One of the most overused words in the last month is “unprecedented”.
But for good reason.
For many, this is the first time their generation has witnessed a global event of this scale and severity.
Amongst many of the lessons to be learnt from this crisis, there is one that stands out specifically and that is resilience.
Take Captain Tom Moore, for example, the 100-year-old Army veteran who served in the Second World War, turned multi-million-pound fundraiser and national treasure.
He told the nation, “the thing to remember is tomorrow will be a good day."
And that is to say – in the face of adversity, resilience is what will get us through.
As businesses, we have rapidly adjusted to the changing needs of our people, customers and suppliers.
We’ve been faced with tackling human resilience with an “elastic” workforce; systems resilience with a sudden change of volume, increased security risks and a need for real-time decision making; and now more than ever, resilience in our supply chains to supply goods and services quickly, safely and securely–particularly to those that are high risk or on the frontline.
Accenture has been working closely with clients to identify and overcome some of these challenges.
For example, the recent collaboration with Microsoft and NHS Digital to implement new clinical applications of Teams, which has enabled NHS staff across the country to conduct virtual consultations and clinical meetings.
The same features are also enabling patients confined to quarantined hospital wards to speak with family and friends.
Human attitudes and behaviours have also changed at an eye-watering speed, forcing organisations to respond.
These new mindsets are likely to persist after lockdown starts to ease. We will undoubtedly see an ongoing focus on digital commerce, virtual activities, remote working and automation that will reshape the way we live and work.
This means that many of the resilience changes we’ve made in the short term will become more permanent solutions. For example, some countries have used the crisis to “test” their use of automation and the efforts that they’ve been making to embrace, what we term, Industry X.0 initiatives.
Others are using data insights to drive much more rapid decision making. As we emerge, we are likely to see an acceleration in the uptake of these technologies.
People talk about the “new normal” but perhaps we should refer to the “never normal”.
There are undoubtedly many unknowns and challenges ahead; yet those with the ability to be agile in their responses, as signs of recovery emerge, will be better placed to survive and seize the opportunities presented.
And while experts still don’t know how long it will take to contain the virus, and leaders prepare for the short-term, what is certain is that we need to capture the spirit of innovation, agility and resilience as part of all solutions to challenge what we did, just a few months ago, and think about how we really build back better.
