Preparing for the next pandemic: adopt, adapt or improve?

Abstract

This article offers the risky proposition of forecasting the future. The often paraphrased quote of Peter Drucker, famous European management guru, applies here. He was fond of pointing out how predicting the future can be likened to driving backwards down a dark and isolated country road at night with no lights, while looking out the back window via the rear view mirror. Instead, his wisdom suggested inventing the very future we want. We had best start now. Despite COVID-19 persisting in many countries, this article shares tactics from several strategic approaches to preparing for the next pandemic: accept the current practices (adopt), modify to suit new conditions (adapt), or find a different and better way (improve). The author favours improve.