the virus strands, and robotics brings joy and connectivity to patients who have been classified as a risk group through mechanical interaction.
Collaboration is the last point of learning in the current era. Never before has there been such a dynamic in the collaboration of unusual partners. Companies that were otherwise in competition help each other to overcome the crisis. Industries are working together to use their capabilities to produce medical accessories or clothing without looking at their own direct advantage. (apart from good PR, of course) With a big goal in mind, the boundaries of competition become blurred.
What we must prepare for
In my opinion we have to prepare for a completely new world after the crisis. Managers must, when it comes back to the daily business, let people continue using digital tools and not forget the experiences of the weeks/months, but use them as an opportunity to savour new aspects of work.
You need to motivate people to be open with each other and to continue to work collaboratively and transparently. Now in the perfect harmony of analog and digital. But you also need to make them trust each other more and let the others work in everyday life. Everyone has their own skills and in a truly collaborative working style, everyone does what they do best.
Technologies must be used openly. There must be no fear or aversion to tools such as robotics. In times of crisis they are seen as valuable additions to one’s own work force. This must be maintained in the long term.
Also in this consideration, the new kind of competition comes last. As is already the case with employees, different companies and groups of people can benefit from each other if they work towards a common goal – in this case the future – and concentrate on their own priorities. In the community one can create something unprecedented in this way.
Corona presents us with great challenges, but the opportunities we are currently discovering and learning to use are immense. Managers, founders and directors must therefore use and actively develop the new skills even after the crisis has passed.
So let’s talk about the opportunities, comment on them or join me in an exchange. I am interested in your challenges and your ideas for the world after Corona!
