The COVID-19 pandemic had – and continues to have – far-ranging repercussions, some of which are certainly still unknown. One clear and immediate impact was on businesses worldwide. Companies of all types faced sudden, massive disruptions; as workforces sheltered in place, supply chains, consumption and logistics were plunged into turmoil.
One quickly discovered reality: businesses that had adopted advanced virtual experience strategies were poised to emerge relatively unscathed.
How did they prepare and what can their experiences teach us? In its newest Special Report, Compass magazine explores these questions in depth. Through seven stories, the report examines why business agility is so critical and what companies that were hard-hit by the pandemic should be doing now – before the next wave of disruption arrives, no matter what form it takes.
The report’s main article, Quick Thinking, cites a 2020 Boston Consulting Group report “The Digital Path to Business Resilience,” which points out that even before the pandemic, many companies were not keeping pace with technological change. COVID-19 accelerated the gap between leaders and laggards, and the report predicts that growing gap indicates that the future of work and life will be even more digital than expected. “With almost every organization having to depend on data, analytics, digital tools and automation, digital technologies will constitute an increasingly critical element of business resilience tomorrow,” the report predicts.
In the initial days of the COVID-19 crisis, we at Dassault Systèmes prioritized reaching out to customers, checking in to see how they were faring. Many expressed their gratitude for having adopted the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, before the pandemic, as it enabled their teams to suddenly and seamlessly shift to a remote-working model. Not only could they continue to seamlessly advance the projects they’d been focused on in the office; they also had the means to continue to collaborate with staff and partners regardless of where each team member was sheltering in place. Many recorded short videos about their learnings and key takeaways, which you can see here.
One Dassault Systèmes customer interviewed for the Special Report article Agility in a Crisis even shared the following on LinkedIn:
The Special Report features separate articles on the impact COVID-19 had in three distinct sectors: life sciences, manufacturing and cities. It also includes a column from Sharon DeVivo, president of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, on how staff and students transitioned from on-campus to remote learning in just five days, despite the school’s location in New York City, the US epicenter of COVID-19. Another column, from BSR President Aron Cramer, examines how this year’s events have demonstrated the essential importance of sustainable business and how digital agility contributes to business sustainability.
The bottom line: companies that had adopted a digital-first strategy were prepared to keep their businesses moving when the unforeseen happened. Is your organization among them? Read our Special Report to understand what separated leaders from laggards and how to close the gap if your company needs to improve its business agility.
Alyssa is a Communications Director on the Dassault Systèmes Corporate Publishing team. She’s been part of DS for over 20 years, in roles ranging from public relations to marketing programs. Twitter: @DS_Alyssa