Disruptions (Acute And Chronic)

Covid-19 is yet another disruption that is having the following impacts

- potential illness, and deaths amongst stakeholders (staff, customers, suppliers, patients, etc)

- supply change interruptions

- dramatic fluctuations in demand

- increasing VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity).

In fact Covid-19 can be called an acute disruption, ie

"...The onset of such a disruption is sudden and severe, and its symptoms are obvious. Its treatment calls for a rapid and dramatic response..."
Gerard C. Kane, et al, 2021

Similar events, ie acute disruptions, include September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in USA, 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, 2008 US housing and financial crisis, volcanic eruptions (Iceland in 2010 and Spain in 2021).

However, chronic disruptions are different, ie

"...Disruptions build slowly. The immediate symptoms can be subtle and easily overlooked. They require sustained treatment that must be tolerated over time......tend to be persistent and long-lasting..."
Gerard C. Kane, et al, 2021

Some examples of chronic disruption are China's economic rise, climate change, digital technology, etc

Both acute and chronic disruptions are a threat to 'business as usual'.

Covid-19 has sped up the uptake of enterprise virtualisation, eg flexible working, e-commerce, tele-health, virtual meetings, etc

"...In response to the pandemic, many......companies......accelerating their digital transformation efforts..."
Gerard C. Kane, et al, 2021

The pandemic has illustrated the transformational myth, ie

"...That transformation is an event with a start and end in which organisations migrate from one steady state to another, as opposed to a continuous process of adapting to highly volatile, ambiguous and uncertain environment shaped by multiple, overlapping disruptions..."
Gerard C. Kane, et al, 2021