In a world where we remain focused on the COVID-19 crisis at hand, APCO is thinking forward towards recovery. How we come back stronger will look different for every organization, and what we do now will have an impact on future success. APCO is taking a deep dive into key industries with our global expertise and perspectives on what’s next.
Questions to ask as you make your comeback.
What does it mean to be essential?
The COVID-19 pandemic has concentrated attention and resources on the people and institutions that are essential to society—healthcare workers and hospitals; food service workers and restaurants, clerks and grocery stores; couriers and online retailers; scientists and the biopharma industry. These vital workers and their employers will earn ESSENTIALNESS DIVIDENDS—both financial and reputational—that recognize their systemic importance to our welfare and continued existence.
What are our new shared stakes?
Stakeholders are evolving both literally and figuratively. Their expectations have changed. Their needs have changed. They have a desire for the right balance of engagement in our current environment of “digital by default.” And, for many organizations, the stakeholders themselves have changed. New stakeholders are entering the field, and longstanding powerbrokers are no longer in the mix. As STAKEHOLDER CAPITALISM takes hold, the way we engage with new people and powerbrokers will be critical for sustained success.
How do we fix systemic fractures?
The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare systemic fractures that have fundamentally disrupted lives and livelihoods. And, for the foreseeable future, we will live in a constant state of disruption. In response, industries will need radical introspection that leads to big shifts in how they operate. Businesses will be forced to innovate and operate with agility. There will be new ways of solving problems, engaging and activating. The role of experts will continue to be important but expertise is going to look and feel differently. Businesses, governments and civil society will need to mobilize to devise SYSTEMIC HACKS to serve the unmet needs of citizens.
How can rivals become partners?
The dynamic environment demands new ways of thinking about partnerships. Competitors become allies. Governments become collaborators. Rival nations find ways to work together, even in the face of isolationist tendencies. The healthcare community becomes a go-to for all industries. And technology empowers everything we do. A new model of RIVALRY PARTNERSHIPS is bringing together competitors and strange bedfellows to challenge societies’ most intractable problems.
What does it mean to lead with empathy?
Businesses are going to have to listen and learn like never before. They need to better understand expectations—of their products and services, and of their conduct and purpose. In the era of DOUBLING DOWN ON STEWARDSHIP, employees, customers and shareholders will expect institutions and their leaders to account for their actions, operate with integrity and demonstrate their unique value to society.
How APCO can help.

While there are still so many unknowns and no answers as to what the new normal will look like, there are steps that organizations can take now to help establish a stronger foothold as they recover from the crisis and move forward.

Keep up, with Coronavirus Beat.
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Industry highlights.

Food, Consumer & Retail
Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, in conversation with APCO’s Global Crisis Practice Lead Eliot Hoff, delves into the current crisis and where there are opportunities for institutional change to help the sector come back stronger after this unprecedented event. Food is both the great equalizer—everyone needs to eat‑but the situation exposes rifts in society that have the potential to cause upheaval that could impact recovery from COVID-19.
Research-driven blog posts and insights on how key sectors can be stronger in the new normal.

Education

Transportation

Food

Technology

Health
- Lessons from the Pandemic About How to Scale Up Digital Health in Europe
- How Can Health Systems Come Back Stronger From the COVID-19 Pandemic?
- Evolving Our Relationship with Healthcare Providers in the Post-COVID-19 Era
- Challenges, Opportunities and Responsibilities of Health Companies in the Post-Pandemic Era
- Healthcare After COVID-19: How Trade Associations Can Navigate the New Normal
- Healthcare After COVID-19: Navigating the New Normal in Health Data Sharing
- COVID-19 Is Making a Case for Telehealth
- Coming Back Stronger from COVID-19: Key Healthcare Trends in The Asia Pacific Region
- Navigating a New Age of Global Market Access and Trade Policy
Webinar.
Technology: The New Social Contract
APCO Worldwide recently partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to host an insightful webinar on the post-pandemic relationship between technology, governments and citizens. James Robinson, APCO’s Global Geo-Commerce Lead, led a panel of industry experts in a discussion about new research, the public’s expectations for the role of government and technology in their lives after the pandemic and how the technology sector can come back stronger.
For more webinars and to get the latest research this webinar shared, visit our Coronavirus Hub.