Disruption: (Change the Game) the new Normal

When, in October 2019, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM) held its 51st Annual National Conference themed, “Disruption: Change the Game”, little did the Institute know that it was not only being futuristic but it was also being prophetic. The concept of “Disruption”, espoused throughout the conference by leading scholars, practitioners and professionals from all works of life from around the world, including the host country, Nigeria, centred around creating organized chaos in work places in order to re-energize, free, rejig and startle dormant talents and skills for maximum benefits in production and creation in different organizations. The Conference, which held between October 22 and 24, 2019, would never have anticipated the level of “disruption” which has occasioned the work place as a result of the worldwide pandemic caused by the novel Corona virus, Covid 19.

This “disruption” is not only massive; it is essentially negative. The attendant effects on the world economy including that of Nigeria and its negative impact on organisational relationships, culture and work place settings as well as the creation of what has been called “the new normal” can only be imagined. However, just as HR professionals saw that “disruption”, understood in this concept as organised chaos can have positive effects on work place settings and organisational performance, unintended “disruption”, occasioned by natural disasters such as the nature of this pandemic that has forced the entire world into a lockdown mode, can also be made to work to good effects for companies, organisations and the entire country. The idea of a “new normal” presupposes that human relationships in work places and organisational settings may no longer be what they used to be.

We need to be conscious of the fact that people are scared, confused, unhappy and understandably uncertain about the future. Therefore, any treatise that “pretends” to present a brighter future in the light of current realities and tragedy may appear not only unconscionable and insensitive but cruel and farfetched. What with those who have lost their loved ones? How about those whose fate of their bread winners hang in the balance? The moment appears inauspicious and there is too much uncertainty to build any meaningful treatise on such situations.

Those who have lost their loved ones to this pandemic deserve our sympathy, compassion and encouragement; the loss of a loved one or a bread winner is a dire strait that only those who experience it can understand the pains. May they be comforted and may the Almighty God assuage their pains. However, this pandemic will end and Covid 19 will eventually be defeated. So what happens the morning after? Truly, the morning after could begin even before the plague is completely wiped off the face of the earth or before any trusted treatment or vaccine is developed for it.

It is very useful and relevant here, to apply the principles involved in conflict management. Conflicts can have both negative and positive ends in organisations. Conflicts have been known to occasion the death of many organisations while in others, it has opened up new ideas and propelled such organisations to unprecedented heights. So it depends on how they are handled and the attitude shown towards them. The circumstances surrounding the “disruption” caused by this pandemic, and in fact the nature of it may not fit into the same situation as described in the case of conflict management, but our understanding of managing conflict teaches us something about managing an unexpected disruption of our lives: our attitude to it.

Therefore, if the conference dealt with “Disruption” in a work setting having positive outcomes in mind, the same skills set, ideas and principles can be applied to the “disruption” occasioned by this natural disaster, the global pandemic, having a mind-set and an attitude designed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This would be very tough and difficult, and would actually appear to require much more than the skills learnt and ideas acquired at the last HR conference to turn this tide into a positive one; however, those skills and ideas come in handy, and are a good starting point. One thing that should be uppermost in our minds as HR Practitioners is that we should be prepared to lead this turn around in our different organisations or be an active participant in this process. It is essentially going to be a team work; we should be more than ready to apply the principles of “Disruption” to bring about organisational wholesomeness. How can the present unforeseen changes be turned around to bring about better performance? How can we bring out positivism in what is evidently negative and sometimes tragic?

There is no magic bullet that fits into the whole of the different organisations. Each organisation has to design an approach suitable to it, but in each of the different approaches, one thing is clear, HR professionals have a lot to offer in this unpleasant scenario. As stated earlier, they could play a leading role or be active members of the team; and in playing this role, empathy must be our watch word no matter the approach our organisation may decide to adopt. We must be empathetic towards our fellow employees and colleagues. Empathy is crucial. No one knows the magnitude of what every individual has been through. Some might have even lost a loved one; whatever our approach is, empathy must be a guiding norm in everything we do. Organisations that have functioning and effective Counselling Units should put them to maximum effects.

Another thing that is key to the healing and recovery process of organisations is effective communication. Employees must have someone they can talk to; someone who will not consider it a burden to listen to them. Communication is fundamental, and in this regard, one is referring to the different types of communication: lateral or horizontal, vertical and even diagonal. Communication is important but it must be managed in such a way that it will not jeopardise established lines of authorities in the different organisations. Added to this is that organisations need to make instructions to staff as clear as possible and make them simple. Also, organisations which have a large pool of customers or clientele must do everything to manage their anxiety. This is much more than Customer Care activities, and HR professionals have a leading role to play in this. They should identify individuals with capacity to soak pressure and offer comfort while addressing people from outside who have lots of concern and anxiety about now and the future.

This leads us to a very crucial issue; HR professionals need to and must identify individuals who have special skills and talents capable of turning dire situations around and they need to be given relative freedom and flexibility to give free reins to their talents. We should not deceive ourselves, the weeks and months ahead will be very arduous and difficult, but the situations could be turned around in good time with good ideas and decisions.

This is not the time for the usual bickering and unnecessary rivalry between different professionals in the workplace. Cooperation and teamwork are just too important; several lives are at stake in this situation that we have found ourselves. One right individual identified and given free rein to express him or herself can create multiple opportunities for several people within the organisation to explore.

The workplace will not return to what it used to be in terms of human interactions and other socially inclusive activities until a vaccine or treatment is found for this rampaging virus. Consequently, the workplace must be made to be as safe as possible while we are busy looking for the best ways to ensure that production increases as soon as possible and possibly surpass where it was before the pandemic. There should be deliberate efforts at ensuring social distancing at all costs. Technology should be deployed, where available to reduce human direct contacts as much as possible. Where this is impossible or difficult, Hand Washing tools must be provided at every corner or available space for employees and other individuals to use at every opportunity. Hand sanitizers should be available in practically every office or workshop. Every individual should have one handy with them all the time. Above all, organisations must comply with government directives on protective measures during this challenging times.

Finally, the new normal will not be complete without organisations recognising the fact that they have to start preparing for the next natural disaster now. Not that one desires a pandemic or another natural disaster, but it has become wise and effective management to begin to plan for unforeseen and unexpected events before they happen. Any fund invested in preparing for a natural disaster, even if such natural disasters never happen, is money well utilised. The current pandemic caught the whole world napping; yet a few wise people had advised long ago that people should prepare for such events, even when there was no sign that it was going to happen. They opined then that it was a question of “when” and not “if”. Yet, this episode still caught the whole world and almost all organisations unprepared. Therefore it is strategic thinking to plan for natural disasters, even when there is no sign or evidence that one is going to happen. HR professionals should lay issues like these before the management: what kind of insurance cover should we have for the company and the employees? What kind of reinvestment programmes and policies should we be looking at? This is part of planning for the future. Organisations can also invite Disaster Management Experts to help them plan for the future.

Dahunsi Ogunleye MCIPM

B.A. Hons (Ogun), MPP (Ibadan)