At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 vaccine has reached 17.7% of the American public, and continues to be administered in the US at a pace of 2.2 million doses per day. The US, it appears, is finally on a path to recovery from one of the deadliest pandemics in modern history, of which the economic and public health effects will likely be felt for years to come.

Among organizations that weathered the pandemic, however, many expect to come away from it more resilient and better prepared to take on a still largely uncertain future. According to a McKinsey report published in October, the pandemic compressed years of technological change and progress into just a few months for businesses in the US and globally.

In the face of existential uncertainty, organizations of every size rose to the occasion, embracing digital technology during the pandemic to solve a number of new challenges, most critically an overwhelming transition to remote work. But while disaster may have prompted these changes to happen sooner, many of them were always inevitable; more a matter of when than if. 

Now, as the US and other countries inch towards immunity, businesses face a new challenge: sustaining the momentum of technological adoption and progress in a post-pandemic world.

At the center of this challenge are people, according to an article by Stanford consulting professor Behnam Tabrizi published to the Harvard Business Review in October. Tabrizi says that post-pandemic, digital strategy is ”not just about adding new technologies like quantum computing, IoT, or AI, but how that tech will make your employees connect more effectively with their work.” 

First and foremost, Tabrizi suggests, businesses need to be sensitive to the mental health of their employees. Between July 2019 and July 2020, the risk of depression among US workers rose 102%, undoubtedly due to the changes and tension brought on by the pandemic. Given the magnitude of the impact COVID has had on workers, the pace of innovation businesses experienced amid the pandemic likely isn’t sustainable, at least in the short-term.  

Longer-term, Tabrizi says organizations can think about sustaining a strong post-pandemic technology culture in the context of a framework he developed in partnership with the Project Management Institute called the The Brightline Transformation Framework. 

Tabrizi’s framework centers around two approaches: the outside-in approach, and the inside-out approach. The first approach, outside-in, emphasizes the importance of a company’s North Star, “a crisp, inspiring articulation of its vision and strategic objectives for the transformation.” 

With respect to building a post-covid technology culture, businesses can transition their North Star from one of crisis, to one of new normal. To illustrate how this works, Tabrizi points to AirBnB CEO Bryan Chesky, who shifted his company’s focus to accommodate the changing dynamics of the hospitality industry. Chesky’s new North Star for AirBnB emphasizes how the company can capitalize on the remote work trend and offer services and experiences that better cater to a post-covid reality. 

The second half of Tabrizi’s framework, the inside-out approach, focuses on making organizational adjustments to accommodate employees and their own North Stars. Using the inside-out approach, organizations can channel the strengths and aspirations identified by their employee’s personal North Stars to facilitate technological change and adoption. Sustained by a guiding, well-articulated goal and a workforce empowered and incentivized to work towards that goal, organizations align their outside-in and inside-out approaches. 

With immunity comes the promise of a new world, free of COVID-19, but still wrought by a deeply destructive and nightmarish pandemic. As we emerge from these dark times with sharpened grit and industrious, we need to be perceptive to the changes that await us. For those unsure of how to continue to promote a culture that emphasizes employee health and wellness and continued technological adoption post-COVID, Tabrizi’s Brightline Transformation Framework offers a path forward.