PG #61: The strategy itch

Paper Giant is currently engaged in several projects that seek to understand the impact COVID is having on the way we work, how we relate with one another, our relationships and our mental health and wellbeing. While these projects may satisfy my interest in people and their behaviours, it doesn’t tell me much about organisations. That is the itch that the strategist in me desperately wants to scratch.

For the last few months, I have been standing on the outside of these organisations, theorising about what is going on inside. With all this time on my hands I have come up with a few assumptions. I believe that COVID is forcing businesses to digitise. The customer’s demand for online products and services are only increasing, so I assume that business is scrambling to meet that demand. The knock-on effect of this must be an intense pressure to increase the pace at which digital transformation strategies are rolled out.

COVID is also clearly impacting the employee experience (EX). Teams are more fragmented and disconnected than ever, making it hard to build or maintain culture or morale. Now more than ever, organisations need to accelerate their understanding of and ability to deliver an exceptional EX. New capabilities and infrastructure will be needed to adapt swiftly and remain competitive.

These are just theories. I am waiting for organisations to spring back to life and start telling me what their objectives for the next six months are.

If you have thoughts on what businesses need in the coming months, I’d love to know – you can reply to this email or shoot me a message on LinkedIn, let’s chat.