HOW TO IMPROVE DECISION-MAKING IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN A POST-COVID WORLD
BY : MURAD SALMAN MIRZA
Academic institutions worldwide are scrambling to find effective survivability and sustainability options as they strive to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving educational landscape reeling from the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic . Consequently , leaders within such organizations are increasingly burdened with stark choices that beckon tough decisionmaking with a strong probability of negative reverberations among the apprehensive workforces .
The key success factor in the respective context is to assure / ensure that the quality of decision-making is not egregiously compromised as the pressure increases to maintain the semblance of a ‘ going concern ’ for nervous stakeholders . Consequently , it is incumbent upon the leaders to astutely realize the existing and emergent challenges that are liable to impact all the crucial aspects of organizational functionality and chart a principled approach to decisionmaking that increases the probability of yielding desired outcomes in a post-COVID world . Some of the multidimensional humanistic challenges are as follows : 1 . Retaining / maintaining a motivated and capable workforce to facilitate the fulfilment of the strategic and operational goals of the organization
2 . Upskilling / reskilling the workforce for the evolving nature of work
3 . Conducting effective and meaningful orientations for the new employees , especially in a hybrid work environment
4 . Stimulating relationship building / sustainability initiatives with the workforce , especially those with open / hidden ‘ grievances ’ and ‘ trust ’ issues
5 . Reinforcing / revitalizing succession management strategies / plans , talent pipelines , and prudent management practices
6 . Invigorating high engagement levels within a multigenerational workforce
7 . Maintaining / sharpening focus on Diversity , Inclusion , Belonging , and Equity ( DIBE ) initiatives
8 . Managing health and wellbeing aspects with increased priority , e . g ., fatigue resulting from excessive screen time , fear of losing the job compounded by feelings of inadequacy , career derailment , suppressing the rumour mill , disciplinary issues , organizational politics , family pressures , separation anxiety for ex-pats from their loved ones , too much time to oneself , etc .
9 . Maintaining / uplifting a value-driven corporate culture to assure / ensure organizational cohesion
10 . Monitoring and rectifying fractures in employment relationships , especially between supervisors and their team members
11 . Providing effective online and offline organizational support , . e . g . HR services , to a multigenerational workforce performing duties / responsibilities in multiple locations
12 . Strategizing bonding / re-bonding activities between the workforce and leadership , especially with respect to strengthening psychological contracts
13 . Realizing workforce deployment and optimization with respect to the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic , e . g ., better utilization of office spaces , effective utilization of available resources , increasing efficiency through synergistic partnerships between the human workforce and the AI-driven technologies , raising the standards of employment , etc .
14 . Making prudent choices in the acquisition of relevant / new technologies while phasing out the insufficient / obsolete ones
15 . Revising and updating policies / procedures / processes with respect to various HR services , e . g ., revamping the structure of Total Rewards according to the ‘ new normal , increasing the percentage of online training for a hybrid workforce , etc .
16 . Designing / defining / enhancing ‘ employee experience ’, especially for those working from home and supporting / facilitating / enabling it with suitable policies / processes / procedures
17 . Devising transparent and judicious accountability / performance standards in a hybrid work environment that are imbued with the ‘ felt-fairness ’ element
18 . Developing and strengthening risk management plans in coordination with relevant functions to be proactively prepared for future challenges , e . g ., sound strategies and harmonized action plans for optimized workforce deployment during the next pandemic
19 . Enhancing organizational agility that is congruent with strategic imperatives to timely overcome anticipated / unanticipated challenges
20 . Sustaining an attractive employer
10 Term 3 Apr - Jun 2021
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