TU Dublin COVID-19 Enterprise Response Forum issues findings
The final report of the recent TU Dublin COVID-19 Enterprise Response Forum has been released, and it sets out a number of practical initiatives to support Irish enterprise and their management.
The ideas emerged through a series of 12 ideation workshops facilitated by TU Dublin academic staff, in which almost 100 participants from different industry sectors took part.
TU Dublin established the Forum as an ideation platform for: (i) identifying and developing ideas and practical proposals that cumulatively will enhance enterprise resilience to the economic impacts of COVID-19, and (ii) preparing enterprise for the post-pandemic era. Two types of ideation panels were held – Enterprise Thematic Panels and Sectoral Panels.
Enterprise Thematic Panels were conducted in key enterprise areas identified as critical for business continuity (e.g. supply chains, start-up support), those that will be important for enterprise responses to COVID-19 impacts (e.g. remote working, innovation, management competency development), and those that are likely to be impacted significantly by COVID-19 (e.g. exporting activity).
Sectoral Panels focused on areas of high employment and economic significance and on those sectors whose operations and possibly business models have been most significantly impacted by COVID-19. Ideation workshops were conducted for (i) Retail, (ii) Financial Services, (iii) Sports and Leisure; (iv) Innovation in Construction; and (v) Sustaining Charities.
Panel composition across the 12 ideation workshops was constructed around the specific expert requirements to address and validate specific challenges. The workshops were facilitated by TU Dublin faculty with expertise in the panel subjects, and over 50 TU Dublin staff participated.
Paul O’Reilly, Head of School of Management and convenor of the Forum, explains:
“The objective of the Forum and the ideation exercises was to generate multiple ideas and initiatives that together can have a cumulative impact for enterprise, and the final report sets out a number of practical initiatives to support Irish enterprise and their management. In some instances, this included capturing key learning and gains achieved by enterprises as they responded to the crisis. It is important to note that we weren’t evaluating supports already available but instead, we came at it with a blank page asking key questions focused on enterprise needs. In a number of instances, the Government and enterprise agencies had already initiated actions relevant to the ideas proposed. In those cases, the recommendations are an endorsement of these initiatives but also offer suggestions as to how they can be further developed.”
The report is currently being disseminated to key enterprise support agencies and can be read here - www.tudublin.ie/C19EnterpriseResponseForum
For further information, please contact paul.oreilly@tudublin.ie.