Project Management

Covid-19 is eating Strategy for Breakfast

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By Norma Lynch, PMP

As 2020 began, we never realised that this global pandemic would be on the menu, invading both our lives and livelihood. As we try to process the implications of living and working under the shadow of Covid-19, we are all trying to rethink and reframe how we do business whilst at the same time safeguarding our lives. We are going through unprecedented change.

What is required is rapid innovation and time is of the essence. In the absence of a crystal ball, we have to consider all the possible scenarios and lead through strategic ambiguity. Success depends on moving the organisation forward precisely at times when the path ahead is hazy. We need to take pragmatic action in order to survive in this period of strategic uncertainty. We need to lead through change.

Communication is critical and leaders need to be visible and maintain frequent dialogue. It must be open and honest to maintain credibility. Even though leaders don’t have all the answers, communication is important to put everyone’s mind at ease and provide hope for the future. We need to communicate through change.

At the upcoming Virtual Experience event on 9 September I will be presenting the rollercoaster of emotions that people go through when adapting to change and how to successfully navigate through the crisis by leveraging change management principles. We explore:

  • The Five Stages of Disruption Denial
  • The Burning Platform
  • Successful Innovation  
  • Decisive Action
  • Leading the New Strategic Direction

Interested in learning more and furthering the dialogue? Join me on 9th September 2020 at the next PMI Virtual Experience Series event for this presentation and take part in the question and answers with me and the rest of the PM community.


Posted by Kimberly Whitby on: September 03, 2020 12:14 PM | Permalink

Comments (7)

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Eduin Fernando Valdes Alvarado Project Manager| F y F Fabricamos Futuro Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia
Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

avatar
Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Interesting subject Kimberly, thanks for the briefing.

avatar
Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Community Champion
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace Corps Yaounde, Centre, Cameroon
"Communication is critical and leaders need to be visible and maintain frequent dialogue" thanks for sharing

avatar
Drew Craig Sr. Agile & Product Coach| Vanguard Philadelphia, Pa, United States
Thank you, Norma. Good luck with your event.

avatar
James Andrew Graham Stratexology LLC United Kingdom
Covid 19 cannot eat strategy for breakfast, it can only eat strategic plans.

Emergent strategy, an example of which is ramping up the use of online meeting/collaboration tools such as Zoom/Blue Jeans/Teams is already working in crafting our new world - further changes will include the creative destruction of the traditional business real estate sector, as organisations discover that they don't need anything like the floorspace they previously thought and phoenix industries will arise.

By the way, 'strategic ambiguity' is an oxymoron, strategies may include tactical ambiguities as a way of finessing difficult short term issues, but strategy and ambiguity are like oil and water, as the whole point of strategy is to understand the challenges and develop clear policies to address them.

Environmental ambiguity is another matter and will always challenge us.

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Marcus Udokang Project Manager| Aivaz Consulting Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Thanks for the article, Norma. Communication is definitely key.

avatar
Mingxing Hong Landarun Group Chengdu, SC, China, Mainland
Thank you, Norma. Good luck with your event.

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