No matter who you are or what role you play in the world it’s different now than it was two weeks ago.  By different I mean changed.  Change is difficult.  The change we face now is a crisis; a pandemic.  It’s disruptive, destructive, unpredictable, and scary.  What can we do?  Change with it as best we can.  We must respond and adapt to the rapidly evolving elements of the world around us.  For the past couple of weeks – and who knows how much longer – we’ve all been making change rapidly.  We respond to CDC guidelines, state and local government mandates, limitations and closures of our workplaces, school postponements, grocery stocking… Our households, organizations, industries, communities, and nation are being tested.  These tests will be passed by focusing our efforts, by coming together and remaking ourselves in the face of change.

Amidst all this upheaval, the workplace is not immune to the shifts we are experiencing. Many industries have had to pivot quickly to remote work, adjust production, or even temporarily cease operations altogether. This crisis is forcing businesses to reevaluate how they operate and manage their workforce, leading to an urgent need for flexibility, creativity, and resilience. Companies that once thrived on in-person collaboration now find themselves navigating virtual environments, while essential workers are adapting to heightened safety protocols. To keep pace with these demands, modernizing EHS beyond compliance is no longer an option but a necessity. It’s about integrating health, safety, and environmental considerations into the very fabric of operations, ensuring that employees feel supported and secure in these uncertain times.

A benefit of facing adversity, especially in quarantine, is time and purpose for reflection.  While thinking about what my organization does and how its utility fits into the world, I came upon the idea of remanufacturing as a mindset for change.  To me remanufacturing means taking something broken or unable to perform a task and making it work again often better than before and adapted to changing conditions and new information. 

We are watching the world remanufacture itself.  Look at the changes in your life and the changes in the lives of those around you.  Our healthcare systems, delivery and distribution networks, transportation, sports and entertainment industries—whether headed for a bailout or unable to respond to the excess—are remanufacturing themselves in a hurry. 

Examples of helpful and rapid change abound: an events company producing masks, Ford contributing parts and design for a ventilator, grocery stores providing senior shopping hours.

I don’t know the way out of this mess, and I don’t have many answers, but it’s a safe bet that rapid assessment and adaptation will be effective strategies in our changing world. 

I’ve watched our systems development teams utilize a system for work which I believe focuses on change called agile (discussed more in this REMAN U article). The basic premise and wisdom as I understand it is to respond to challenges and opportunities quickly and get immediate feedback.  Work or change is prioritized and focused on short time periods.  I’m working as many of you are lately on almost daily adjustments.  The idea is to assess, adjust and respond efficiently and keep making forward progress. 

The big changes you were considering a few months ago with hesitation… well, you’ve made bigger ones last week on little to no notice.  Don’t become overwhelmed, assess the situation, prioritize and attack the most important issues and implement solutions.  

As we quickly adapt our businesses and our lives to a new, and likely temporary normal, we might first have to remanufacture our attitudes to the idea that we can change every norm about our lives to get through a difficult time and to do-so stronger than the start.