Woody Wade, a Swiss-based expert on scenario planning, has launched a handbook for managers wanting to understand how their post-pandemic terrain could develop. Titled ‘See Your New Normal’ it is available in e-book and paperback formats.
COVID brought about an unprecedented degree of change in almost every sector of the world’s economy. It hit hospitality and travel especially hard, as border controls went up, vacations were canceled, business meetings went virtual, and hotels and restaurants across the globe were forced to close their doors.
Now, however, the world’s population is getting vaccinated, and businesses are beginning to reopen. But, does this mean that we will be returning to the pre-Covid way of operating?
Almost certainly not, argues Wade. “During the last 18 months, we were forced to find – or invent – new ways to get things done,” he said. “Normally, inventiveness is a very good thing. But in the case of COVID, our short-term adaptiveness may have longer-term consequences, because the measures we put into place as ‘temporary’ fixes may become part of the permanent landscape.”
THE NEW NORMAL
Cumulatively, these recent changes mean a ‘New Normal’ is forming, a business terrain that is significantly different from the way it was before the pandemic. “In every industry,” said Wade, “a new landscape has been taking shape over the past few months – and the process isn’t over yet. You need to identify how your landscape could still change, because you may need different strategies, resources and skills depending on how it does.” This may be even more true for companies in the hospitality business, as recovery is only just beginning.
Wade’s guidebook takes readers through the step-by-step process of scenario planning, a method used by many corporations to foresee changes they may face in the future. In this new book, he focuses on visualising the immediate post-pandemic world, and presents a number of examples illustrating this process from his repertoire of post-COVID scenario generation workshops conducted during the last few months.
“Scenario planning is a surprisingly straightforward methodology,” says Wade. “My book shows you how to apply it – in an uncomplicated way – in your own company. The benefit is that you get a realistic handle on the future opportunities and challenges that you could encounter in your specific business. It’s very down-to-earth.”
