2010 and the second decade is getting underway, as the worst snow since 1963 melts away leaving damaged roads and faulty roadside assets, particularly the electrical type! The snow and ice has enabled the misbehavour of cars, many of which have defied the driver’s instructions to turn and continued in a not-at-all-majestic straight line into kerbs, lamp columns and ditches. Many unfortunate drivers ended up in hospital and even more with bills for car repairs that might be followed by claims for repairs to roadside assets. Our refuse and recycling has not been collected and many of us could not get to our offices.
However, there is one very bright shining star that I saw radiating from the snow-storms: our ability to work from home.
Many of us could not get to work…yet worked quite normally from home. Many of our software systems are specifically “access from anywhere, work from anywhere” (aka Hosted, SAAS, on-demand). Whilst 1963 saw a great deal of hardship from the long snow spell, 2010 has sent less for a number of reasons, one of them being our ability to work from home. Not only could we access our key operational systems, but we could also hold teleconferences so that our regular important meetings. We continued with the management of Government infrastructure and key services that keep our country ticking over.
And what’s more, those who had the vision to introduce “Broadband Britain” should be congratulated. We could find out “on-line” about changes to the refuse collection as well as transport changes, planes, trains and blocked roads.
Will this decade see us reflect on the tragedy in Haiti and link the (minor by comparison) experiences of the past fortnight, seeing the possibility of re-planning our “major event” and “disaster” plans? We could easily decide to do so and create new plans if the Broadband service was available, and others if it was not. Some key workers may have satellite Internet access by the end of the decade, possibly just as a standby. We may plan for floods, earthquakes and civil disasters the light bulb now on that that key workers do not have to attend an office and we can make a step change to our ability to respond.
There are many phases to responding to unusual circumstances and this Monday we will get to work repairing all the potholes and damaged roadside assets from this past fortnight.
Meanwhile, if behoves Senior Managers to reflect. As every journey starts with the first step, no journey starts without that first step. Will this be one of the changes of the “tens”? Will Government senior managers be taking a step onto the tube this Monday, or will they be taking that first big on a long journey that will become part of a societal step-change?
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