Are Organizations Prepared to Take Advantage of Job Skills in These Times of War?

We are living in times of war with an uncertain and unsettling scenario. This also includes an invisible enemy that for a few months has put the world economy in check. And that is also changing the rules of the game of everything known as a way of working and living.

All organizations, regardless of industry, position or stage, are currently living in times where answers are not easy. In which it is required to sustain and maintain momentum in the face of a changing landscape. Organizations must focus on retaining and improving the job skills of staff.

Times of peace and times of war

In times of peace, organizations can have advantages or differentiation in the market, they can focus on growth, expand their niche and reinforce strengths regardless of whether or not the world is in crisis.

Therefore, it maximizes, seizes, and expands the opportunity, it seeks to encourage creativity, as well as the contribution of the staff in a more relaxed way. On the contrary, in times of war they are defending themselves against an imminent threat that can come in different forms. Changes in consumption, rising costs of materials, new competition, macroeconomic changes, problems in the supply chain, among others.

In turbulent times like these, organizations often have little room to maneuver and must be effective. Survival depends largely on sticking to and aligning with the mission, the staff must fully commit to their work skills to achieve it.

An example that we can take is that of Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple and faces great difficulties similar to an organization at war. Therefore, he needed all the staff to work precisely and follow his plan exactly. And to put aside individual creativity that was not necessary for the priority objective of keeping the company current.

The adjustment of job skills

In times of war, organizations must look for the right personnel. Work skills are the key as they facilitate having the skills, knowledge and experience to achieve the objectives.

However, the staff must be aware that in this time they will have to change some job skills such as:

• Adapt to new processes and protocols to seek savings and avoid wasting resources.
• You must be vigilant and communicate anything no matter how small that interferes with the mission of the organization, you must focus on execution.
• Understand that war can define your work and personal culture in days or hours.
• You must define short-term goals, focused on winning small battles.
• In times of war, investment and the improvement of labor skills can be restricted, but never stop doing it entirely, since the opportunity to achieve the objectives would be lost.

The unfortunate war in Ukraine puts on high alert the majority of the organizations that planned expansion and growth after Covid-19 in peacetime. Now they must value some more rigid postures in these times of war for all the risks. To achieve goals, focusing on the job skills of your staff will be more essential than ever.

Are organizations prepared to take advantage of job skills in these times of war?