The COVID-induced change was profound in education, where technology has had less of impact than many experts predicted in previous years. Suddenly, companies had to co-ordinate work in a physically dispersed environment. Just about a year on, it is sobering to see how much those fault lines have widened, and saddening to realise how much pulling apart has occurred today we see wealthy nations are racing ahead with vaccination programmes while their poorer counterparts are left floundering.Īll the leaders we interviewed agreed that the pandemic had accelerated digital transformation. Our thought leaders wanted to know whether the world would work together, or pull apart they were struck by just how sharply and fast the existing lines between the “haves and the have nots” had leapt into focus. The United States’ inward turn unsettled many. Asia’s role as a growing power was repeatedly highlighted some interviewees suggested that Europe could harness the crisis to re-establish itself as a force to be reckoned with, while others believed Europe was going to be left behind by the Asian giants. Globalisation and the shifting role of supply chains emerged as strong themes. Geo-politics was a crucial part of our conversations. Somehow, they held rapid change-that acceleration necessitated by COVID-19-and small, personal moments together. But they had not lost sight of those beyond their immediate circles: there was a real sense of connection and compassion with not just employees, but their employees’ families and communities more broadly. Most were spending more time with their families than they had in years, reconnecting and learning about the people who matter most. Some were pursuing new hobbies others found solace in exercise and time in nature. Their answers to personal questions, such as how their own leadership might change and what shifts they’d already seen in their own lives, were deeply considered and freely shared. We were struck by how vulnerable our interviewees were willing to be. Three important themes emerged from our discussions: Our discussions with these business school deans and some private sector leaders have been compiled into a book that has just been published by GBSN. We invited them to pause, look up and ahead to see past the immediate emergency and to think about what the future of education might look like in a world after COVID-19. Last year, GBSN’s CEO Dan LeClair and I reached out to deans from schools in countries like Nigeria, England, Mexico, Egypt, China and the United States with an invitation to speak with us. Founded in 2003 by the World Bank, today GBSN is a Washington D.C.-based, independent global non-profit organisation. While we see hope and light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the contours of the world after COVID-19 remain to be decided.īesides being a professor at Cornell University, I also have the privilege of chairing the board of the Global Business School Network (GBSN), a network of more than 120 global business schools. Many nations are relaxing the restrictions put in place over the last year, as others are seeing the resurgence of COVID cases due to new variants. We are viewing a mixed picture of the COVID crisis today. Join the Forum Network for free using your email or social media accounts to share your own stories, ideas and expertise in the comments.
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