The new year has started and even if it feels like nothing has changed, so much has changed. We are facing the challenges of new supply chain management, sustainable strategies and a new world of work. In the midst of this disruptive change caused by the pandemic, we are realizing it’s all forward and no backward. We do not wait until Corona is over and then return to our “normal” lives. Our life and work will be completely different. So it wasn’t a pause button that was pressed in early 2020, it was a start button.
A start into a completely new present and future. Digitization is no longer a topic of discussion; it is the necessary prerequisite for our economy, social life and supply. They say Corona has speeded up digitization, and there’s some truth to that. But above all, Corona has ensured that digitization as a disruptive change not only enters companies, but the lives of every person.
What is said so succinctly has in fact not yet reached our minds. We are not returning to the past. The world and our lives have changed. Every beginning, they say, has a magic in it, and in every change, there is an opportunity. Only what exactly does our opportunity look like? As with any disruptive change, there are winners and losers. Even though we cannot categorize the world in black and white and stereotyping would be wrong, it can be said that the winners are those who embrace change and go for it.
It is important that we pick up all generations and take them with us. In other words, the so-called baby boomers and generations X-Z. In doing so, we need to link digital natives and digital immigrants. Some people can live and work better with digital proximity or proximity at a distance than others. Especially those who hold a leading position will have noticed that some of their employees are bursting with creativity since Corona and can work very concentrated even from home. After initial difficulties due to the blurring of the boundaries between work and private life, the advantages of home office were recognized and a pleasant work-life balance occurred. Other employees fear not being visible or remain in the Corona waiting room in the hope that the old normality will soon return.
Whether passing the time in the waiting area or embracing change, everyone longs for real-life meetings, exhibitions, concerts, parties, and good old-fashioned exchanges at the office coffee machine. But the home office will also accompany us after Corona. That’ s a good thing, because if we’re honest, we don’t want to miss out on all the benefits it brings. Just the other day, a colleague said to me, “the great thing about the home office is I can eat aioli all day and no one minds.” This is of course a humorous example 😉. But it shows at least one advantage very clearly.
Video conferencing will not be the preferred communication channel in the future. In times of sustainable action and numerous digital possibilities, we still have to ask ourselves: Does it make sense to go on a business trip for a whole day if the appointment can also take place virtually without costs and for the benefit of the climate? The answer is obvious and that is why video conferencing will remain part of our lives. However, and this is something we can all look forward to, in the future we will be able to combine the best of both worlds. I guess therein lies the magic of the beginning of our journey and also the opportunity of change. We simply take the best of two worlds, past and present, and combine it to create a modern future.