As we know, this pandemic has kept us in almost mandatory quarantine as a measure to prevent the propagation of the virus; this has forced a large percentage of the world's population to be at home. On the positive side, this has allowed us to spend more time with our family and loved ones, we have returned to cooking at home and sharing our table, and the hours wasted in traffic can now be spent talking after breakfast or exercising. But on the other hand, with the closure of schools and universities our children have had to take their classes online and many employees, depending on their occupation, have had to telework. So now we see the family sharing the computer, or we have turned the living room or a room into an office or classroom. However this has not been all bad, as the world had become a spiral of work and occupations that had swallowed us up without even imagining that with today's technology we could do some of the work at home and that we had different options for doing so.

Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is understood as the set of beliefs, habits, values, traditions and forms of interaction between the groups that make up an organization. The organizational culture is important because it not only allows organizations to be guided in the pursuit of their economic objectives, but also because it will allow the implementation of a new strategy if it is consistent with it, or conversely, delay it if there is contrast between the two.

As a result of this pandemic, organizations are being forced to accelerate changes, not only in their structure or business model, but also in their culture, since they must first ensure the safety of their employees. And with the advance of technology, we find new and better tools for the implementation of telework. Thanks to the current urgency, many companies have tried this alternative with good results, so in the future it is likely that we will not see a decline in its implementation, it would even be likely that companies would consider less physical presence in the facilities and more telework, which would mean an improvement in the quality of life of their workers but also a transformation of their beliefs and forms of interaction.

While the impact of this pandemic on various economic sectors is still uncertain, what is certain is that organizations, both public and private, will have to transform themselves. Especially those whose own environment demands new exigencies and controls.

The digital transformations that previously could not be put into practice by managers or organizational consultants, have forced them to make this virus, accelerating various processes of communication and teamwork remotely. As we know, the main resistance to change is offered by people and their fear of new things, but with this global context, that fear was replaced by a new one, that of getting sick or losing their job; which has generated deep changes in people about the implementation of technology in a very short period of time.

The challenges

I believe that very few were prepared to implement these changes so quickly, and for many the effects are still traumatic, but there are many processes that cannot be stopped despite the circumstances, so leaders must manage these adaptation processes very well, since very deep changes require reviewing some fundamental principles, behavior and even the form of leadership, and that cannot be achieved without making changes in the organizational culture of the company. To do this, it is necessary to redefine the strategic priorities of the business and to socialize new objectives in order to be able to face this contingency, and above all, to commit the team to the key challenges to carry out the business in the new context.

Key points

Communication. This is undoubtedly a key factor, it is fundamental to be able to adequately articulate all the groups or areas of the organization, establishing a fluid communication between them. Establishing projects between areas so that they communicate regularly and information can be shared at all levels of the organization will help foster a collaborative culture.

The common enemy. This situation can be used to generate links in relationships, facilitating new levels of connection. The bonds between colleagues are strengthened when there are problems that affect us all and require everyone to solve them, which means greater collaboration and a sense of shared success.

Flexibility. Many employees are now experiencing the power to manage their time, so you have to adopt the nuances of remote working, i.e. you no longer have to arrive at the office at 8:00 am or finish work before the scheduled time, at home you can adjust your schedule, but you have to promote responsible autonomy in order to meet the objectives in the scheduled time. But at the same time you have to provide confidence, the fact of not being in the same workspace with your team is not a reason for the leader to be over controlling the productivity of everyone, being at home does not mean that you do not suffer the effects of work stress.

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Conclusion

This pandemic has forced many companies to rapidly develop processes and strategies for remote work, revealing the need for new corporate habits and customs, so it is necessary that the leader can identify and manage them properly and as soon as possible.

The paradigms on which companies were established no longer respond to current conditions, that is, like everyone else, companies must also reinvent themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to have an aligned and coherent leadership to maintain the cohesion and commitment of the team, and at the same time, to promote a culture of mutual support, which will be fundamental to develop the new culture of the company.

This crisis is challenging us all as individuals, and organizations are not escaping from that fact, so they are forced to make important changes to respond to the current context, but who knows, perhaps it is a great opportunity to make permanent positive changes that will improve the working conditions of many people.

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Thank you for reading me. Until the next post!