How digital technologies can help companies in crisis times

In crisis times as we have now, I feel too many companies are only going the "easy" way: lay-offs, cost-cutting, price adjustments, wait and see attitude etc. Many don´t have a specific and proactive plan to counter-attack, with a clear destination. The usual way is rather to downsize the original plan by X % and wait to see if this was the right assumption. It´s clear we are not only in the middle of a very difficult economic situation but also at the crossroads of fundamental changes: globalization, digital revolution and social mutations that strongly affect all industries. Under such circumstances, companies that don´t reinvent won´t survive.  And we see in most sectors how dramatic changes quickly happen and how business models mute, not only a consequence of the financial crisis. "New Times, New Ways": it´s time to be more innovative and creative than ever, that's the way to go through those difficult times and prepare for the after-crisis period. One first thing CEOs should do is a strong internal and external communication plan where they detail their specific anti-crisis project with clear goals, metrics,  assignments and milestones so as to boost their troops and get their full commitment. Psychology is key. A second thing CEOs should do is to leverage social technologies and web 2.0. Going digital and web 2.0 can bring five types of advantages: new business opportunities, cost effective PR and marcom channels, customer listening and direct conversation, collaborative management and working speed, and ideas & innovation sourcing.