The Refractive Thinker®Vol. XX: Crisis Management

Chapter 6 Post-Crisis Transformation: Prioritizing Agility, Wellbeing & Inclusive Excellence

Publish date: April 6, 2021. Join contributing scholars in their discussion of their doctoral research findings regarding effective crisis management strategies. Doctoral scholars will share current research and their words of wisdom regarding what we have learned from various crises within the current generation as global discussion continues to shape the business landscape.

Surviving the current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business environment needs agility. Global researchers and organizational development (OD) practitioners suggest that agility is critical at hierarchal levels to survive the economic, financial, and incongruence effect of the precipitous 2020 pandemic. Agility encompasses the capacity to forestall impending threats, the aptitude to survive unexpected occurrences, and the propensity to leverage collaboration for innovation proactivity and knowledge acclimatization. The agility premise offers a proactive and transformative paradigm for re-orientating human resources and building resilience as a strategic priority for competitive advantage, innovative performance, financial outlook, and sustainability. Through refractive thinking, the information in this chapter spotlights vital recommendations for building an inclusive workplace and how organizations can advance from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) awareness to actionable catalyst for inclusive excellence. Also highlighted in this chapter is the pressing demand for organizational leaders to humanize the workplace and organizational wellbeing through flexible and inclusive workplace policies, not a one-size-fits-all. The refractive message is clear; navigating the new normal successfully depends on agile, diverse, and collaborative ecosystem that is fair, flexible, engaging, and inclusive.