Written By: Hanane Benkhallouk
With the recent outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses are finally realizing the importance of building human centric organizations. But, this can be easier said than done since every business involves several moving parts which all have to function perfectly to move forward with everyday business processes.
They say “necessity is the mother of invention,” in which case, being inventive is something that is sorely needed now more than ever, considering how companies are forced to work around the coronavirus pandemic.
It needs to be said that the success of any company in this new normal is going to be measured not only by its numbers but by the way in which a company adapts to ease the human experience during a time of crisis. This is what makes building a human centric organization more relevant as we go through these difficult times.
Needless to say, the decisions that business leaders make during the coronavirus outbreak will have a long-term impact on the health and financial well-being of not only the business itself, but its stakeholders, and more importantly, its people.
In a world where there is no sign of a cure for this pandemic, basic human needs have to be kept front and center while businesses adapt and change to these new circumstances. Keeping that in mind, here are some of the best practices that businesses can use when it comes to building human centric organizations.
Recognize the Needs and Goals of the People You’re Working With
It is important to understand that everybody has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of us have been affected by the pandemic in the same way. Business leaders need to start to understand the needs of the customers, stakeholders and their workforce, and work on ways in which the organization can fulfill each of them. This can only be achieved when one takes a human centric approach while responding to changes in business processes and other areas caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
For instance, schools and other educational institutions have closed their doors and are promoting homeschooling for the safety of their students. This seems like an obvious choice considering the devastating impact of the coronavirus outbreak in recent months.
But, many schools failed to take into account that there are many students who don’t just rely on their schools not just to get an education, but also for the safe environment that schools and colleges provide. For instance, some students can’t afford to travel home or do not have safe homes to return to.
As a business leader, it is important to consider all implications of the decisions you make, especially at a time of crisis, such as the coronavirus outbreak. Only business leaders who recognize and take proactive steps towards human centric solutions will prevent their decisions from creating more problems for the organization.
We are seeing this play out in many businesses across various niches, while some businesses have been quick to adapt to the new work from home lifestyle to make it easier on their employees, others have been struggling to cope with this new challenge.
Evaluate Current Customer/Employee Experience
Customers are an important part of any business offering a product or service, but so too are its staff. The first step that needs to be taken while building human centric organizations is to understand the scope interactions, both between customer and business, and the communication within the various departments of an organization. What are these interactions? Who is involved in these interactions? Where and why do they take place? Are there any physical or digital bottlenecks that need to be improved?
Working on a way to build a more human centric organization without taking into account these crucial questions will only create gaps in the customer and employee experience with a business. Since most businesses have gone digital following the outbreak of the coronavirus, any gap in the digital communication between the business and its employees or customers can result in a feeling of helplessness, or worse, misinformation, which can have further negative consequences.
Prototyping and Testing
While trying out new and innovative solutions in these testing times could feel frivolous, the goal should be to validate your idea(s), whether it’s adopting a new digital tool or adding or subtracting processes to streamline everyday business affairs. It is important to note that this testing does not have to be perfect. And while getting people to adapt to a certain need is hard enough as it is, leave alone asking them to adapt to the new digital normal, it is important to test solutions using service design methods that will give you quick insights on any cracks in the system. Not being afraid of prototyping and testing will allow businesses to deliver appropriate solutions while maintaining their new social distancing measures.
Ending Note
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has forced business leaders to make quick decisions and solve problems under new and unfamiliar circumstances. With conditions that are constantly shifting, the need for building human centric organizations for long-term sustainability is being felt now more than ever. In short, businesses regardless of the industry or niche have to put people at the heart of their business and the decision making process.