COVID-19: An Opportunity to Usher in Change

COVID-19 has been a lifechanging experience. It is your unique opportunity to usher in the changes you always wanted to bring in, in the individual and organizational behaviour.

COVID-19 has been a lifechanging experience. It is turning several basic ideas of life upside down. Socializing is now considered odious, even criminal in some communities, while social distancing is becoming the norm. Face masks are one’s essential part of your costume today in many cities and countries.

Human history is a story of gregariousness. Schools, churches, temples, business enterprises and the entire global economy are all built on the assumption of social life. COVID-19 has attacked the very basis of human sociability.

The economics of social distancing is a brand-new topic. Economists are yet to figure out the implications of it. What we know is that COVID-19 has changed and is changing the individual, social and organizational behaviour. COVID-19 has presented a combination of intricate health and economic challenges. It is questioning the social order and testing the high-touch business models characterized by the close relationship with its customers and the synergies of teamworking.

We wonder what is in store for us tomorrow. Just like the little girl in Alice in the Wonderland, we also ask ourselves: How puzzling all these changes are! I’m never sure what I’m going to be, from one minute to another.

It is not mere curiosity. It is anxiety about what is happening around us. But remember, anxiety is fundamentally a cynical curiosity. As a child, you were quite curious. As an adult, you are more concerned about the consequences and tend to become anxious.

With the threat of COVID-19, everyone is looking for an exit route and ready to make the changes needed to bring the life back on track. The world is now ready for change. COVID-19 is the driver of that change.

“Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to our eyes. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last, some crisis shows what we have become.”: Brooke Foss Westcott

C in COVID-19 Stands for Change

Change management is an intriguing, complex concept. Kurt Lewin gave us the Change Management model of Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze. But then we had a problem. We did not want to unfreeze. We did not want to change. But the world is more ready for change today than ever before.

It was Plato who said: Necessity is the mother of invention. In the same vein, necessity is the catalyst for change. Now is an opportune moment for ushering in changes you always wanted to bring in. ‘C’ in COVID-19 stands for change. COVID-19 has unfrozen the world, ready for change. You are only required to change and refreeze.

The changes can be about systems, practices and norms and in any function such as operations, human resources or finance. It can be departmental or organization-wide.

Unique Opportunity for Courageous Leaders

Is a crisis an opportune time to bring in change? The answer is yes if the change is vision-driven and initiating the changes is a feasible option. The vision-driven changes enable an organization to realize its objectives and aspirations. “Does a crisis not blur your vision?” You may further ask. The reality is that crisis brings the best out of the strong.

A crisis is not the time for minor, tinkering changes. Vision-driven changes tend to be significant with long term implications. Remember, both successes and failures are changes — the argument here is that visionary leaders turn crises into successes. Crisis, when not well managed, is called a failure.

Implementing the Change

One legitimate concern is whether you can implement changes when even the normal operations are disrupted. Reid Hoffman, the founding CEO of LinkedIn has told us way back in 2009: “In crisis times, it is not more difficult to motivate your staff, because everyone gets much more focused on how they control their economic destiny.”

As the leader, you do have the opportunity in a crisis to galvanize the support of the stakeholders and effect those critical changes that will benefit the organization and the stakeholders. In an organizational setting, you will be surprised to find how willing your team is to bring in the changes in times of a crisis. As Collin Powel as told us, a dream does not become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

COVID-19 is both a challenge and an opportunity. It is your opportunity to usher in change.