May 17 Necessity is the mother of invention and innovation

It is very difficult to play a game when the rules of the game are constantly changing. It is very difficult to make decisions when the outcomes of those decisions aren’t certain. Businesses are facing this. Business owners are facing this. Employees are facing this. Families are facing this.

Society is looking at information overload. There are so many thoughts and theories about the issue that it is difficult to know who to listen to or what to believe. Scott Monty, author of the e-newsletter Timeless and Timely, in his March 15, 2020, article entitled “Individualism has no place in a pandemic” wrote: “An infodemic is just as harmful as a pandemic.” An infodemic is an excessive amount of information about an issue that is harmful to its solution. Too much information is as bad as not enough information.

We’ve quickly changed the way we work. I know of a few advertising agencies that before all this started were working remotely. They did not have a brick-and-mortar office anymore. They would meet with a client at the client’s place of work or find a common space to meet. It didn’t change the work done, it just eased the overhead for the agency owner. And, for the agency owners who were wondering how this would work within their business model, they’ve been forced to find out. If they have the opportunity to remain remote, will they? A lot of businesses are thinking about redefining their procedures based on what they are learning now.

Communication channels are on the rise as more people are staying at home. E-newsletters are seeing greater numbers in readers. Television viewership is up. People are hungry to consume information or entertainment.

My favorite spot for lunch is now open for takeout only. They adapted quickly. They also tried having their mobile restaurant in the parking lot. They’re selling family meals and casserole dishes in the afternoon and evenings. The owner has told me of some ideas he has to keep the restaurant doors open and keep his customers during this period of physical distancing. This is a time of innovation for him.

Folks who have been hesitant to use technology before are now adapting by using video conferencing services of all kinds to check on friends and relatives, have Sunday school, and even conduct business meetings.

“While there may be pain ahead, so too will there be good. Humanity has battled war and weather, plagues and pestilences, and disasters and depressions, and we’ve emerged as renewed, resilient, and reinvented.” Tweeted by @ScottMonty on March 18, 2020.