From Crisis Response to Strategic Redesign: Making Sense of Remote Work as Organizational Change
The way people work within organizations has undergone a profound transformation in recent years, with virtual and remote work shifting rapidly from a peripheral practice to a central organizational norm. While some of this evolution was already underway—driven by talent expectations, technological advances, and cost pressures—the COVID-19 pandemic acted as a powerful external shock that accelerated this transition at an unprecedented pace. For many organizations, the sudden move to remote work represented a form of discontinuous change, requiring rapid adaptation under conditions of uncertainty. As the immediate crisis response gives way to longer-term decision-making, organizations now face the challenge of transitioning from reactive change to a more deliberate and planned approach. This article explores that shift, examining how organizations can navigate the move from discontinuous to planned change while accounting for employee experience, sensemaking, and the realities of remote and virtual work.
