When crises occur, they involve more or less strong upheavals in our living and working conditions, our activities, our social relationships and our emotions. These disruptions, and the risks they entail, vary from one population to another, from one person to another. It is essential to understand their impacts and draw the first lessons for better management of people and organizations:

•  To understand how we got here. First, from a societal point of view, to become aware of our impacts on the environment and make them evolve positively. Then, from an organizational and individual point of view, to adjust the culture and processes that eventually complicated the management of the crisis and the adaptation to the disruptions. 

• To take the time to understand how we are experiencing it. We need to learn all the lessons about collective and individual capacities we were able to put in place to move forward, while assessing the difficulties we are going through. 

• To try to imagine and prepare the day after. The objective is not to predict the future but to know how to identify the reflexes to perpetuate, the activities to adapt and those to abandon.

 The first essential lesson to be learned from crises and their upheavals, once we experience them, is our collective inability to anticipate them. The second is our collective capacity to overcome them and find, in one way or another, the levers to get out of the crises. That being said, it is unfortunate that this collective bounce back involves human and social impacts that mainly affect the most vulnerable. Our capacity to rebound to reach « the day after » is probably a biological legacy, but it is only revealed under pressure, with the damage that it implies.

 The great opportunity we have today is to rethink our behaviors, our routines and even our identities to move towards a culture of the « day after » and to embody it in a sustainable way.

 Why talking about a « Day after » culture? As mentioned, we collectively have the capacity to bounce back during crises. This capacity needs to be structured and embodied over the long term, in order to learn from our strengths in times of crisis and mitigate their harms. The « day-after » culture must become part of organizations DNA, so that they can become as efficient as in times of crises and cultivate their behaviors to be prepared for the day after on a daily basis.

 The culture of the « day after » can be summed up in 7 main principles and concrete behaviors that organizations must implement and embody: 

• Protect people and organizations: Implement safety conditions that guarantee the health and well-being of employees and protect organizations. For people, this means working conditions, in the workplace or at home, that guarantee health, physical and psychological protection. For the organization, it is the protection of sites, knowledge and data. These elements must be thought out in advance and implemented on a daily basis in order to anchor the right reflexes and be prepared for possible upheavals. 

• Act wisely: This is probably an utopian dimension, but it is the duty of people and organizations to question their actions and their impacts on ecosystems. The elementary prevention from possible crises is not to participate in the causes that lead to them. 

• Be straight to the point: During crises we learn to be moderated and efficient, doing less and well. Certain behaviors become secondary (meetings and validations, non-regulatory compliance conditions, etc.). This “refocusing” on the essential has two virtues: activities are « purified » of what is not essential for the functioning, and individuals facing disruptions refocus and rebuilding their life balance. This efficient organization which is a factor of performance in a crisis context, must become a permanent culture. 

• Be reasonably agile: Upheavals inevitably imply agility to find new ways for collaboration and organization. However, agility should not be a dogma carried by unique conditions, such as the systematic use of videoconferencing or the imperative of the same rhythm of remote working. Being reasonably agile means giving everyone the opportunity to find its own balance and collaboration mode. For example, working « asynchronous » via online platforms allows everyone to organize their tasks according to their own constraints. 

• Animate justly: Animating is facilitating exchanges and collaboration. Animation should not be oriented only around the execution of tasks. What makes a team, is the cohesion it develops and maintains. This cohesion is mainly based on informal exchanges, care and shared good vibes. Periods of crisis can lead to an excessive need for control, especially on remote / tele workers, but the need is more to relax the atmosphere and accept a certain slackening. It is also a matter of trust in employees and fostering a positive collaborative ecosystem. 

•  Foster solidarity: During a crisis, solidarity is a natural impulse to find meaning and to feel useful. In an organization, this can be provisioning resources or talents to support the community, or any internal solidarity that allows business continuity. Solidarity gives meaning to the collective because each person, according to his or her abilities, can find a social utility. Solidarity also alleviates crises because it allows the concentration of energies where they are most needed. A form of solidarity and collective resilience must be structured within organizations so that everyone can be useful, sometimes even beyond their perimeter, and strengthen performance by revealing talents.

• Accept emotion: The upheavals caused by a crisis have an impact on people, their lives and their emotions. This can be linked to direct confrontation with caused drama, isolation, professional pressure or personal anguish because of the situation. Emotions are amplified by the conditions and effects of the crisis. Acceptance of these emotions, their verbalization, as well as listening and support make it easier to overcome crises. Leadership, managers and employees must accept these emotions, listen to them and try to calm them down. Emotional intelligence finds its full meaning during a crisis. It allows us to accept the humanity within each individual and to develop a collective goodwill that strengthens the organization.

 We are going through an unprecedented and moving period for people, organizations and society. Risks are dramatic and will have long-term human, social and economic impacts. Our first collective duty is to move forward towards the « day after », and above all to seize the opportunity to truly seize this as opportunity to grasp the situation and identify and understand the lessons it presents to make the day after a better day for people and organizations. A culture of « the day after » as detailed here may not be a choice, but a responsibility.