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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
