Who will prosper and who will not?
Only those Firms who are able to adapt to new working dynamics may enjoy the privilege of existence. Understand, accept and embrace working from home as the new paradigma, represents an interesting challenge for corporate culture.
The significant reduction of costs associated with transport, office maintenance and even clothing have a deep impact in our society. Consumer patterns are shifting and some signs may suggest that a new level of consciousness is spreading as our society becomes more connected, huge volumes of news, research studies and information constantly shape mainstream thoughts, believes and behaviours.
New sharing economies, on-line shopping and services are becoming the core value-creating train. As in any creative process, old ways are perishing or reducing to a minimum. Curiously enough, this new pandemic corona virus is accelerating this scenario by imposing social distancing and self isolation as survival measures.
Quarantine has diverse effects in human psique & behaviour. Therefore, Motivation, optimism, curiousness, mental health, focus on specific tasks and healthy routines are the new goals that HR need to stimulate in their remote working partners in order to usher them to add as much value as possible, together with the ability to reorganise all tasks, communication, on line meetings, supply chain and management layers, are two challenges to overcome, obliging businesses to cut unnecessary process by digitalising and delegating as many tasks to new technologies like Artificial Intelligence as possible, so if your job can be easily done by an app, it may be time to acquire new skills and jump into the new order that is currently taking shape.
In previous crisis, one determinant factor for survival has been size. The conception that a firm is just ”too big to fail” just had its limit tested with Lehman Brothers for example. The new conception shall be “too Agile to fail”. Meaning it is the speed and accuracy in which firms are able to create new ways of delivering their products and services, that will provide a real competitive advantage to gain market share and conquer new markets in new battlegrounds that may be located on a cloud.
Who wins?
Some workers may spend less time in traffic or commuting, and more time with their families or employing these hours in more fulfilling activities, saving money and in most cases {hopefully} more productive. One possible business that may find this very convenient, are co-working spaces, as traditional offices open up for a new kind of nomad worker. People may travel less to a single office and become nomads that work from anywhere. Obviously after this virus is controlled.
Firms benefit from this behaviour because it makes everyone in the planet, with an internet connection, available. For certain tasks you may hire workers in regions where salaries are not as high.
As these ideas are being written, a Cambrian explosion of start-ups are identifying these gaps and opportunities to create new apps, digital solutions and new environments or ecosystems where business takes place. A generational change is also happening and Millennials are leading it.
The planet also wins. Thanks to quarantine for large percentages of citizens, less fuel is burned, pollution is notoriously reducing, to the point that Venice has clear channels and dolphins are seen again swimming in them. Social media is sparkled with footage of rare animals wandering in empty streets around the globe.
Facts
Oil and Geo-Politics. An inflection point starts with a crisis while the creative destruction takes place. New Order? Oil prices fall, increasing supply, falling demand have driven prices more than 20 years back, below 20$ per barrel. Most airplanes are grounded, only Cargo planes are active as the world comes to a halt. Cars are parked. Only merchant ships are sailing the oceans.
Shops, restaurants and malls are closed. Only those with healthy finance habits are capable of surviving. Jobless claims are increasing, quickly becoming a burden for state pockets around the world. Fears of a severe crisis are forcing organisations to reinvent themselves.
A new form of struggle for global domination is here to stay. These factors not only affect economies and business, they also redefine politics. The dynamics of a new global cold war is pulling the strings of power networks. A race to dominate regions through financial control, sanctions and diplomatic manoeuvres posts an interesting scenario where fortunes are to be made or squandered.
Here we go!
While this Quarantine lasts, each and everyone of us, have the opportunity to gain back time, reinvent ourselves, learn new skills while strengthening existing ones and ultimately, take steps towards the only Purpose or rather a Moral Obligation that all humans share, that is to become the Best Version of Ourselves.
Ávila Invest 