"How sustainable is the mood of optimism?" was one of the questions that Zoom participants asked us yesterday following the presentation of the results of our study project. Optimism may sound surprising these days - yet we took some of it away from the interviews with 30 managers from companies of various sectors and sizes - from a brewery to IT companies and industrial groups to banks and insurance companies, the business community was colorfully represented. What is it all about? Together with 23 students from the Bachelor's degree program in Communication Studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), we conducted an action research project on the sensemaking of managers during the lockdown (April to July 2020) - based on qualitative interviews, evaluated in a critical discourse analysis, mirrored with the integral and development models of Ken Wilber and Frederic Laloux as well as classified in the concept of Future Rooms of the Zukunftsinstitut.

The dawn of a new normal?

The atmosphere in the discussions and interviews was that the negative escalation of the crisis, as often portrayed in the media, is reflected in the finding of meaning among executives rather in exceptional cases. At first glance, the predominant picture is that a new normal is quickly emerging in companies - with a focus on the home office, well equipped and supported by IT and conferencing tools, well structured and organized in virtual meetings. These seem to be even more effective than face-to-face meetings on site. So is everything already clear in the new working world? 

The question of meaning is posed anew

Not at all, as a second look at the data has shown. For many executives, a change in thinking takes place during the crisis. Suddenly being "out of the office" creates a new world beyond the hectic daily routine and the power structures in the company. The tunnel ride (always further, faster, bigger, more successful - and all that in halfway well-rehearsed structures) has come to an end - and once at home, between family and virtual colleagues, between kitchen, balcony and desk, some questions that had already been answered are posed anew: What does it mean to have a fulfilling workday? What are appropriate metrics for success? And how do I deal with the loss of control that the crisis brings?

Allow more humanity

The refreshing thing about the answers: being "out of office" makes it possible to allow more humanity again beyond the rational business world depicted in numbers and processes that we know from offices:

• Outside the tunnel, the economy is taking on a more emotional face. Not only are feelings once again permitted and completely normal, but the subjective side of a world thought to be rational is becoming conscious again altogether. The belief in the power of one's own will increases. One senses the cultural value of interpersonal encounters that took place in the hallway and in the coffee kitchen. Some ask themselves anew the question of what they are working for.
• At the same time, many feel that communication is more important than ever. Being in constant exchange is no longer a matter of course and no longer happens automatically on demand. People are using new platforms for virtual exchange and are on the move in social media. As a result, communication is becoming more personal, mostly 1:1. Many people are becoming aware of how small the section of the world that marketing and corporate communications previously created was - they are informing themselves more broadly and at the same time in a more planned manner.
• Before meetings, people give new thought to who should be there. Those who contribute are often different than before. Trade shows and conferences take place online - which works quite well. Stakeholders such as employees and customers have their say more clearly because they are asked more often. New communication spaces are emerging that are perceived as very effective and helpful - hosting these is a role that some managers are just rediscovering for themselves. 
• All in all, this leads to a shift in the balance of power in companies. On the one hand, it's about being fast and remaining visible. On the other hand, the fact that reservations about agile working methods have vanished into thin air as a result of the move to the home office has established new routines for coordination and decision-making - even in areas and departments in which self-determined working was not common before the crisis. Autonomy creates resilience - and examples such as the Chinese automotive supplier Haier show that self-organized models can also be scaled on a large scale and flourish especially in crisis situations.

Move quickly to the "New Normal

Many managers have told us that learning from the crisis is at the top of their agenda. At the same time, however, many assume that the "new normal" after Corona will be more like an even faster "old normal" and feel less like a paradigm shift. They are trying to adapt to it as quickly and efficiently as possible. The danger is that it will remain a superficial learning based on pre-pandemic business norms and the space to let something new emerge will not be used. Typical questions that came up in the interviews:

• How can we use the crisis even better as an accelerator for digitization?
• How can we quickly return to a state of profitable growth?
• When will it be back to the office - or how many days of home office will be allowed in the future?

Questions of this kind lead to quick answers, but prevent the opportunity to investigate the causes and get to the bottom of the complexity of the current crisis and also to make the invisible developments visible. 

When, if not now, to set off for the new economy of the future?

Where the journey in business will ultimately take us therefore seems open. However, based on the interviews, we are certain that in the near future it will be even more important for each individual manager to take the reins and find his or her own way. The opportunity to create effective models for sustainable and resilient management today is therefore greater than ever. This view is shared by Frederik G. Pferdt, Chief Innovation Evangelist at Googlewho says that creativity is not lacking in business, but rather the self-confidence to put it into practice. These include:

• The courage to recognize the problems and ask questions,
• Prototype and learn quickly,
• Thinking outside the box and radically rethinking
• and empathy to put themselves in other people's shoes.

Now entrepreneurial managers are needed who look ahead with courage and inspiration and simply implement the business of the future with their teams!

For more information on the study (incl. webinar recording and study presentation), please visit here.