{"id":12994,"date":"2020-06-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.argonandco.com\/news-insights\/articles\/will-this-feel-like-the-aftermath-of-9-11\/"},"modified":"2020-12-17T15:40:52","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T15:40:52","slug":"will-this-feel-like-the-aftermath-of-9-11","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.argonandco.com\/us\/news-insights\/articles\/will-this-feel-like-the-aftermath-of-9-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Will this feel like the aftermath of 9\/11?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cChange series on adapting Consumer Goods to the impacts of COVID-19\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Article 1: Transition Period<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The weeks and months that followed the 9\/11 disaster brought much disruption<\/a> to the CG landscape\u2014bankruptcies, job loss, enhanced site, and product security to name a few. Customer and employee confidence were shaken to the core and had to be reinforced before the industry could move forward. Today we face a similar situation with the COVID-19 virus. The CG world is juggling unprecedented demand level swings with major shifts in shopping habits while trying to keep nervous employees safe and healthy.\u00a0 We have been forced to do things differently almost overnight.\u00a0 Through the exhaustion of the last several weeks, many of us are anxious to define a \u201cnew normal.\u201d We wonder if social distancing at work will become as common as the 3-oz. sized liquids inside our dusty suitcases.<\/p>\n

William Bridges, a well-known expert on change management, references this period of change as the \u201cTransition Period\u201d.\u00a0 To get through this transition process, we must experience an ending and a neutral zone, before finally reaching\u2014a new beginning.<\/p>\n

Endings<\/u><\/em>: <\/em>For CG, it may be the end of long assembly lines with employees working shoulder to shoulder. It may be the end of shared microwaves in dirty break spaces that only get cleaned when an executive is coming to visit. We must decide what behaviors and circumstances we\u2019ve allowed pre-COVID that can no longer be acceptable long term, and what band-aids we\u2019ve put in place in the last few weeks that need sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n

Neutral Zone<\/u><\/em>: <\/em>We\u2019re in it right now, trying to define this \u201cnew normal\u201d that everyone keeps talking about.\u00a0 Our teams are stressed; likely confused.\u00a0 They are doing their best to follow instructions and find creative solutions, but this new way of working is far from routine.\u00a0 We must create an environment that allows our employees to give feedback, show them empathy, and engage them in finding solutions that can be sustained long-term.<\/p>\n

New Beginnings<\/u><\/em>:<\/em> This renewal happens when our teams have new energy to pursue a new direction. They know why new rules are important and they don\u2019t get mixed messages and conflicting goals. They see us walk the talk. We inspect what we expect, and we recognize good performance and reinforce changing mindsets.<\/p>\n

There is no time like the present to begin this process as refocused attention on the future brings new energy to tough situations. Engage your teams to realign on mid to long-term goals. Assess their readiness to sustain long-term change. Make sure your priorities, plans and KPI\u2019s are the right ones. Keep investing in leadership training. If you find yourself uncomfortable, reach out to someone who is experienced in change management to help you through the process.<\/p>\n

In the next few weeks, we will share articles to foster thoughts about the changes coming our way. Topics will include:<\/p>\n