Anticipating and navigating gradual disruptions

COVID thrust the spotlight on how prepared corporate boards are to confront disruptions and underscored the need for boards to proactively brace for worst-case scenarios, enabling effective disruption management and a swift recovery from initial shocks.

Recognising gradual disruptions

While explosive disruption is in your face and requires urgent attention and actions, gradual disruption is akin to a slow tide; its subtleties often escape immediate notice, requiring a heightened level of vigilance. Understanding the intricate nuances of slow-evolving changes is inherently complex, making detection challenging.

Gradual disruption is evident in the case of the mobile phone versus the desktop. The mobile phone reshaped the technology landscape and its impact was only felt in retrospect over a decade in the early 2000s. As smartphones gained prominence, desktops faced an inevitable decline and companies tethered to traditional computing models were caught off guard.