The world is in constant motion. The sooner we accept it, the better. There’s no such thing as new normality. If normality, then it’s permanent. If it’s new, then it’s not normality. A major dictionary of the Polish language defines normality as “life proceeding according to certain arranged, known laws and customs”.
Some business customs will remain: values, relationships, principles of collaboration. Collaboration, honesty, and trust still matter in business. And some customs will change, but rather on the level of behaviour: the techniques of collaboration, the ways of communicating, the issues concerning travelling, the possibility to get more things done online. And so we do the same things, achieve similar effects, but in a different fashion. The question is how we approach it and how prepare to it. The most crucial factor is to accept changes, look for opportunities, and manage the risk that may emerge. When analysing the occurring changes, it’s a good idea to look for opportunities to engage in new ventures and explore new business areas, but we should also bear the potential threats in mind. Today we have the coronavirus. Tomorrow it’s going to be something else. There is a saying according to which if there’s been a huge disaster, an even greater disaster may happen. And this “even greater disaster” should be taken into account by all means in one’s plans.
Of course, we can’t foresee everything, but maybe the risk management strategies from one area can be applied in other – new areas. Therefore, we need to be rationally brave. And then we’ll have normality forever.
The text is part of the publication "The New Normal. Reality in the times of the global Covid-19 pandemic. A commentary by the faculty of Kozminski University".
