Abstract
Among the changes that the recent pandemic triggered are the active pursuit of remote work and reliance on social distancing; resistance to return to the official organizational office; the acceleration of the adoption of technologies that were previously lagging; a rush to employ new tools like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and other promising and interesting technologies; technologies that allow for better use of data analytics; a proliferation of new B2B operating models. This change of how people view work, the organization they work for, and how they perform that work, after an event as catastrophic as the COVID-19 pandemic, is not a new phenomenon. In the past, when a large, shocking event has happened, people have begun to question what they are doing, how they do it, and the value of that work.
TopCurrent Change Trends
According to Brammer et al. (2020), a term used for many years in sociology seems to best describe current changes in society, that is, “societalization” (Brammer et al., 2020, p. 496). By this term, they mean “a significant social upheaval in which a problem or issue that may have been endemic for some time transcends its traditional institutional boundaries, leading to widespread anguish and a fundamental crisis within society.” Brammer et al. went further to say that “societalization deals specifically with the subset of problems (whether naturally or anthropogenically triggered) that disrupt society in ways that span institutional boundaries and implicate multiple institutional domains in their resolution” (Brammer et al., 2020, p. 496). It appears they have it correct, in that societalization is happening now, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the changes that the recent pandemic triggered are:
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The active pursuit of remote work and reliance on social distancing.
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Resistance to return to the official organizational office.
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The acceleration of the adoption of technologies that were previously lagging.
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A rush to employ new tools like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and other promising and interesting technologies.
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Technologies that allow for better use of data analytics.
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A proliferation of new business-to-business (B2B) operating models.
This change of how people view work, the organization they work for, and how they perform that work, after an event as catastrophic as the Covid-19 pandemic, is not a new phenomenon. In the past, when a large and shocking event happened, people began to question what they were doing, how they did it, and the value of that work. “Many people in the aftermath of 9/11 questioned whether they were doing the work they wanted, and even put in motion career changes aimed at getting closer to these callings” (Michaelson & Tosti-Kharas, 2020, p. 878).
TopThe Great Resignation
A few terms have been coined to help describe the current work trends, societal norms, and innovative technology, coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, which are impacting all B2B sales organizations. To describe the active pursuit of working remote, and the resistance to return to the formal office, some have used the term “the Great Resignation” (Kuzior et al., 2022). Others have used the term “the Big Quit” (Doležal, 2022; Herman, 2022). All these expressions for the social phenomena have in common an attempt to label a meaningful change in how business is being conducted and how and where many members of society want to go about their daily work activities moving forward. Out of the pandemic situation, organizations tested new ways of working and were surprised how successful and productive they could be without coming into the office. It has led to a “drive towards hybrid working taking advantage of the positive productivity increases seen in some industries from working remotely, whilst recognizing the need for balance in having some time/presence in the office” (Editorial, 2022, p. 41)
There is little disagreement that a large amount of technology and tools are available to support sales, but working remotely and selling remotely demand new skills many in the workforce may not have. As one editorial concluded,
We have the tools from software to facilitate communication through video, messaging, group/team discussions to AI enabling more connections with information. However, as we discovered from lockdowns, it is not having the tools that is important, but knowing what to do with them and how to use them in the most effective way. (Editorial, 2022, p. 41)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Culture of the Organization: The culture of an organization refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and norms that shape the work environment and interactions among its members. It influences how employees perceive and engage with the organization's mission, vision, and objectives (OpenAI, 2023 AU34: The citation "OpenAI, 2023" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).
Compensation Package: A compensation package is the sum of all the components, including salary, bonuses, benefits, and other perks, that an employee receives as part of their overall compensation for their work and contributions to an organization (OpenAI, 2023 AU33: The citation "OpenAI, 2023" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).
Explicit and Tacit Knowledge: Explicit knowledge is formal and codified knowledge that can be easily documented, stored, and communicated. It includes information, facts, and data that are tangible and transferable. Tacit knowledge is informal and experiential knowledge that is often difficult to articulate or codify. It resides in individuals' insights, intuition, and personal experiences and is typically shared through interactions and hands-on learning (OpenAI, 2023 AU35: The citation "OpenAI, 2023" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).
Cloud-Based Services: Cloud-based services refer to computing services, such as storage, processing power, applications, and more, that are delivered over the internet from remote servers. Users can access and use these services on-demand without the need for local infrastructure or hardware (OpenAI, 2023 AU32: The citation "OpenAI, 2023" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).
Knowledge Management: Knowledge management involves the systematic processes and strategies used by organizations to create, capture, organize, distribute, and leverage knowledge assets. It aims to enhance collaboration, innovation, and decision-making by effectively managing both explicit and tacit knowledge within the organization (OpenAI, 2023 AU38: The citation "OpenAI, 2023" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).
Higher Education: Higher education refers to post-secondary education beyond the secondary (high school) level. It includes colleges, universities, and other institutions that offer academic and professional education, leading to degrees such as bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees (OpenAI, 2023 AU37: The citation "OpenAI, 2023" matches multiple references. Please add letters (e.g. "Smith 2000a"), or additional authors to the citation, to uniquely match references and citations. ).