Technology

5 Ways COVID-19 Will Change Corporate Culture Forever

Sudden change creates an opportunity for growth and change.

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For many of us, the past few weeks have been filled with uncertainty, fear, or health battles. While it remains unclear when things will return to normal, it is increasingly apparent that the pandemic is accelerating some long-term trends that have already been in progress. It will, without a doubt, have lasting effects on corporate cultures and the way we practice law.

Collaboration Is The New Normal

Overnight, we went from real life, human collaboration, and communication with some electronic components to exclusively virtual, technology-aided collaboration and communication. This shift is as significant as it was sudden.

Collaboration and communication in person tend to be off the record. The identities of speakers or collaborators tend to be known, and interactions tend to be sequential, in which participants take turns speaking one after the other. Virtual collaboration and communication, on the other hand, tend to have different attributes. They tend to be on the record, speakers and collaborators often remain anonymous, and collaboration tends to be more sequential. In other words, our communications and collaborations are becoming more fluid. They are also more efficient.

The Imaginary Separation Between The Employee And Her Family Is Gone

As we work from home, have you noticed how happy your colleagues and clients are when they share a pic working with their pets or kids? It’s like they finally came out of their shell.

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One good thing about this crisis is that it’s finally okay to show up fully. Work has finally become personal, and personal spaces have openly become workspaces. Our kids have always been present in the background of our minds; now, they’re showing up in the background of our video conferences.

In other words, it’s hard to tell where personal ends and professional begins. Consequently, we no longer have a fictional separation between employee and family. It feels liberating.

Age-Based And Service Length-Based Seniority Are Dated

In the past, senior employees were promoted to leadership first. But when you work virtually, there is no corner office. Your suit doesn’t matter nearly as much. Your shoes probably don’t matter at all. Who can see them?! And, then it is hard to see gray hair or judge someone’s age. Your productivity, output, and impact are visible and are what matter. They become paramount.

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These things may — or may not — correlate with age or length of service. This crisis has allowed many people who are normally overlooked and taken for granted to shine and lead. Relying on age or length of services as the basis of promotion is dated. You will certainly miss the potential for leadership on your team.

 Cultivating A Culture Of Agility Has Become Mission-Critical

In the past, we have talked about “working from home” or “remote work.” Lately, we have started talking about “working anywhere.” After all, we work in different places today. Why should location matter? I have worked at the airport, parking lots, hotels, airplanes, various offices, boardrooms, cars, and numerous other odd places. Why not just call it “work”? If you have a connection, who cares about your location?! It is much more interesting and relevant to discuss your productivity, output, and impact — much more so than your location. In shifting this focus, we would cultivate the culture of agility with this global crisis highlighted as mission-critical.

 

Sustainability Is A Competitive Advantage For Any Business

 “Olga, small businesses are hurting. Do you know that some of our clients can use help?” My employees came to me and requested that we step up our game. This is a new normal. Top talent looks for companies that prioritize sustainability and doing the right thing. Their paycheck is table stakes. They look for you to do the right thing for the employees, clients, and the world around you. They evaluate your mission, team, and actions. And they will make it clear if you fall short by telling you in person, on social media, or other public forums. Thus, sustainability is a competitive advantage for a business today.

 

We are living in a crisis that is challenging the way we’ve been doing things for … ever. Overnight, the conventional became no longer possible, and things that became unthinkable two weeks earlier have come to feel normal.

Such a sudden change creates an opportunity for growth and change. Companies have been forced to make changes that they didn’t feel were worth the risk before. Let’s make the most of this moment, and be sure that once this crisis is over, we’re on a stronger footing than we were going in.

Olga V. Mack is the CEO of Parley Pro, a next-generation contract management company that has pioneered online negotiation technology. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology.  Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to participate on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat and Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security. You can follow Olga on Twitter @olgavmack.

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