The dramatic speed of the operating-model transformation prompted by the coronavirus is raising truly existential challenges for traditional firms, and for the many employees that depend on them for income. That’s because an existing digital transformation effort that’s creating competitive advantages for select companies has been thrust into the realm of the workplace itself. Firms that are already far along this transformation will transition smoothly as in-person work is less necessary or even preferable, while many others will struggle. This is creating a new digital divide that will deepen fractures in our society. Can business and government save us from that future?
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As workplaces mandate that employees work from home, universities shift fully to online teaching, restaurants transition to online ordering and delivery, and automakers shut down their plants, we’re seeing the most rapid organizational transformation in the history of the modern firm.
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