Save-to-thrive
Enterprise transformation and performance improvement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic
August 2020 Save-to-Thrive | Enterprise transformation and performance improvement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic
Contents
Executive summary 4
About the survey 9
Key global insights 17
Coping with COVID-19: Respond-Recover-Thrive 23
The “Next Normal”— New business conditions after COVID-19 29
Industry sector analysis 35
Save-to-Thrive 39
Conclusion 42
Appendix 47 Save-to-Thrive | Enterprise transformation and performance improvement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic
Foreword
The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the global business landscape and fundamentally changing how people around the world live and work. To better understand the short- and long-term impacts of the crisis—and what companies around the world are doing about it—we recently conducted a special mid-cycle version of our regular biennial survey of global cost management practices and transformation trends.
Actions that companies are taking right now to address COVID-19 do business). Now, in response to COVID-19, we are seeing that can have a major impact on their long-term competitiveness and transformation mindset evolve into “Save-to-Thrive,” with the performance. As such, it is crucial for decision-makers to understand crisis shining extra light on the talent lever and accelerating key how the crisis is unfolding from a business perspective, and what the transformation actions such as automation and remote work that future is likely to hold. can help companies thrive once the virus is contained and the next normal emerges. The results of this mid-cycle survey include responses from 1,089 executives with direct involvement in their companies’ cost In contrast to the downturn that began in 2008, which was structural management and enterprise transformation efforts, and represent a in nature, the current crisis was triggered by external factors and is broad range of industries and global geographies—with particularly demand-driven. As such, although two-thirds of our respondents strong representation from countries that have been highly impacted expect at least one more wave of COVID-19 relapses to occur, by COVID-19. companies around the world are generally optimistic about the future and intend to bounce back as quickly as possible, adopting In this report, we discuss the key survey findings using a three-stage a Save-to-Thrive mindset that can help them make strategic shifts framework (Respond-Recover-Thrive) to analyze companies’ actions to their operating models, products and services, and customer and expectations as they cope with the pandemic and position engagement capabilities. themselves for the post-crisis world (the “next normal”). We hope you find the insights in this special report useful, and look 1 Our 2019 global survey , which was conducted prior to COVID-19, forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback. found the prevailing mindset for strategic cost management was “Save-to-Transform” (using the strategic levers of cost, growth, talent, technology and digital enablement to transform how companies
Omar Aguilar Sam Balaji Strategic Cost Transformation Global Consulting Leader Global Market Offering Leader Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Deloitte Consulting LLP
1. “Save-to-Transform as a catalyst for embracing digital disruption: Deloitte’s second biennial global cost survey,” Deloitte, 2019
3 Save-to-Thrive | Enterprise transformation and performance improvement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic Executive summary
Expectations for COVID-19 is boosting Cost structure is COVID-19 financial The crisis is driving positive revenue the focus on cost considered the top impacts are demand- more companies to growth have declined reduction. Relative to internal challenge. driven. The top pursue aggressive significantly due to pre-COVID-19 levels, Inability to adjust cost external challenges cost reduction COVID-19. Compared the likelihood of structure to meet reported globally are: targets. Globally, to pre-COVID-19 undertaking cost demand is the top drop in consumer the percentage of expectations, the reduction initiatives internal challenge globally demand (74%); shift respondents pursuing percentage of increased globally and in all regions. Inability in consumer behavior cost reduction targets respondents globally by 74% (28 percentage to meet employee (67%); cyber security greater than 10% expecting positive points). Two of three safeguards, and inability vulnerabilities (65%), increased by 61% revenue growth is companies globally to satisfy increased and supply chain (25 percentage points) down 40 points. (66%) now expect to demand round out the challenges (65%). compared to pre- pursue cost reduction top three. COVID-19 levels. Two over the next 12 of three companies months, up from just Inability to rapidly globally (66%) now 38% reported before address cost structure have cost reduction COVID-19. to meet demand: 78% targets that exceed 10%. Regionally, the Inability to meet percentage of companies higher measures with those aggressive related to employee targets is highest in safeguards: 74% LATAM (83%) and lowest Inability to satisfy in the US (59%). increased demand or increased sales opportunities: 71%
Lack of liquidity or credit to ensure business continuity: 69%
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Coping with COVID-19: Respond-Recover-Thrive
Required actions to address the COVID-19 crisis can be divided into three major stages: respond, recover and thrive. These three stages are interspersed with two additional interim stages (“respond to recover” and “recover to thrive”, and culminate in a long-term operating environment we call the “next normal.”
The global focus for Revenue growth Automation is the Working through all the COVID-19 crisis is expectations are very top transformation stages is expected shifting from respond positive in the thrive action arising from the to require about a year to recover. Most stage. Expectations for COVID-19 crisis. Globally and a half. Although the companies globally have revenue growth, although and across all regions, expected durations for effectively responded down from pre-COVID-19 roughly two of three each stage vary widely to the immediate crisis levels, remain somewhat companies expect to by region, on average and are now starting to positive in the respond pursue automation respondents globally focus on recovery. The stage (55%) and recover in all three stages of expect the respond majority of companies stage (58%). In the Respond-Recover-Thrive. stage to last about surveyed (59%) now thrive stage, the vast three months, the see themselves in the majority of companies recover stage about six “respond to recover” or globally (74%) and in all months, and the thrive “recover” stages. regions have a positive stage about 10 months. revenue outlook.
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The “Next Normal”— New business conditions after COVID-19
When mapping out strategies to respond, recover, and thrive, it helps to have informed insights about the future business environment. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, many people called the resulting business environment the “new normal.” However, every new normal eventually gets replaced by a new new normal, so in our view it makes sense to call the post-COVID business environment the next normal.
Revenue sources will IT infrastructure, Top product strategies Next normal customer Cybersecurity and be fundamentally remote work and for the next normal engagement strategies cloud will be the key different in thenext digital channels are focus on innovation, will be driven by digital technologies. normal. expected to be the health and safety channels and flexible According to the survey, Due to practices such top operating model measures, and customer experiences. the most relevant social distancing and priorities. In a post- customization. Globally, the most technologies in the shelter-in-place that crisis, increasingly digital Globally, the top product popular strategies for next normal will be restrict access to the world, IT infrastructure strategies to compete customer engagement cybersecurity solutions physical world, the and digital channels will in the next normal are: will be: shift most (80%) and cloud COVID-19 crisis has be key. Also, remote adjust, redesign transactions to digital computing (80%). greatly accelerated work will likely remain or innovate your channels (75%), and the shift from physical popular now that the product/service increase flexibility to digital channels. It COVID crisis has proven offering to expand before and after the has also revealed the its viability. Globally, the to adjacent and/or sale (73%). limitations and risks of top operating model new markets (74%); globalization and global priorities during the next leverage new health supply chains, leading normal are expected and safety measures many companies to to be: enhance IT by redesigning your re-prioritize domestic infrastructure (78%); current product/ operations over enable remote work service offering international operations. (76%); and enable pre- (73%); and customize Meanwhile, COVID- sale, sale, and post- products or services driven changes to how sale activities through to meet new customer people live and work are digital channels (72%). and/or government boosting demand for requirements (73%). new kinds of products and services. According to the survey results, the fastest growing revenue sources in the future will be: digital channels (vs. physical channels); new products and services (vs. existing pre- COVID offerings); and domestic operations (vs. international operations).
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Industry sector analysis
Expected growth Different sectors Revenue outlooks the most negative impacts over the are at different vary significantly by revenue outlooks, while next 12 months vary stages of progress. industry. Although Medical Technology and by sector. Revenue In addressing the the future revenue Pharmaceuticals have the expectations over the challenges of COVID-19, outlook remains most positive outlooks. next 12 months vary the average rate of generally positive for In the thrive stage, widely by sector, with progress in all sectors all sectors—especially Hospitality, Chemicals the COVID-19 crisis falls somewhere in the thrive stage— & Specialty Materials, impacting sectors between the respond expectations vary and Hardware & both negatively and and recover stages. significantly by sector. Semiconductors have the positively. On the The median progress In the respond stage, most negative outlooks, negative side of the in sectors such as Transportation and while Medical Technology spectrum, a relatively Hospitality, Capital Consumer Products and Telecom have the high percentage of sector Markets, and Medical have the most negative most positive outlooks. respondents expect Technology is skewed revenue outlooks, while revenue to decline in towards the respond Medical Technology Transportation (61%) and stage, while sectors and Pharmaceuticals Hospitality (60%). On the such as Insurance have the most positive positive side, revenue (both General and Life/ outlooks. In the recover growth is expected in Annuity), Consumer stage, Transportation and Medical Technology Products, and Banking Hospitality have (63%), Telecom (58%), are generally further Pharmaceuticals (58%), along, with progress and Software & IT skewed toward the Services (57%). recover stage.
Save-to-Thrive
Save-to-Transform companies bounce back Most companies Decisions that remote work that is becoming Save-to- from the COVID-19 crisis expect a second companies make align with the new Thrive. The strategic and position themselves wave of COVID-19. today to cope with realities of a post-crisis priorities associated to thrive in the next The majority of the COVID-19 crisis business environment— with the COVID-19 normal, many expect respondents (67%) can help or hinder companies can thrive stage are very to continue focusing on expect a COVID-19 their positioning leverage their cost consistent with the those same levers—but relapse, with an for the future. By savings and Save-to-Transform with an increased and estimated timeframe using cost reduction improvement efforts trend we identified accelerated emphasis on of early 2021. Those and performance to not only transform in 2019, which uses technology and digital that follow strategies improvement strategically how they operate, but the strategic levers of enablement, along with consistent with Save-to- to transform the to position themselves cost, growth, talent, a renewed emphasis on Thrive will likely be the enterprise and improve to thrive in the next technology and digital growth and talent. We ones best positioned competitiveness—which normal. enablement to transform call this evolved mindset to weather potential includes investing in how companies do “Save-to-Thrive.” challenges resulting key capabilities such business. And as from a second wave. as automation and
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About the survey
9 Save-to-Thrive | Enterprise transformation and performance improvement strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic About the survey
Deloitte Consulting LLP (Deloitte or Deloitte Consulting) engaged Dynata to conduct a global survey of COVID-19’s impact on organizations—from both a transformation and performance improvement perspective—to better understand the changes taking place in current and future actions across regions and industries.
Study objectives
Conduct a mid-cycle version of Understand the impact of Compare business our biennial global cost survey, COVID-19 on different industry expectations before the focusing on the impact of COVID-19 sectors and regions COVID-19 pandemic and now
Characterize organizations Identify trends on future based on three stages of activity: operating models, product/ Respond, Recover and Thrive service offerings and consumer engagement in a post-COVID-19 world that we call the “next normal.
Methodology Data was collected through detailed online surveys conducted between late June and mid-July 2020. Analyses were conducted by Deloitte.
January February March April May June July August September October November December
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Firmographics
The survey included responses from 1,089 executives directly involved in transformation efforts in their organizations. Respondents were from four major regions.
Figure 1. Geographic distribution of survey respondents