Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Easy come, easy go: The business practices most likely to fade after the pandemic
COVID-19 | Economy
April 14, 2021 – Home offices, Zoom instead of business class, e-commerce: these are the pandemic-related changes most likely to stick, according to our latest McKinsey Global Survey. Supply-chain management, surprisingly, is most likely to revert to precrisis norms.
To read the survey, see “Economic conditions outlook, March 2021,” March 30, 2021.
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Visual form
Multi-column diverging stacked chart.
Layout / body structure
The chart arranges seven vertical columns from left to right for remote work, business travel, use of office space, customer interaction, building capabilities and skills, management of ESG issues, and supply-chain management. Each column diverges around a central equal-mix band, with future-oriented norms stacked above and precrisis norms stacked below.
What is being compared
It compares expected post-COVID norms for different aspects of company business, showing whether each practice is expected to remain completely current, primarily current, evenly mixed, primarily precrisis, or completely precrisis.
Measurement system
The measure is percent of respondents. Each column totals 100 percent and prints the segment values directly inside the stack, making it possible to compare how much of each business area is expected to retain newer practices versus revert to older ones.
Visible structure inside the graphic
All seven columns share the same diverging format, with lighter blue current-state segments above the middle and darker precrisis segments below. Because the stacks are aligned around the equal-mix band, the eye can quickly see which practices lean most heavily toward current norms and which preserve more of the precrisis base.
Main takeaway from the visual
Remote work, business travel, and office-space use are shown as the practices most likely to retain meaningful post-pandemic change. The chart makes this visible because those columns devote the largest shares to completely current and primarily current norms and the smallest shares to full precrisis reversion.
Key standout values or extremes
Remote work shows 16 percent completely current and 30 percent primarily current, while business travel shows 8 and 28 and office-space use 13 and 28. Supply-chain management has a smaller fully current share at 10 but still leans toward current and mixed norms, while customer interaction has one of the largest equal-mix bands at 44.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.