Just like you, I’m sitting here dazed and confused – never having experienced anything like this. Things are just weird. We are getting a lot of conflicting information about COVID-19, our government is not prepared, and nobody knows what to do.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what to make of all this. As social beings, our norms are upended. Social distancing is the new behavior – almost. Still when I meet someone, I reach out to shake hands as a natural and instinctive reaction, only to think after the fact “Oh shit! – I shouldn’t do that!”
Talk about Black Swans, our world as we know it has just changed. Back in 2008 when the economy last ‘collapsed’, we experienced a banking crisis on the east coast and an explosion of tech start-ups on the west coast. The economy was dragged down, and the recession extended by a conflict of new and emerging technology that did not align with the old traditional ways of working. Traditionalists couldn’t fathom what was happening, let alone integrate it into their business. It was two completely different cultures and languages trying to speak to each other; it took time for business to adapt.
And what does that have to do with COVID-19? We have experienced another ‘Black Swan’ and our traditional patterns of life have been up ended and and have entered a new era. So, what do we do now? Reset 2.0.
For businesses, once again the traditional ways of working are outdated. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink everything we do and how we do it. It’s not business as usual anymore. The workplace has changed, and new models will emerge.
Things that do not represent a meaningful contribution to the strategic goal of a company and contribute to our society will evolve and change. Innovative strategies will take advantage of new practices and technology and evolve into creating something that better serves our community and society. The things that are normal now will change. The open office as we know it will probably not survive. Remote is not remote anymore, it’s a new normal. Collaboration will take on a new meaning and produce new tools. Mobile work, activity-based work and agile work will be further refined. Change management will emerge as a critical process to keep employees aligned.
What does this mean for architects and designers? It will be naive to continue to think and work in traditional terms. As designers we must open our minds, learn as much as we can, look for friction, and test new ideas. If anyone says, “This is the way we have always done it,” we should immediately stop them and ask, “But could there be a better way?” We will need to use more of our minds to think creatively. Our clients need us more than ever. Our roles as visionaries and change makers will rise in importance.