The Covid crisis has brought significant impacts in many areas of our daily lives, but not all of them have been negative. For example, we have spent more quality time with family. It is true that confinement can be exhausting, but managing it correctly, organizing your work hours, family time, some exercise, respecting meal times – which has turned out to be much healthier than always eating out, among other things – has helped us improve the quality of our lives.
We have learned that we need to be more collaborative, not only at work but also with our community, neighbors, family, and businesses near our homes. This is perhaps the only way to move forward, by collaborating with everyone.
We have become much more aware of important issues such as our health and that of those around us, caring for the environment, and climate change, among other things. I know many people living in the Bay Area in California who have shared with me the seriousness of the fires in the area, mainly due to climate change. While there have always been such catastrophes in the region, each year they are more intense.
I believe we have also learned to be more resilient, adaptable, and flexible in various situations. This is a matter of utmost importance for our companies to emerge stronger from this crisis, and technology will play a fundamental role in achieving that.
According to Gartner, composite architectures are the number one trend among emerging technologies for the coming months. For example, they will allow the creation of composable enterprises, which, among other things, will increase business resilience.
«This modular design will allow organizations to recompose themselves when needed, such as during a global pandemic or an economic recession. These types of companies have four fundamental principles: modularity, efficiency, continuous improvement, and adaptable innovation. While many companies claim to have them, a true composable enterprise applies these principles in all areas of the organization, from the business model to the way employees work. This modular business model moves organizations from a rigid planning approach to an agile and highly adaptable model, allowing for innovation, cost reduction, and improved partnerships»(5 Trends Drive The Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2020). https://gtnr.it/2H4mAH2
Finally, among the positive things that this pandemic can generate, there is a great opportunity to start new things in different aspects of our lives. I recently read about the World Economic Forum’s initiative, «The Great Reset,» which emphasizes the urgency of creating a new social commitment to build the foundations of a fairer, more sustainable, and resilient society based on the Covid crisis. It’s a very interesting initiative, and I recommend it. https://www.weforum.org/great-reset
In conclusion, I would add that we have a great opportunity to create a new digital society that is more inclusive, generating more and better jobs, improving healthcare systems, increasing physical and cybersecurity, promoting smarter cities, bringing development to more places and people, providing quality education to more individuals, and allowing us to start anew with better conditions for everyone.
Felipe Labbé
Business strategy and digital transformation consultant.
