The pandemic will end: that’s for sure. But the future of companies’ ways of working is likely to be changed forever. Working without meeting physically for such a long time will have disruptive consequences for systems, cultures, but also on corporate structures.
In the name of business continuity, companies have developed new ways of working, based on the extension of smart working. Most realized that the disruption caused a massive mindset shift, helping to overcome barriers typical of traditional hierarchies, that rely on chains of command and control. But what is worth “institutionalizing”, once the pandemic is over? Which elements of the operating model will have to be adapted? What are the repercussions on leadership style? And how shall we look at office space and real estate costs in the future?
We have worked with a number of companies who have decided to exploit the full potential of this change. Several were interviewed for this research paper.
This paper analyzes how European companies are adapting their organizations to institutionalize a “New way of Working”, to go beyond ‘smart working’ as we used to define it. It is based on a series of interviews conducted or analyzed by consultants from The Transformation Alliance. After discussing some of the benefits of smart working, we illustrate the likely implications for organizational design, people management, infrastructural enablers and HR systems.
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