The notorious global pandemic has fundamentally changed most established paradigms and trends in all key institutions, including the economy. As one can see, entrepreneurship, business administration, and operations management (OM) are no exception. It would be true to say that many of the contemporary processes and efforts of managerial specialists in the area of OM are focused on developing the survivability and resilience of their entities and ensuring compliance with diverse regulatory norms and laws (Hess and Jans). This current OM environment differs significantly from those before COVID-19. The trends of the latter one were the development and promotion of internal communication, the implementation of a mobile way of employee interaction, and the automation of operations (PLANETTOGETHER). Management professionals of manufacturing argued in 2019 that “automation has been a key trend within manufacturing for decades” (PLANETTOGETHER). It is noteworthy that this tendency has persisted, although it has ceased to be paramount among operations managers.
Drivers of the shift in direction and changed climate in the OM environment are disrupted and stressed global supply chains, and it is COVID-19 has put them in such an unfavorable state. I consider distinctive features of current-day OM such processes and trends as emerging new resilient and reliable structures, the desire for sustainability, and cost optimization. These include ongoing automation and the emerging understanding of ecological and social justice issues. Moreover, I am sure these two will become of top priority after the OM industry recovers from the damage from the world pandemic. In conclusion, operations management in 2022 can be characterized by such words as recovery, austerity, regulatory compliance, and environmental and social awareness.
Works Cited
Hess, Helge, and Caspar Jans. “Emerging Trends in Business Transformation and Operational Excellence in 2022.” Process Excellence Network, Web.
PLANETTOGETHER. “Trends for Operations Management in 2019.” PlanetTogether, Web.