”When we rebuild a house, we are rebuilding a home. When we recover from disaster, we are rebuilding lives and livelihoods.” Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Economist
Wikipedia defines a crisis as “any event that is going to lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole society.” The 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic is a world-wide crisis for which the world was ill-prepared to cope with. Why was the United States not prepared? Having survived wars, a 1918 influenza pandemic, various natural HIV, H1N1, Hepatitis A, E. coli, Legionnaires’ Disease, civil unrest, and major economic downturns, did we become complacent and over-confident? Can we attribute the lack of preparedness to hubris and a false sense of security?
The coronavirus pandemic is a wake-up call and reminder that crises are always looming. Crises demand decisive leadership and action, a sense of urgency, emergency planning, risk assessment, on-going training, crisis simulations, teamwork, and a communication strategy. There also is a critical need to build trust and model behavior; engage and empower employees; gather and analyze data; formulate and communicate a vision and mission; develop culture change strategies; and conduct periodic reviews of the emergency preparedness plan to ensure it remains current with organization, culture and employee changes. As we are learning, we can never be too prepared for a crisis. The bad news is the coronavirus pandemic has crippled the economy; unemployment and anxiety are up; toilet paper is hard to find; medical facilities are overburdened; businesses, bars, restaurants, municipalities, schools, universities, places of worship, amusement and recreational centers are closed; our beloved American sports programs are on hold; conspirator theorist abound; and, sadly, people are dying. The good news is traffic is light; fuel prices are dropping; the air is cleaner; crime is down; people are more respectful to each other and keeping their distance; residents are exploring their neighborhoods and checking on neighbors; the young are shopping for the elderly; and families are coming together. Even the bears, deer, coyotes, mountain lions, and other wild life are roaming freely in beautiful Yosemite Valley. As Julio Vincent Gambuto has aptly noted, this pandemic has quieted the incessant urban tumult that inhibits our ability to define what we would like our communities and lifestyles to look like for future generations.
Our country’s history, going back to the American Revolutionary War, is replete with wars, epidemics, economic downturns, and natural disasters. Fortunately, in each situation the United States has rallied and comeback stronger as a result. This is true for other countries throughout the world who have tackled daunting challenges. In the mid-19th century, London struggled against cholera. A beneficial outcome of the crisis was London getting to install more sewers so that people’s drinking water was not mixing with waste. In 1946, after WWII, Britain was bankrupt and much of continental Europe was in ruins. The British were struggling with what it would take to survive this dreadful crisis. There was no vision or plan to stop Stalin, rebuild Europe and secure the commitment of the United States to both objectives. It took Winston Churchill’s “resilience, creativity and imaginative daring” to inspire and motivate the British to persevere and prevail. Germany and Belgium also recovered from the WWII devastation by promoting a free market, a slight degree of progression in the income tax system, and government antitrust laws that prevented monopolies. Similarly, Japan aggressively rebuilt its nation by adopting a new constitution that guaranteed civil liberties, labor rights and women suffrage. U.S. sponsored measures during post-war occupation of Japan contributed to the economy’s performance by increasing competition. In addition, Japan, with assistance from the U.S., was committed to rebuilding lost industrial capacity, increased competition, and the creation of an educational system that accelerated modernization processes and a technologically advanced economy positioning it to become a global economic power. These are just some examples of how countries took advantage of opportunities created by crises to effectuate positive and enduring change. We have to keep in mind that these changes did not happen overnight. Sacrifices had to be made; trust built; risks taken; change embraced; partnerships forged; results attained; successes celebrated; and bounties shared.
I associate crisis with change. To truly effectuate change, metaphorically speaking, a pendulum has to swing dramatically one way or the other. Why? Unfortunately, organizations’ pervasive view of change is “if it isn’t broke, why fix it?” Employees seek stability and order and will do whatever they can to resist or slow down the pendulum’s momentum. Knowingly or subconsciously change is resisted. Once the pendulum is set in motion, the goal becomes to stop the swing and return it to its prior resting place. This then is referred to as bringing things back to “normal.” Insinger in the Future of Supervision, 2015, believes that after a crisis you need to get back to normal. Doing so reduces the likelihood of creating real and lasting changes. That is why organizations opt for incremental changes; these are the least disruptive and the most acceptable.
Nonetheless, if an organization chooses, a crisis does provide an opportunity to make changes – culturally and systemically. For those who seek positive and lasting change, back to the metaphor, the hope is that the pendulum will swing up far enough so when the natural forces come into play the pendulum’s momentum will stop high enough to create a “new normal.” Korvitz argues that “the longer the crisis lasts, the greater the likelihood a paradigm shift will become inevitable.” He goes on to note that “…this process can be wrenching…” and takes place within the “span of a generation.” So the question is how much instability and disruption can we endure. Do we only want to return to normal or do we want to seize the opportunity a pandemic affords us and create a real “new normal” that focuses on more efficient and effective organizations and an improved quality of life for all? My vote is for the latter. Of course, this is both tricky and risky.
As we hear and learn about the coronavirus, we are alarmed at the toll this virus is taking on the lives of people and economies around the world. The goal is to get us back to normal quickly providing medical supplies, testing, financial assistance, jobs, and the freedom to roam and congregate. What we don’t hear is how this virus will be contained and what organizations will do to recover from the crisis, create jobs, and rebuild our economy while improving our environment and quality of life. On April 17, 2020, the Santa Monica Mirror reported that there is signed petition for firing the City of Santa Monica city manager and assistant city manager. The city manager had recommended staff reductions and the elimination of non-essential services to deal with the projected $300 million stemming from the loss of revenues due to the coronavirus. Two days later the city manager resigned stating “If I have to be the scapegoat for this, if I have to be the teller of bad news, I am prepared to do that, because that’s my job under the charter.” The Mayor of Los Angeles recently warned in his State of the City address “that the economic downturn facing Los Angeles will be more painful than the 2008 recession, requiring cuts to government programs and the furlough of thousands of city employees.” Similar actions also are being proposed by universities, school districts, large corporations and medium and small businesses throughout California and the country. Every entity is seeking financial assistance from state and Federal governments to stimulate the economy.
More than just financial assistance will be needed to stimulate local economies and foster confidence in our government and leaders. Winston Churchill provided us with the roadmap - leadership, resilience, creativity, and imaginative daring. Jim Collins has provided the mantra - this is the time for “Big, Hairy, and Audacious Goals.” It starts with doing the right things rather than what might be considered politically correct or ideologically motivated. We need clear and decisive leadership and a vision that seems achievable and reasonable rather than a future filled with uncertainty. Trust needs to be built, earned and maintained. Open, honest, active communication and transparency are paramount. Decisions should be made with compassion, respect and fairness. Benjamin Franklin reminds us that “it takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it.”
We have to persevere, be prepared to face adversity, and willing to sacrifice and pull together. Patience is a virtue; resiliency a strength. Only through inclusion, cooperation and collaboration can we move our organizations and society forward. Teamwork is not merely a cliché; it is a necessity. We have to be open-minded, accepting of differences of opinions, and willing to take chances yet cognizant of the risks. Remember there are no bad ideas and mistakes should be considered learning experiences. This is the time to embrace creative ways of achieving a desired end and the “new normal.” We cannot be fettered by how things have always been done but excited about imagining new ways of doing things. Technology can certainly help.
I would be remiss in not mentioning things I think organizations can do to help smooth the path to a “new normal.”
· Strategic plans should be developed or updated to reflect revised goals, short and long-term objectives and timelines in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
· Concerns of displaced workers should be allayed by involving employees and employee unions and association in developing a fair and equitable recovery action plan.
· Human Resources staff should be reassigned to outplacement roles to advise and support employees about outside employment opportunities, prepare and coach employees about application and resume preparation, solicit information from potential employers about essential core competencies, provide employees with mock interviews, and obtain feedback from employers about why the employee was selected or what the employee could have done better to obtain a position.
· Communication lines should be open and active.
· Core services should be defined, identified, explained and understood.
· Organization design should be evaluated for improvement in communication, collaboration, workflow, productivity, efficiency, redundancy, and accountability.
· Job restructuring and redesign studies should be conducted and staffing plans developed.
· Performance metrics should be established.
· Job sharing and part-time employment opportunities should be offered.
· Telecommuting should continue to be offered as an alternative to working on site.
· Technological enhancements should be on-going.
· Underwriting current employee small businesses ventures to perform services currently performed by full-time employees should be explored This would entail awarding exclusive contracts to these businesses for such functions as public information, job advertising and outreach, data gathering and analysis, landscaping services, auto repair and maintenance, painting, janitorial services, etc.
· Whenever possible employees should be recognized and rewarded for their accomplishments, resiliency, creativity and imagination.