During the early months of the global pandemic, we frequently heard and used the expression “in a post-COVID-19 world” when thinking about the future. Now, after four months of sheltering in place and no clear path to a new “normal,” we’re beginning to hear the phrase “life in a COVID-19 world.”
As the world has learned to cope with the pandemic and started to look ahead to long-term recovery, we all keep hearing about the need to “build back better”, increase resilience and not go back to the way things were. Easy to say, but what exactly does that look like? How do we truly transition to rebuilding a “new economy” that is more inclusive and sustainable, using what we have learned in the past few months?
The world is changing at a staggering pace and in order to keep up, businesses must adapt. But isn’t that what business does best - adapt? At least the successful ones: they innovate to stay relevant and ahead of the competition. So why does it seem so difficult for the private sector to adapt to the change this time?