2021 Is The Time To Re-Imagine And Rebuild Your Organization

Towards the end of last year, my colleague Victor van Baal wrote an article about the pathway from Qelp to our present identity as SYKES Digital Services.  He described a three-stage adjustment that I believe most organizations will be experiencing as we exit 2020 and enter the new normal of 2021. Even those that don’t require a fundamental change will need to be aware that the possibility now exists.  

 This three-stage period can be summarized as: 

1. REACT: The REACT stage is characterized by the immediate and critical need to respond to the sudden impact of a major, enterprise-side event - such as Covid-19 - in order to survive. 
2. RESPOND: The RESPOND stage is characterized by the need to transition the organization from the immediate reaction to a new state (which is not yet defined), with resilience and sustainability built in by design 
3. RE-IMAGINE: The RE-IMAGINE stage is characterized by new ways of working beginning to emerge, commercial and operational structures settling and a need to redraw the overall strategic direction. 

Let’s consider this final stage a bit further - what does it mean to fundamentally re-imagine how a business operates? It sounds overly dramatic to talk about re-imagination without defining why this is becoming essential, so let’s consider three variables that may be affecting your business now: 

• Your business model changed in 2020: many companies found that it was impossible to operate throughout the pandemic. Large meetings have been impossible all year so events and conference organizers have had nothing to work on. Travel has been difficult, and many hospitality businesses have been affected by stay-at-home orders. There is no immediate exit from this changed world as a vaccine may take many months to create a situation where normality can return - were you forced to pivot quickly to a new model because of necessity? 
• Your competition has changed in 2020: it could be that your competitors saw the looming changes and pivoted to adjust much faster than you and now they are dominating your market. It could also be that new market entrants have suddenly moved into an area that you previously controlled. This year has seen some dramatic changes in how competition can rapidly change. 
• Change you planned for is accelerated: many industries, such as retail, were already on a path to omnichannel support - an integration of stores with apps and online shopping. They knew it was needed, but maybe they were not yet offering 100% support for this when it became vital. How can you now accelerate the plans you thought might be a 2-3 year transition and make that a 2-3 month transition? 

This is the challenge that faces many organizations at present. Change is taking place all around and there is often little guidance or ability to predict the next move. Governments are making rapid decisions that may prioritize public health over your business - there is nothing you can do as the marketplace adjusts and moves around you. 

The one fundamental truth I would state is that the disruption of 2020 will not be over in January. It’s fantastic to see that Covid-19 vaccines are now being distributed, but production has to be dramatically increased for the social distancing measures to decline. Businesses like hospitality and travel may face restrictions for most of the next year. 

Think carefully about the changes you already had planned or the changes you had to rapidly adopt in 2020. How can you rapidly create a stronger foundation for 2021 by reimagining a more agile organization? How quickly can you get there? 

Let me know what you think about the need to fundamentally re-think and re-imagine your business for the new normal. Are you feeling a change in your own industry and is this something you did not consider necessary before the pandemic, but perhaps it’s becoming an imperative now? Leave a comment here or get in touch with me directly via LinkedIn.