Why collaboration should be a lasting benefit of the pandemic era

The Dash Water team recently completed a fantastic management course. One of the main bits of advice from the coach was that, to derive any real benefit from what we had learned, we had to ensure we implemented the ideas from our team discussions. We discussed implementing monthly team feedback reports, and rotating who decides where the next team quarterly outing will be – I’m greatly looking forward to our summer team trip to Hattingley Valley winery!

On a wider level, during Covid-19 we as an industry and nation have had a renewed sense of collaboration. And, in a similar way to how our business has turned short-term learnings into long-term actions, I hope our country is able to benefit from some of the excellent initiatives after the pandemic passes.

Although there have been few great things to come out of the pandemic, collaboration has been one of them. People all over the country clapped NHS workers, supported elderly neighbours and we’ve seen a 150% year-on-year increase in charitable donations.

Businesses have collaborated, too. In response to the UK government’s call for assistance with Covid-19 medical devices, seven Formula 1 teams combined to produce ventilators. Barbour created 50,000 PPE gowns from its factory in South Shields and Brompton provided 200 bikes to hire, free of charge, to NHS key workers.

A positive effect on the environment has been a byproduct. Transport by car accounts for approximately a third of total greenhouse gas emissions and in the UK’s first lockdown, monthly average road transport fell 69%.

Last week the UK hosted the G7 countries and will host the COP26 in November later this year, with one of the key topics of collaborative discussion being how to stay below the Paris Agreement’s target to limit global warming under 2°C. Many businesses are doing the same, with the number of B Corps rocketing. Over 3,400 companies are now part of ‘1% for the planet’, contributing $270m to the environment.

I hope we’re able to maintain this collaborative attitude after Covid-19, and much like our management course, implement actions to maximise the long-term value from the positive things to have come out of the pandemic.