Disaster and Transformation | Earthquake, Business and Change

Disaster and Transformation. How is the relation between Earthquake, Business World and Transformation? Change is a phenomenon that is at the core of nature and is the basic condition for sustaining life. To change, to keep up with environmental conditions, to ensure development and growth by struggling with nature (competitors) is the main goal of all living things and systems. Every living thing and every system in the universe is in a constant state of change.

Change can be expressed as the transformation of any system (person or organization), whether planned or unplanned, from a certain state to another of a process or environment. The concept of transformation, which is expressed as transformation in English, is used as transformationism in biology. As a teaching that living species are formed by changing from one form to another, transformationalism asserts that living things move from one state to another. For example, the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly and an egg into a chicken.

Disaster and Transformation. Relation of Earthquake, Business World and Change.

In addition, in geology, the concept of “metamorphosis” refers to transformation “all the events that cause sedimentary rocks to change into rocks that show a leafy crystalline structure.” The Turkish dictionary meaning of the concept of “transformation” is to enter a different form than it is, to take another state, to transform, to change the form, to transform into another state.

Transformation in general; It can be defined as the process of revolutionary differentiation by abandoning the current structure, customs, habits and tendencies, or preparing for future trends now and carrying future tendencies into practice from now on. One of the reasons why the concept of transformation is often used is that the concept of change cannot fully express moving from one position to another from one pattern to another. Change takes evolutionary differentiation as a theme or main idea, while transformation takes sudden and revolutionary differentiation as an idea.

Metamorphosis

In addition, in geology, the concept of “metamorphosis” refers to transformation “all the events that cause sedimentary rocks to change into rocks that show a leafy crystalline structure.” The Turkish dictionary meaning of the concept of “transformation” is to enter a different form than it is, to take another state, to transform, to change the form, to transform into another state. Transformation in general; It can be defined as the process of revolutionary differentiation by abandoning the current structure, customs, habits and tendencies, or preparing for future trends now and carrying future tendencies into practice from now on.

One of the reasons why the concept of transformation is often used is that the concept of change cannot fully express moving from one position to another from one pattern to another one. Change takes evolutionary differentiation as a theme or main idea, while transformation takes sudden and revolutionary differentiation as an idea.

Transformation becomes imperative when the existing structure does not give the desired result when the existing values lose their validity. Change, on the other hand, always evokes the arrangements made on the basis of the existing one.

Operational technologiy! Disaster and Transformation

Like every living thing that wants to protect its existence and sustain its lives, organizations as social systems have to change constantly. There are many models of change and transformation of social systems in the literature. But in general, there are three types of changes in social systems: operational, technological, and systemic (structural and cultural).

Transactional change is related to the way a job is done, the order and the rules of doing the work, while technological change is the change of the tools and materials used to do the work. Systemic change is the change of the nature of the work and the redetermination of the focus of goals and actions. Systemic change refers to a total change throughout the system. Such changes are a change in the structure that includes rules, roles and relations in the organization on the one hand, and beliefs, values and acceptances on the other, that is, the culture. This kind of change occurs when the system needs to redefine its raison d’être. At such times, the structure (rules, roles, and relationships) and the culture that gives meaning to the structure need to change. This means total change. Therefore, the concept of “transformation” was used instead of systemic change.

The systems of transformation

The systems of transformation that I have tried to explain conceptually above affect societies and countries with their internal and external factors. Natural disasters (such as earthquakes, floods) and events such as wars can be given as examples of external factors. Germany and Japan are examples of post-war social transformation. Natural disasters, on the other hand, partially lead to transformation. After natural disasters such as earthquakes, a series of radical transformations from daily life to behavior patterns are expected to take place. Urbanization changes not only the forms of buildings, but also the understanding of education and industrial production. The business world is also affected by such major disasters and subsequent transformations.

Major disasters adversely affect capital, possible investment planning, morale and motivation of entrepreneurs. After a major departure from the established geography, a capital outlook that changes place and direction emerges and new investment areas and sectors are searched. In this process, the flexibility of capital to transform is important. Old habits, the traditional form of governance and a conservative view of capital management impede this flexibility and prevent any possible renewal of the pursuing institution.

The cost of disaster! Disaster and Transformation

In Turkey on Feb, 06, 2023, 13 million people in 11 cities faced a major earthquake disaster. We have seen that about 45 thousand people have died in this great disaster and thousands of buildings have been destroyed. The calculation of the cost of this breakdown situation to our country is very high, but we can only make some predictions. In the report on the possible macroeconomic cost of the earthquakes to Turkey prepared by the US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley, it was estimated that the cost of direct housing damage in Turkey was around $ 24 billion, but this figure could reach $ 38 billion when some additional costs were taken into account.

Reconstruction and disaster relief costs are expected to be 3.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product. The fact that these figures belong only to the construction of physical buildings is unfortunately an indication of the huge cost that will occur when other damage parameters are taken into account.

Who will be survive?

In this context, the external transformation we mentioned above will show its effect in the long term and permanently. This does not actually mean a change, but a transformation itself. This process will directly affect the business life, industry and production in the earthquake regions. In this context, a macro planning and a comprehensive strategic plan to be formed with stakeholders are needed.

First of all, it is necessary to analyze the fact of an internal migration to the three major cities and the cities close to the earthquake zone in the short term. This social mobility will bring with it economic and social problems. In addition to the differentiation of the economic and demographic outlook in the abandoned regions, the problems of employment and taking a share in the business processes in new living areas will inevitably be seen.

As a result, the person, capital who can transform will survive and those who cannot demonstrate this ability to survive will naturally disappear.