The switch to virtual working happened almost overnight for many organisations , and represents a powerful example of the way businesses have been able to achieve amazing feats of agility in a remarkably short time . Disruptive times require disruptive thinking .
Yanjun Guan , professor , Durham University Business School
While we manage through COVID-19 , we must recognise how our national culture and personal cultural orientations dictate how we respond to its impact on our future . For example , leaders of inter-cultural teams should pay attention to subordinates ’ culture-specific coping styles and use a more flexible way to improve the effectiveness of their teams .
Miha Škerlavaj , professor , BI Norwegian Business School
In the workplace , ‘ mastery climates ’ are associated with employee self-improvement , progress , higher work performance , skills development and co-operation , while ‘ performance climates ’ emphasise competition between colleagues . Each has its benefits , but a combination of the two improves the relationship between idea generation and idea implementation .
Dr Rebecca Newton , fellow , London School of Economics
Leading through a crisis requires emotional intelligence , but being emotionally intelligent isn ’ t about perfectly managing our own emotions or controlling other people ’ s . What it does mean is being self-aware , self-regulating and making the time to find out how others are feeling and the impact on their work and relationships too .
Our willingness to focus on negatives has persisted since the post-war era , and this includes our approach to talent management . Shifting our emphasis from weaknesses to strengths can help to transform personal development , turning our people ’ s strongest attributes into world-class skills .