{"id":362784,"date":"2020-07-30T16:10:43","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T15:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/?p=362784"},"modified":"2020-07-31T10:55:43","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T09:55:43","slug":"fa3-adapting-to-the-never-normal-and-innovating-in-challenging-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/transform-en-ie\/na\/fa3-adapting-to-the-never-normal-and-innovating-in-challenging-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Adapting to the\u00a0\u201cNever Normal\u201d and\u00a0Innovating\u00a0in Challenging Times\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adapting to the\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u201c<\/span><\/b>Never Normal<\/span><\/b>\u201d and\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Innovat<\/span><\/b>ing<\/span><\/b>\u00a0in Challenging Times\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Overnight,\u00a0<\/span>how<\/span>\u00a0and where we work has been transformed.\u00a0<\/span>The pandemic has\u00a0<\/span>presented\u00a0<\/span>major<\/span>\u00a0challenges for businesses and\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>wider society,\u00a0<\/span>forcing a<\/span>\u00a0rethink of everything from how we do business, to how we socialise and how we communicate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u00a0<\/span>are living<\/span>\u00a0in a\u00a0<\/span>rapidly<\/span>–<\/span>changing<\/span>\u00a0world where the need to learn and adapt has never been greater.\u00a0<\/span>We hosted<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0first<\/span>–<\/span>ever \u201c<\/span>Microsoft\u00a0<\/span>Talk\u201d\u00a0<\/span>this week<\/span>, a live<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft Teams<\/span>\u00a0event\u00a0<\/span>where inspiring\u00a0<\/span>industry innovators and leaders\u00a0<\/span>shared some fascinating<\/span>\u00a0insights on how organisations can adapt and\u00a0<\/span>show true innovation during a time of<\/span>\u00a0crisis<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The event included a panel discussion with\u00a0<\/span>Margaret Burgraff, Partner at Continuous Ventures<\/span>\u00a0& former Intel Vice President<\/span>;\u00a0<\/span>Rosemay<\/span>\u00a0Garth, Communications Director, Irish Distillers; and\u00a0<\/span>Lurlene Duggan<\/span>, Chief Learning Officer at Microsoft<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0The discussion was\u00a0<\/span>moderated<\/span>\u00a0by former journalist and entrepreneur, Mark Little.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The event was\u00a0<\/span>nicely kicked-off by our National\u00a0<\/span>Tehcnololgy<\/span>\u00a0Officer, Kieran McCorry who quoted an old Chinese\u00a0<\/span>proverb<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the wind of change blows, some build walls, while others build windmills.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Adapting to the\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u201c<\/span><\/b>Never Normal<\/span><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/b>,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span><\/b>quote<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Mark Little.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the constant themes throughout the\u00a0<\/span>discussion<\/span>\u00a0was the need\u00a0<\/span>to innovate<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>evolve<\/span>\u00a0and adapt<\/span>\u00a0both from a business and personal perspective. Businesses need to constantly look for new ways to adapt to the challenges presented to find their purpose and thrive. This is also true on a personal level, as we learn new skills\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0prepare ourselves for the workplace of the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It<\/span>\u00a0was fascinating to hear how<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Margaret\u00a0<\/span>Burgraff<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>built<\/span>\u00a0her stellar<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>career\u00a0<\/span>based on the<\/span>\u00a0belief that things are<\/span>\u00a0\u201cnever normal\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and training herself to be \u201ccomfortable in the uncomfortable\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>She is constantly<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>seeking out<\/span>\u00a0disruption and\u00a0<\/span>searching for new and exciting\u00a0<\/span>innovations that provide solution<\/span>s<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She summed\u00a0<\/span>up the<\/span>\u00a0need to adapt<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0disruption<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>world is\u00a0<\/span>currently\u00a0<\/span>encountering<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>by referencing Darwin’s Origin of Species<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span><\/b>t is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives<\/span><\/b>,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0but the species that survives is the one that is\u00a0<\/span><\/b>best able t<\/span><\/b>o adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.<\/span><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping up for customers,\u00a0<\/span><\/b>employees<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and society\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many great examples of organisations stepping up\u00a0<\/span>during the pandemic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>During the\u00a0<\/span>discussion<\/span>\u00a0we heard how<\/span>\u00a0Irish Distillers Limited\u00a0<\/span>has\u00a0<\/span>responded to the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>current\u00a0<\/span>operating environment,\u00a0<\/span>adapting<\/span>\u00a0to meet the needs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of its\u00a0<\/span>brands<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>customers<\/span>\u00a0and the wider society.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since early-March, it<\/span>\u00a0has been<\/span>\u00a0using\u00a0<\/span>its Jameson<\/span>\u00a0distillery\u00a0<\/span>to produce<\/span>\u00a0free<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>hand sanitizer\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>healthcare worker<\/span>s, as\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0was in short supply\u00a0<\/span>across<\/span>\u00a0Ireland<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Using\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0skills\u00a0<\/span>that sit within<\/span>\u00a0an<\/span>\u00a0organisation to meet the wider needs\u00a0<\/span>of society<\/span>\u00a0is something<\/span>\u00a0the company\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Communications Director<\/span>\u00a0Rosemary Garth\u00a0<\/span>spoke passionately about during the<\/span>\u00a0event<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As she put it<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

N<\/span><\/b>ow is not the time for companies to disappear. Now is the time for brands to show up and make a difference.<\/span><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As<\/span>\u00a0well as<\/span>\u00a0digitally adapting its own business to ensure its employees can continue to work remotely throughout the crisis,\u00a0<\/span>Irish Distillers has\u00a0<\/span>also developed\u00a0<\/span>upskilling initiatives\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>support\u00a0<\/span>workers<\/span>\u00a0from the\u00a0<\/span>hospitality sector<\/span>\u00a0that have temporarily\u00a0<\/span>lost their jobs\u00a0<\/span>during the lockdown.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Lurlene Dugga<\/span>n<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>emphasised the importance of\u00a0<\/span>finding\u00a0<\/span>ways<\/span>\u00a0to upskill workers<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>For example, In Ireland, we have 40,000 people working in the developer space today, but we will need 165,000 to meet the future job opportunities created in areas like Artificial Intelligence.<\/span>\u00a0She also shared information about<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>new global skills initiative aimed at bringing more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by the end of the year<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking at Microsoft from an innovation perspective, over the last number of years we have really focused on our employee base<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>helping our employees to understand their capabilities for us to grow as a company.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About three or four year<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0ago<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0we looked at how we could start developing\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0growth mindset<\/span>\u00a0throughout the company<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When we look<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0at our employees, we needed our sales teams\u00a0<\/span>to be<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>more technical,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>our research teams\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>become\u00a0<\/span>more field focused. For our customers and partners, we really need to\u00a0<\/span>provide<\/span>\u00a0them\u00a0<\/span>with the<\/span>\u00a0skills they\u00a0<\/span>need\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>realise<\/span>\u00a0the full value and potential\u00a0<\/span>of the<\/span>\u00a0Microsoft<\/span>\u00a0technology<\/span>\u00a0they<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>use<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When\u00a0<\/span>it comes to\u00a0<\/span>digital\u00a0<\/span>transformation<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0you need\u00a0<\/span>people with the<\/span>\u00a0skills<\/span>\u00a0– to adapt to\u00a0<\/span>–<\/span>\u00a0and implement this change.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>For a business to innovate and reach\u00a0<\/span>its<\/span>\u00a0full potential<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0first<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>has<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0understand\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>capabilities of\u00a0<\/span>its<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>existing employees<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>bring them on that journey in terms of their\u00a0<\/span>development<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In fact, research from Microsoft found that 74% of employees will happily retrain if they see it will keep them employed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Employee upskilling as well as\u00a0<\/span>attracting new talent will require\u00a0<\/span>organisations<\/span>\u00a0to radically rethink how they will operate and transform to meet both<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>challenging<\/span>\u00a0current<\/span>\u00a0climate as well as\u00a0<\/span>future\u00a0<\/span>recovery.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With disruption comes new opportunities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Despite the current dis<\/span>ruption, we can\u2019t stand still. We need to continue to upskill and adapt to thrive in the never normal.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shirley Finnerty, <\/span><\/p>\n

M365 Business Group Lead\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adapting to the\u00a0\u201cNever Normal\u201d and\u00a0Innovating\u00a0in Challenging Times\u00a0\u00a0 Overnight,\u00a0how\u00a0and where we work has been transformed.\u00a0The pandemic has\u00a0presented\u00a0major\u00a0challenges for businesses and\u00a0the\u00a0wider society,\u00a0forcing a\u00a0rethink of everything from how we do business, to how we socialise and how we communicate.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u00a0are living\u00a0in a\u00a0rapidly–changing\u00a0world where the need to learn and adapt has never been greater.\u00a0We hosted\u00a0the\u00a0first–ever \u201cMicrosoft\u00a0Talk\u201d\u00a0this week, a live\u00a0Microsoft […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":362817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"class_list":["post-362784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-none-en-ie","specials-transform-en-ie","stories-how-can-i-make-my-company-more-innovative-en-ie","stories-innovation-en-ie","businessPriorities-digital-transformation-en-ie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362784"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362784"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363189,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362784\/revisions\/363189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}