eemingly invincible institutions are finally being forced out of their comfort zones and, as a matter of survival, breaking with arcane traditions and pedagogy by institutionalizing models and technology platforms previously eschewed. The difference this time is COVID-19 has forced these institutions to rip off the band-aid and adopt telework, telemedicine, and distance learning. This time they cannot accommodate the normal scaling, piloting, or eventual roll back when technologies did not work as planned or were too hard to use. We have all seen it before, but this time, even the most imperfect deployment, implementation, or adoption models are being driven forward with gusto.
There is no doubt that the rate of change precipitated by the onset of COVID-19 has been unmatched by any other single economic event in recent history. However, if you take a look back at previous periods of significant economic shift, the Industrial Revolution of the late-1700s exhibited (albeit over a much longer time span) many of the same core characteristics of the COVID-shift we are experiencing today. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, work models and, consequently, societal patterns morphed. What had historically been an agrarian economy that placed a premium on personal space, individualism, self-reliance, and agricultural activities as the primary income source was transformed into a more fast-paced lifestyle marked by a massive societal shift of urbanization (that eventually led to overcrowding) so people could work in factories. These industries were fueled by technologies and machinery that stripped away the uniqueness and quality of hand-manufactured products and replaced them with standardized and mass produced goods that have remained a mainstay of the modern economy.
In both the Industrial Revolution and the COVID shift, technology played a central role. The injection and adoption of automated platforms and processes into otherwise traditional markets and established protocols has enabled, and in some cases driven opportunities for efficiencies and a redefinition of workforce composition. This technological change has also required new skills that have led to the reevaluation and realignment of educational requirements and delivery options. New entrepreneurial opportunities will emerge as markets are redefined and consumer expectations create the demand for new products and services.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, necessity has proven the viability of remote work so convincingly that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Shopify have already announced that an increasing number of their positions will permanently become remote. And it is not just the employers who are interested. On the Indeed platform alone, searches for remote work opportunities have doubled.
Assuming the social implications follow new norms as they have in the past, rural and urban areas alike are on a precipice. Rural areas see a potentially unparalleled recovery driven by remote work opportunities and a modified return to a pre-industrial agrarian lifestyle. Urban areas face a future marked by unpredictable levels of outmigration due to reduced dependency on proximity and corporate offices. Neither areas can afford to falter in their response, nor are they truly prepared to face the challenge. Ensuring this future will require mustering the resources appropriately and effectively to overcome the remaining technological challenges facing rural areas such as affordable broadband connectivity.
If there is a bright spot to be found in the COVID-19 story, it is that a foundation has been laid for a rural renaissance. As a result of shifting societal norms, we might just be able to fundamentally pivot the future of rural communities that have been plagued by outmigration and exclusion from significant economic development activity for decades. Geographic boundaries have essentially been erased, employers and employees alike are embracing new work models that allow job functions to be done remotely. Technologies exist to facilitate this new norm and quality of life has been widely redefined using characteristics that are uniquely suited to rural communities. Although COVID-19 may appear the perfect storm, there are opportunities as well. The question is, will rural areas take shelter from the storm or dance in the economic rain?
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Toward a Rural Renaissance in the Post-Pandemic Era
September 4, 2020
S
eemingly invincible institutions are finally being forced out of their comfort zones and, as a matter of survival, breaking with arcane traditions and pedagogy by institutionalizing models and technology platforms previously eschewed. The difference this time is COVID-19 has forced these institutions to rip off the band-aid and adopt telework, telemedicine, and distance learning. This time they cannot accommodate the normal scaling, piloting, or eventual roll back when technologies did not work as planned or were too hard to use. We have all seen it before, but this time, even the most imperfect deployment, implementation, or adoption models are being driven forward with gusto.
There is no doubt that the rate of change precipitated by the onset of COVID-19 has been unmatched by any other single economic event in recent history. However, if you take a look back at previous periods of significant economic shift, the Industrial Revolution of the late-1700s exhibited (albeit over a much longer time span) many of the same core characteristics of the COVID-shift we are experiencing today. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, work models and, consequently, societal patterns morphed. What had historically been an agrarian economy that placed a premium on personal space, individualism, self-reliance, and agricultural activities as the primary income source was transformed into a more fast-paced lifestyle marked by a massive societal shift of urbanization (that eventually led to overcrowding) so people could work in factories. These industries were fueled by technologies and machinery that stripped away the uniqueness and quality of hand-manufactured products and replaced them with standardized and mass produced goods that have remained a mainstay of the modern economy.
In both the Industrial Revolution and the COVID shift, technology played a central role. The injection and adoption of automated platforms and processes into otherwise traditional markets and established protocols has enabled, and in some cases driven opportunities for efficiencies and a redefinition of workforce composition. This technological change has also required new skills that have led to the reevaluation and realignment of educational requirements and delivery options. New entrepreneurial opportunities will emerge as markets are redefined and consumer expectations create the demand for new products and services.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, necessity has proven the viability of remote work so convincingly that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Shopify have already announced that an increasing number of their positions will permanently become remote. And it is not just the employers who are interested. On the Indeed platform alone, searches for remote work opportunities have doubled.
Assuming the social implications follow new norms as they have in the past, rural and urban areas alike are on a precipice. Rural areas see a potentially unparalleled recovery driven by remote work opportunities and a modified return to a pre-industrial agrarian lifestyle. Urban areas face a future marked by unpredictable levels of outmigration due to reduced dependency on proximity and corporate offices. Neither areas can afford to falter in their response, nor are they truly prepared to face the challenge. Ensuring this future will require mustering the resources appropriately and effectively to overcome the remaining technological challenges facing rural areas such as affordable broadband connectivity.
If there is a bright spot to be found in the COVID-19 story, it is that a foundation has been laid for a rural renaissance. As a result of shifting societal norms, we might just be able to fundamentally pivot the future of rural communities that have been plagued by outmigration and exclusion from significant economic development activity for decades. Geographic boundaries have essentially been erased, employers and employees alike are embracing new work models that allow job functions to be done remotely. Technologies exist to facilitate this new norm and quality of life has been widely redefined using characteristics that are uniquely suited to rural communities. Although COVID-19 may appear the perfect storm, there are opportunities as well. The question is, will rural areas take shelter from the storm or dance in the economic rain?
