Reimagining tomorrow amid COVID-19 challenges

COVID-19 has changed the lives of millions of people around the world. In an incredibly short space of time, people have had to adjust to new ways of working, communicating, and socialising.

Businesses and other organisations were also affected. To survive, they had to adopt new processes and systems at a pace that has never been seen before.

Thanks to modern technology, we all got to watch this process unfold in real time. In my opinion this was a small miracle of its own. Over the last few months, I have had a recurring thought that I cannot shake.

When before in human history have so many people been focused on the same thing? What other phenomenon has been able to generate such a large scale, collective response?

It has been truly awe-inspiring over the last few months to watch how people and organisations, empowered by modern technology, were able to adjust, again and again, to a complicated and rapidly changing context.

If you want to know what will be possible in a digital future, look around. The future is being created by the businesses and people who are learning to not just survive, but thrive, in this new reality. And it is honestly a privilege to work for a company like Microsoft, which has played such a central role in keeping people connected, and business productive, through this troubling time.

What is next?

As the situation has evolved, trends have emerged. I believe some of these will become societal norms. And as business leaders it is our responsibility to adapt our thinking and our approach to the changing needs of our employees and clients.

In recent months we have seen an explosion of digital transformation, with a huge focus placed on equipping employees for remote work. In Microsoft’s quarterly earnings report, CEO Satya Nadella revealed some truly staggering numbers. In April of this year Microsoft Teams saw 200 million meeting participants in a single day, generating more than 4.1 billion meeting minutes.

With so many remote working success stories it seems impossible that organisations will not make permanent changes to their processes where possible.

In fact, African businesses will have to adapt and digitally transform their operations faster than ever if they are to compete in the global economy, with banks already under pressure to do exactly that.

This new era also requires a different approach to employee engagement. This includes due consideration to the psychological well-being of employees as they continue to work from home.

We must think about the impact of social isolation and the burden of balancing work and household responsibilities.

Despite the fast-changing relationship dynamics, we must still continue to learn how to communicate with limited interpersonal engagement. As a result, we must think about shorter but impactful engagements.

We now see the emergence of new technological trends, with more people embracing online retail, online learning, online banking. We have discovered the convenience and ease of technology. In South Africa, and across the broader continent, we must think about the digital divide and our technologies and innovations must be inclusive.

How do we move forward?

It is this commitment to enabling a more inclusive, hybrid work environment post-COVID 19 that has been at the core of the discussions we have had with our customers and partners over the last two days as part of our Reimagine Tomorrow conference. You can listen to the full recording here.

We shared our view of the three phases businesses and industries will need to navigate as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Respond. Recover. Reimagine.

The Respond phase is about crisis management and addressing the immediate need to continue business operations in a quick and safe manner. To a large extent, we have moved through this phase, with businesses forced to respond rapidly to pressing challenges.

To Recover will require businesses to streamline costs and seek operational efficiencies at scale. Battered economies and budget cuts will mean that more than ever, organisations must have clear and accurate insights into their spend, operating, and business data.

The Reimagine phase is about shaping our new normal. We must consider how to reconfigure systems, structures, and people towards a new, more resilient, and more enabled future. This principle must guide our decisions into the future if we are to thrive.

Get serious about cybersecurity and innovation

Cyber security must become a key imperative for business.

As businesses move to remote working and enable more remote operations, organisations are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. We should mitigate these threats by strengthening internal and external security governance and data protection, thus enhancing the overall compliance posture of organisations. This calls for an organisational cultural change.

Innovating across the value chain requires plans that support business continuity, increase corporate value, create competitive advantage, and deliver improved customer experience.

In these challenging times, we have an opportunity to examine and to create new experiences, new products and new revenue streams. Reimagining our businesses is about accelerating digital transformation.

It is about making sure that we empower our employees with the right tools to enhance collaboration, productivity and teamwork, while enabling them to deliver customer value.

Our  Reimagine Tomorrow conference, which took place as a digital event on 7 and 8 July, was about setting planning and thinking in motion. This journey to our new normal begins today and I see technology playing a pivotal role in making the digitally transformed workplace a reality.