The New (Ab)Normal : Reshaping Business and Supply Chain Strategy beyond Covid-19

by Yossi Sheffi

Much has been written about Covid-19 victims, how scientists raced to understand the disease, and how governments did (or did not) protect their citizens. Less has been written about the pandemic’s impact on the global economy and how companies coped as the competitive environment was upended. In this book, MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi maps how Covid-19 impacted business, supply chains, and society. Civilization depends on supply chains to convert the planet’s bounty into products and deliver those products affordably to 7.8 billion human beings. Sheffi exposes the critical role supply chains play in helping people, governments, and companies to manage that bounty. The book draws on executive interviews, pandemic media coverage, historical analyses, and themes from his books, "The Resilient Enterprise" (2005) and "The Power of Resilience" (2015) to suggest how companies become more resilient facing uncertainty. This must-read book helps companies and entrepreneurs adjust to a fast-evolving economic landscape. The Stage is Set During a Global Part 1, “What Happened,” sees how companies fought to mend the global economic fabric even as the virus ripped more holes in it. Pt. 2, “Living with Uncertainty,” shows how companies create corporate immune systems to quickly manage large-scale disruptions. The new normal is covered in Pt. 3, “Adjustment Required.” Pt. 4, “Supply Chains for the Future,” discovers accelerated trends in technology adoption. China was the pandemic epicenter and first to recover. Pt. 5, “Of Politics and Pandemics,” explains why reports that companies are abandoning China do not reflect reality. The book is about businesses trying to create a better future – emphasized in Pt. 6, “The Next Opportunities.” Nimble businesses are using off-the-shelf cloud computing and mobile apps to level the playing field between small and large companies. Research for this book shows that flexibility and agility are vital to managing the chaos of the pandemic and the pivot toward the future. The pandemic has brought to everyone’s attention the importance of supply chains. In any industry, including my own, flexibility and adaptability have become critically important, in particular as the world is moving to more e-commerce and enhanced omnichannel operations. Yossi Sheffi's thought-provoking book shows how companies have leveraged these attributes and what competitive strategies will be effective in a post-pandemic world. - Hamid Moghadam, Chairman & CEO, Prologis In the early stages of the pandemic, demand surged, and production halted in many parts of the world. In his fresh and insightful book, Yossi Sheffi examines how supply chains flexed in response to these challenges—and how the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to shape the business landscape into the future. It is a must-read for anyone seeking insights into how to lead during this abnormal time and beyond. - Thomas J. Donohue, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce As one of the world's preeminent experts on supply chain strategy and resilience, MIT’s Yossi Sheffi has a track record of publishing trailblazing books. This age-defining book is his latest triumph. There is an urgent need for clear, incisive, and well-supported thinking on how companies can emerge stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic, and The New (Ab)Normal delivers. Essential reading for any executive. - Hau Lee, The Thoma Professor of Operations, Information & Technology, Stanford Graduate School of Business. Any executive looking for guidance on how the Covid-19 pandemic is redefining supply chains should read this book.

Genres: Technology

418 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Professor Yossi Sheffi is Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL), and Director and Founder of the Master of Engineering in Logistics Program. He is a faculty member of the MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, as well as the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. He is an expert in systems optimization, risk analysis and supply chain management and is the author of a text book Urban Transportation Networks: Equilibrium Analysis with Mathematical Programming Methods (1985) and four award-winning management books: : The Resilient Enterprise: Overcoming Vulnerability for Competitive Advantage (2005); Logistics Clusters: Delivering Value and Driving Growth (2012); The Power of Resilience: How the Best Companies Manage the Unexpected (2015); Balancing Green: When to Embrace Sustainability in Business (and When Not to) (2018). His latest book is The New (Ab)Normal: Reshaping Business and Supply Chain Strategy Beyond Covid-19 (October 2020).

Reviews

[Juan Ribero · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is an "all in one place" for the required knowledge to confront the COVID-19. You get the view of the scientific knowledge of the virus, the continuity problems of the different sectors, the breadth of the uncertainties as well as of the opportunities. Great contribution to fight and get the best of this demanding context. Congratulations Yossi for this timely contribution.

[Despina Safouri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has captured all the learnings that SC had to go through during Covid 19.Addressing all the resilience/opportunities and agility needed to reform and reshape businesses in few weeks/months that normally would have occurred in years.Overall also an excellent book explaining SC fundamentals and macroeconomics.

[Best Indie Book Award · Rating 5 out of 5]

🏆 2020 BIBA® Business/Global Economics Winner!

[Muhammad Shair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on the topic of Supply Chain Mangement especially in this time period when we need to know and adapt the changes in SCM, thank you very much Prof. Sheffi for writing such a great book!