SHA-Cordecho-Winter-21-22

8 C O R D E C H O S P I R I T . M I N D . B O D Y . P E R S P E C T I V E S F R O M H I G H E R E D : L E S S O N S Wisdom fromAcross the ith a self-described “curiosity about the world,” Kathleen O’Connor’s zest for learning has taken her from wine tasting in a lecture hall at Cornell University to teaching MBA students at London Business School to business consultation with executives and organizations in Dubai and Moscow. Her profession changed dramatically as a result of the pandemic when all her courses at London Business School were taught online and she was no longer able to travel to places like Dubai, Paris and Moscow to consult with businesses in person. Relying heavily on virtual platforms, Kathleen is now advising businesses and her students about what the new normal (what she calls the “never normal”) will look like post-pandemic. According to O’Connor, the workspace will look very different. By necessity we entered into a great experiment with employees working from home as countries across the world went into lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. Businesses found employees could be very productive at home and could get their work done despite all the additional demands on them in the height of the pandemic. Many employees embraced the freedom and flexibility of working remotely over the return to a cubicle which did not give enough privacy to focus and work efficiently even during the best of times. During the pandemic the concentrated, cubicle work environment with few walls and doors originally designed to foster collaboration turned out to be a space conducive to the spread of this and other viruses. “Managers are going to have to get creative and work harder to manage the demands of employees post-pandemic,” according to Kathleen. “They are going to have to embrace new ways of getting the work done.” Some of the new questions facing business management include: • How will I manage people who are not in front of me? • How do I continue to create an optimal work environment and sense of belonging when my employees are working from home? • What work needs to be done in-person? • Do we need a five-day work week? • How do I run an effective meeting on an online platform? • How can I use online tools to generate further efficiency in my organization? O’Connor was also impressed by the entrepreneurship that arose out of the pandemic and how people used the last 18 months to hone their skills and redirect their talent. Many initially attributed the current labor shortage to government subsidies. However, based on data, O’Connor reached a different conclusion. She ascribes some of the labor shortages the U.S. is currently experiencing to individuals, primarily women, creating more autonomous situations for themselves by starting their own businesses and taking a step towards economic independence and having more control over their time and schedules. When we spoke about how Kathleen’s teaching changed during the pandemic, she first reflected on her time at Sacred Heart, fondly recalling the profound impact the Academy has had on her life. O’Connor attests that because of the modeling of competence and compassion she received from her teachers at SHA, she was fully prepared both academically and psychologically Kathleen O’Connor PhD ‘85, Clinical Professor of Organizational Behavior, Director of Executive Education at London Business School