Three big changes in a post-pandemic world

This information is copied from a recent Fortune magazine newsletter that we received.  Given that 2020 has been a big year, we thought we would share the information with you - as an indicator as what is ahead in the next decade.

Fortune - CEO Daily Newsletter

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has a unique window into what’s going on in the world of business. 

Her company serves hundreds of large companies in 120 countries, with a half million employees and more than $40 billion in revenues. 

And from that perch, she told me recently, she sees three big—and I mean big—changes going on in the post-pandemic world.

• “The first is a shift around the value of tech. We are no longer spending time talking about, is technology good or bad and what are the risks. Tech became the lifeline for individuals, societies, business and government.”

• “The second big shift has been about speed. The most successful economies, countries, companies are those whose speed is as fast as possible. We are seeing that every day.”

• “The third shift, which is the one I’m most excited about, is a shift in the opportunity to accelerate the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).”

For those not into UN lingo, the SDGs are the UN’s attempt to identify and address societies’ biggest needs. 

The increasing embrace of those goals by business is indicative of a major change that was already underway before the pandemic, but has been accelerated by it. “We definitely have passed the tipping point,” Sweet says. “The pandemic has highlighted the interconnection around the globe. 

The risks around climate seem much more imminent. The risks of a pandemic in the future are real.” 

And then there is the need for a massive training and upskilling effort, to give more people the opportunity to benefit from the technology revolution.In response to these changes, Accenture itself is changing. 

Sweet announced in October 2020, a new brand campaign (“let there be change”) a new purpose (“to deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity”) and, perhaps most importantly, a new approach to business that emphasizes what she calls “360 value”—helping companies address issues like sustainability and reskilling as part of their technological transformations.Companies need “to think about serving stakeholders as something that you need to do by design in the change they are driving. It’s not separate from the business. It’s responsible business by design.”You can watch the entire interview with Julie Sweet here.

By Alan Murray, Editor of Fortune CEO Daily