As part of her presentation, she explained that what needed to be taken into account was the changes in customer behaviour and evolving needs; unpredictable demand patterns and structural overcapacity (e.g.: airlines but no passengers). Demand was erratic and constantly changing; a major concern now is how to prepare for and adapt to these changes. Organisations must consider how to redesign the end-to-end customer journey with an eye to getting ahead of the next stage of the virus, not merely accommodating the “New Normal.” Their new operating models would have to take into account future disruptions.
The focus of the “Plan-Ahead” team would be on how to position the organisation taking into account the economic scenario and structural shifts, and how the organisation works. It would have to plan how the workforce returned to work, and strategise for the New Normal. The major challenge would be in knowing what is going to happen, so reimagining and reformation would be necessary. This could be done based on five main pillars: the consumer, supply chain, government regulations, the organisation itself and corporate valuation.
Companies would have to include a possible shift in customer loyalty and changes in customer behaviour that would impact the business, when reimagining the Next Normal, and factor in how to accommodate or mitigate this. They should monitor their supply chain for resilience; a fully digitised supply chain would improve transparency. Jeannie further stressed that this would be imperative as the pandemic may last longer than originally anticipated, and with it, prolonged uncertainty.
Resilience from a BCM perspective was also the basis of Dr Goh’s presentation on the Covid-19 Pandemic and Business Continuity Management (BCM). BCM was part of operations risk, Dr Goh pointed out. When risk management makes an assessment and finds a threat, BCM kicks in. “It’s tactical, and needs a team on the ground,” he said.
34 The IERP® Monthly Newsletter December 2021