There was a time when the idea of workplaces transitioning to virtual working environments remained a debatable topic in boardrooms, management corridors and in the thoughts of business owners, entrepreneurs, decision and policy makers etc.
The notions of ‘The Result Only Work Environment (ROWE)’, ‘The Future of Work’, ‘The Digitalised Workforce’, ‘Remote Working’, and all the other terms that have been used to describe the elimination of the brick and mortar concept the world has been used to, have now become our reality, no longer ideas.
It took a historic health pandemic to bring us all to the future of work and it is safe to say everyone has adjusted pretty much necessarily by now, especially to the technological demands.
It is important to note that, digital technologies have been advancing rapidly over the past ten to twenty years, but tech creators and companies have had the extra motivation toward the latter parts of 2019 and the greater parts and the 2020 pandemic year, to evolve in ways that can serve the overwhelming demands needed to eliminate face-to-face interactions.
Although physical interaction is still fundamental at some levels for colleagues, patrons, customers, clients and service providers, it is no longer, and will not for a long time be the majority of the experience. The Big Shift is here, and we have gone digital
The Big Shift came for all including IoD-GH
The activity Calendar for the Institute of Directors, Ghana this year had been packed with a lot of physical space-oriented or what we call face-to-face meetings, trainings, seminars and conferences.
All these have had to change abruptly since Ghana started recording coronavirus cases.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, Mr. Fred Ayeertey admits that although internally, the staff used digital platforms and channels to communicate certain kinds of information regarding the running of the Accra based Secretariat in the past, the Institute “did not have a short term plan to conduct its programmes, orientation workshops, or even induction ceremonies online.
“This whole thing has brought us all to that place where we can say advancement came for us and we are very pumped up here at the secretariat. We are hosting more events virtually than we could have if we were trying to pull them off traditionally”.
For the Institute, this shift gave all businesses new opportunities for innovation.
New opportunities for innovation
IoD-GH encouraged and equipped its members to embrace the change by conducting a nationwide training for its members including the heads of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and directors and management level staff of some corporate organisations as well as entrepreneurs on the use of virtual platforms to conduct business.
The training formed part of a strategy to ensure business continuity in the wake of the negative socio-economic impact of the pandemic.
The President of the Institute Mr, Rockson K. Dogbegah who is keen about helping members adjust to the new normal said the pandemic had created an opportunity for a major overhaul of people’s appreciation of just how important it is to keep up with technology and its effects on economic productivity.
“Many of which are positive by the way,” he said on the first day of the three-day training held early April.
According to him, there is also now a dire need for a concerted effort by all organisation to embrace more innovative yet sustainable ways of conducting business hence the commitment of the IoD and its partners, the BUSAC Fund, DANIDA and USAID to equip those who needed help if many are to come out on the other side of the pandemic strong and still in business.
What are the implications of the BIG shift on Good Corporate Governance?
It is too early to fully see the extent of good or damage the health crisis may have done to years and years of enforcing good corporate governance regulations, the advocacy of it and practices across the world.
The digital space is one that is still not properly regulated in many jurisdictions.
For this reason, the IoD would like your help to determine what we all may be dealing with in the months to come with regards to the digitalised workforce.
If you would like to share your views and help us determine some of the realities on the ground, kindly fill out this five-minute Q&A.
