The Shift Is Coming
I never could have imagined that, of all things, COVID-19 would be what would act as a catalyst for the paradigm shift — a more digitized Sweden — that is currently happening right in front of our eyes. It’s a shift to a quicker digitization pace, digital maturity, and a greater understanding of powerful learning solutions that I’ve been waiting for for many years.
The consequence of COVID-19 is a deeply tragic social crisis that we can’t currently see the end of. Everyone is affected and it causes concern and discomfort for many. Tough decisions are made every day and there are businesses that we can’t save either through financial packages, support purchases, or digitization. COVID-19 — the spread, the deaths, the imminent notices and bankruptcies — is creating serious economic consequences in our society, today and for a long time to come. I’ve experienced the IT crash, Lehman Brothers, 9/11, and personal crises, but this is something I can’t compare to any previous experience or have never seen before.
It is important to look ahead in order to feel enthusiasm, hope, and motivation. It is important to highlight and be inspired by the fact that there are many brilliant leaders, empathetic fellow humans, and heroes in our vicinity. Every crisis brings something good.
When the market has calmed down and found its steady state, there’ll come a time when organizations will regain their losses amply and obtain important knowledge for their digitization process. Many continue to invest in their employees.
In Sweden, we still maintain a fast pace despite the societal tragedy we’re all experiencing. Digitization is rapidly being adopted throughout the country and in many organizations — not least in our schools. Those previously reluctant or not experiencing any need for digital tools or meeting formats have been forced into digitization at record speed.
In a very short time, demand for Microsoft’s cloud service Azure has increased by as much as 775%. It’s unimaginable, and only one of many examples of how we as a society change our ways of working.
Organizations have been quick to revise their meeting routines and client meetings and to transform large events into virtual meetings. Field salesmen have had to re-book their customers and become completely virtual. It’s new and challenging for some, but many have managed to get acquainted with tools such as Slack, Teams and Zoom in a short time and have already implemented the new routines. We have no choice but to adjust and find other working methods to keep Sweden operational.
In just a few weeks, new behavioral patterns have been created in our society. We are more empathetic and help each other. We share and contribute in many different ways. The digitization has received a substantial vitamin injection, which favors Sweden’s digital maturity.
Since a few weeks ago, I’ve been socially distanced just like many others and do everything virtually. My employees work remotely on all projects. I was quick to adjust my leadership and change the routines for both myself and my employees. I immediately prioritized our, our visitors’, and fellow human beings’ health and safety. My way of contributing to those who are currently having a tough time is to show that I care and support local businesses in the ways I can. Companies and organizations in need of quick action on educational solutions are offered free consultation from us until May 1st. Read more here »
In recent weeks, there’s been a high level of activity in digitizing learning and taking education online. Many schools in Sweden, aided by the Swedish edtech industry, have made a phenomenal effort and succeeded in converting to digital formats for their students in a really short time. In just about a week, training initiatives have been developed to facilitate retraining of laid-off personnel in other sectors and allowing them to support the understaffed healthcare system.
The paradigm shift with the digital transformation is only in its starting blocks. It is with pride I and my employees are contributing to the digitization to make the largest companies in the Nordic region more fast-paced for the future.
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Contact me if you have any questions or inquiries regarding what you want to read in this blog.
Broaden your horizons and do something this week that strengthens you and your fellow human beings.
Kind regards,
Ewa Hutmacher, CEO, Snabbfoting
E-mail: [email protected]
Snabbfoting helps large organizations in the Nordics maximize their learning investment. We are curious, agile and well-positioned to advise, design and implement digital learning solutions on leading SaaS and on-premises platforms across all industries.