In the early days of the Covid pandemic, a financial Times Article, ‘Pandemic is a portal‘, novelist Arundhati Roy wrote, “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and re-imagine their worlds. This is no different. Has this prophecy come true? Has the pandemic really changed the world? Much has been written about how the lockdown has forced many people to start using digital means for shopping and payments. The new trend will accelerate the adoption of telemedicine, videoconferencing and online learning but there have been few other equally significant changes in human behavior due to the outbreak.
The pandemic itself has been a highly mismanaged disaster, especially in its early stages. This was mostly because it represented radical uncertainty. Such an unexpected event had never occurred, and therefore its course was very difficult to predict. The low probabilities associated with the various outcomes made it difficult for policy makers to visualize and prepare for problems. This is human nature. It is therefore not surprising that national leaders around the world did not take the initial reports of the virus outbreak in Wuhan very seriously.
Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in 2005, was also such a less likely event. That rare event was also mismanaged, as expected by human nature. Since that poor performance, more intense hurricanes have hit the US coast, but government systems that experienced Hurricane Katrina were better prepared to deal with it. Similarly, now that the world has experienced an unprecedented pandemic, it will be better prepared for similar or even worse health crises. At least next time, we won’t have a world leader dismissing such an emergency as “just a flu.”
No other crisis in memory has simultaneously affected all countries of the world the way Covid has. Although world wars and previous pandemics have taken many more human lives, not every country around the world has been directly affected by those tragedies. This adds to our sense of common pandemic experience that people everywhere have to perform the same rituals: wearing masks, avoiding close social contact, and getting vaccinated to protect themselves from infection. The COVID pandemic has put the entire world through a new type of globalization – the globalization of misery. The realization that what turns out to be in one part of the world can affect the rest of us in a very short period of time has prevailed.
The world is facing many common problems like global warming. But so far many countries have seen them only through the narrow prism of national selfishness. The new experience of globalized suffering caused by the novel coronavirus can bring a much needed change in the behavior of nations.
Nation-states will be a little more inclined to tackle global problems in a more integrated manner. We can expect the difference to be seen in the Glasgow Conference on Climate Change currently underway.
Many observers argue that the biggest changes caused by the COVID pandemic can be seen in organizations and workplaces. Work-from-home policies adopted by many employers during the pandemic have radically changed the idea of one’s work place. Flexibility in one’s working hours and workplace should be the new mantra that governs organizations post-pandemic. Those who insist on a 9 to 5 work routine will soon be considered out of date. Redesigning systems to promote belonging and create a strong organizational culture, even as many employees work from home, will be a major challenge for organizational leaders.
The great wave of resignation around us is an outward reflection of the deep but clear thoughts of the employees. The pandemic, especially the second wave, has deeply affected many individuals. There are many people who lost a close relative due to the pandemic, or at least a close relative was in critical condition when the infection was on the rise. The fear and uncertainty of those difficult times are embedded in many people’s minds. An outgrowth of this inner turmoil is the belief that ‘I only have one life, I can live it the way I’ve always wanted to.’ Organizations should respect this sentiment.
In times of extreme uncertainty, following catastrophic events such as the terrorist attack on New York’s World Trade Center in 2001, religiosity, or the need for religion, rises dramatically among individuals. But if the uncertainty persists for a long time, there may be change. For example, after the devastating bubonic plague in Europe, while personal belief in God remained, respect for organized religion declined. The same can be expected even after this pandemic. Covid weakened the foundation of organized religion, community gatherings. Religious leaders had no explanation for the emergence of the coronavirus, nor could miracle workers provide a solution to the pandemic. No wonder, global studies by Gallup have shown that religiosity has actually declined in 2020. The concern is that supporters of organized religion may turn to fundamentalism to keep their flock together.
It is interesting to note that after some initial disturbances, it is science that has managed to establish itself as a trusted ally, the last resort for the world during a crisis. But it has another side effect – the rediscovery of authority. The COVID pandemic has reminded us of our reliance on experts and the need to follow government recommendations. Overall, a microscopic pathogen called Sars-CoV-2 has turned out to be the biggest agent of behavior change in a long time.
Biju Dominic is Chief Promoter, Fractal Analytics and President of FinalMile Consulting
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