Change and impermanency is the common denominator of all phenomena and processes in nature, which include human activities as well. Heraclitus, the 5^th Century BC Greek philosopher, has said that no man can step into the same river twice. This statement from Heraclitus means that the world constantly changes and that no two situations are exactly the same. Just as water flows in a river, one cannot touch the exact same water twice when one steps into a river. This view has been affirmed by Lord Buddha around the same period.

In fact, the challenge of change can be considered as the key driver in all the human endeavours across history and the main motivating factor of business strategies that have evolved through the four industrial revolutions spanning form the mid-18^th century to the present day of mass digitalisation. The four principles of change management at any level – be it personal, family, workplace, company or a country – are:

• Understand the change
• Plan the change
• Implement the change
• Communicate the change

Some of the significant contributors to the management of change which resulted in the emergence of new approaches and working models that became popular during the past 50 years can be enumerated as:

• Lewin’s Change Management Model
• McKinsey 7S Model.
• Kotler’s Change Management Theory
• Nudge Theory
• ADKAR Theory
• Bridge’s Transition Model
• Kubler-Ross Five Stage Model

There are many schools of thought around managing organisational change, but there's one thing that's clear. Change managers need to structure their organisational changes and need to avoid 'ad hoc' change management. They need to look at organisational change from a programmatic perspective, leverage subject matter experts around the impacts of change and look at the ‘change beyond the change’. 

Corporate change has always been associated with leadership, and Jack Welch, the master of transformational leadership, has once quoted that “good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

Notwithstanding the tremendous utility value of these approaches, I have witnessed the beginning, growth, decline and final exit of some great business empires in Sri Lanka, which could not survive up to the third generation. Similarly, there are exemplary business organisations, the roots of which can be traced back in history to a single person who started with a few rupees and later developed in to corporate giants that are thriving through the third generation. It is therefore apparent that there are no hard and fast norms or standard ground rules, but an emerging factor is the importance of the people at all levels, despite the benefits of automation and digitalisation. Success and failure episodes are abundant throughout the world and corporate graveyards are cluttered with casualties.

Change and business strategy are always closely interlinked without clear boundaries. The ‘Art of War’ – which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu (around 5^th century BC) – remains the most influential strategy text in East Asian warfare and has influenced both Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, lifestyles and beyond.

The Covid-19 outbreak, which started around two years ago and developed in to a devastating pandemic, has brought about years of change in the way companies in all sectors and regions do business. The entire world scenario which we currently witness is reminiscent of the opening paragraph of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, an 1859 historical novel by Charles Dickens.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
 

The Coronavirus has rapidly made ‘business as usual’ a phrase from the distant past. There is no ‘usual’ in this uncertain time. But organisations that outmanoeuvre uncertainty create a resilience they can count on, irrespective of the changes that come

. We’ve all changed the way we operate during the Covid-19 crisis. Some changes were forced on us, while others represent the height of innovation in a crisis. There’s been a reset of the workforce and work itself, a reset of the employer/employee relationship and a reset of the business ecosystem. For most of them, the business impact of the pandemic has been negative; for some, positive. 

The pandemic may have wiped our strategy slate clean (or at least it feels that way), but we have also garnered invaluable experience. Now it’s time to bring together our executive team and use those lessons to reconfigure the business and operating models for a new reality. It appears that in addition to the conventional 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle), with respect to resource consumption and sustainability, a set of new 3Rs, namely respond, recover and renew, has emerged during the Covid-19 crisis.

As we shift from response to recovery, the key for senior leaders is to make strategic decisions that will lead them to a renewed future state, however paralysing the uncertain outlook may seem. We can borrow a leaf from the strategy and tactics of the Covid-19 virus itself in learning how to adapt for survival by adopting new paradigms, namely producing more virulent strains such as the Delta variety.

In the absence of a 100 percent effective vaccine or cure for Covid-19, any rebound in business activity could easily be followed by another round of response, recover, renew; so the imperative is to absorb lessons learned quickly and build sustainable changes into business and operating models.

But first, we need to determine exactly where and how the crisis has stretched and broken our existing models, and where the risks and opportunities lie as a result. When talking about risks and opportunities, I cannot help going back to the basics of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) requirements which expect a company to evaluate the external and internal issues (Clause 4.1), expectations of interested parties (4.2), determining the risks and opportunities (6.1) and planning for change (6.2). In some of the companies that I happen to audit, the priority given to these is at a minimum or no priority given at all apart from stagnant records which do not show any objective evidence of monitoring and review.

However, one important factor we have to consider is that everyone – irrespective of whether it is an individual, family unit, organisation or a country – is on various stages of their unique learning curves, and the strategic horizons have drastically become shorter. Business and strategy planning is no longer an elite task shrouded with mystery and confined to the corporate managers only in their air conditioned rooms but a task to be accomplished in consultation with those who are finally going to implement the strategies and plans. While the Japanese Genba (the actual place) approach is more than 50 years old, it is mostly confined to operational levels, which is rather unfortunate. This crisis has created an opportunity to reset some of our goals and ambitions; it’s time to ask: “As we recover from this crisis, do we want to be different, and if so, how?”

One can see that many companies are in the recovery mode at the moment and trying to do damage control based on profit motive, which is understandable. The entire social, cultural and ethical models and paradigms have changed drastically, and the entrepreneurs need to realise that they are no longer operating in the pre-Covid era. Drastic changes have occurred in the entire supply and value chains with changing customer preferences.

The following quote attributed to many, including Eleanor Roosevelt, a former First Lady of United States, is appropriate to be cited here:

“There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened.” 

Change and impermanency is a fact of life, more so today, and if we do not change, change will change us. After all, it was the mathematical genius of the 20^th Century, Albert Einstein, who once observed that:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

We can’t keep doing the same thing every day and expect different results. In other words, we can’t keep doing the same workout routine and expect to look differently. In order for our life to change, we must change – to the degree that we change our actions and our thinking, to the degree that our life will change.

The author a Management Counselor from Sri Lanka

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Sun Auto Tire & Service, one of the largest independent tyre and automotive service providers in US, has entered into a new sponsorship agreement with Ty Gaynor Motorsports, backing driver Ty Gaynor as he takes on the NHRA circuit in both Top Dragster and Super Stock categories. This alignment brings together two entities that prize performance, precision and consistency – qualities that are essential under the hood and behind the wheel. Sun Auto’s branding will appear on Gaynor’s race vehicles throughout the season, with the company’s nationwide network of over 575 locations symbolically travelling alongside him as he competes across the country.

At just 18 years old, Gaynor represents a third generation of drag racing heritage, having climbed from Junior Dragsters to secure his first NHRA national event victory in 2025 at the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals. That landmark Top Dragster win featured a nearly flawless reaction time and a run closing in on 200 mph (approximately 322 kmph). Company leaders describe the sponsorship as a natural outgrowth of Sun Auto’s deep roots in automotive service and its enduring commitment to high-level performance.

The 2026 season will see Gaynor continue his campaign in both Super Stock and Top Dragster competition, with his first race scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Through this partnership, Sun Auto reinforces its connection to the precision and dedication that define success both on the track and in the service bay.

Gaynor said, "Growing up around my family's shops that are now part of the Sun Auto Network, it feels like everything's come full circle having that logo on my cars. What started as family is now a network of more than 575 locations across the country."

Matthew Loos, Chief Marketing Officer, Sun Auto Tire & Service, said, "Whether it's in the shop, in the pits or on the track, consistency, precision and performance matter.”

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Dunlop Motorsport marked its competitive debut on the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a strong top-10 finish, underscoring the potential of its advanced tyre technology. Central to this effort was the use of Dunlop tyres, integrated with the innovative Sensingcore system developed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries. This proprietary technology transforms the tyre itself into a smart sensor, delivering real-time data on critical parameters such as wear, pressure, wheel load and track conditions without requiring additional hardware. By enhancing both safety and strategic decision-making, Sensingcore enables early detection of issues like loose wheel nuts and allows for optimised pit stops, proving its value under the extreme demands of the ‘Green Hell’.

Behind the wheel of the black-and-yellow Porsche 911 GT3 R, drivers Nico Menzel and Dorian Boccolacci delivered a determined comeback. After a challenging qualifying session left them in 24th place due to ill-timed yellow flag periods, Menzel wasted no time, surging to 18th by the end of the opening lap. Boccolacci then took over, extracting the full potential of the new Dunlop slicks with consistently fast lap times. A well-executed team strategy propelled the duo into the top 10 before the race’s midpoint. Although the leading pack had built an insurmountable gap by then, preventing a podium challenge, Boccolacci brought the car home in ninth place overall after four hours of racing.

The event served as a crucial development test for both tyre technology and Sensingcore under real-world conditions, highlighting its promise for future motorsport and production applications. Dunlop Motorsport will continue its preparation at the next Nürburgring Endurance Series round, the 57th Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy on 11 April 2026, as part of its buildup to the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring in May.

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Magna Tyres marks its 20th anniversary today, 23 March 2026, celebrating two decades of expansion within the off-the-road and industrial tyre sector. From its beginnings as an entrepreneurial venture addressing the need for reliable OTR tyres, the family-owned business has evolved into a recognised international brand. It now serves customers across more than 130 countries, supported by a worldwide network of offices, partners and distributors.

Technical expertise and a commitment to customer focus have driven the company’s strategic growth, establishing it as a trusted partner across mining, construction, ports, terminals, recycling and agriculture. Headquartered in Waalwijk, the organisation draws on deep knowledge of rubber compounds and tyre engineering to deliver high-quality solutions tailored for demanding applications.

Over the past 20 years, the company has strengthened its global presence through new offices, expanded production capacity and strategic acquisitions. Long-term relationships with customers, distributors and partners remain central to its approach, blending entrepreneurial drive with the stability of a family-owned enterprise.

Michael de Ruijter, CEO, Magna Tyres, said, “This anniversary not only marks 20 years of growth but also the next phase. We will continue to invest in innovation, capacity and our global network to further strengthen our market position and serve customers worldwide at the highest level.”

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Hankook Tire, the exclusive tyre supplier for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, equipped the entire grid with its specialised iON Race tyre for the 2026 CUPRA Raval Madrid E-Prix. This marked a pivotal deployment for the tyre at the historic Circuito del Jarama, the longest circuit on the calendar, where it was tasked with handling the combined strategic complexities of a new race format.

Held over 23 laps of the undulating 3.934 km layout, this Season 12 round introduced the first single-header application of PIT BOOST alongside a revised ATTACK MODE, forcing teams to master a deeper layer of strategy. The fast-flowing corners and significant elevation changes made energy management paramount. Throughout the weekend, the iON Race tyre proved essential, offering stable grip and controlled thermal behaviour that provided predictable warm-up and consistent traction under the circuit’s demanding sustained cornering loads. This balanced performance window gave teams the confidence to commit to their pit strategies despite limited historical data at the venue.

Jaguar TCS Racing executed a flawless strategic race, with António Félix Da Costa securing victory in the inaugural Madrid E-Prix, leading teammate Mitch Evans in a 1–2 finish while Pascal Wehrlein rounded out the podium for Porsche. Following the conclusion of Round 6, the championship now prepares for Rounds 7 and 8 in Berlin, where the teams and the Hankook tyres will face a distinctly different challenge on the familiar Tempelhof circuit.

Manfred Sandbichler, Senior Director of Hankook Motorsport, said, “The Madrid E-Prix offered a valuable opportunity to see how teams adapted their strategy on Formula E’s longest circuit. With PIT BOOST and a revised ATTACK MODE influencing race dynamics, tyre consistency was an important factor as teams managed energy and race pace across the 23-lap distance. Insights from Jarama will contribute to our ongoing collaboration with the championship as the season continues.”

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