HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeDigitalback to Research & KnowledgeBuilding resilience into your organizationback to Digital

Video

Building resilience into your organization

Resilient Mindset Mini-Series

By Katharina Lange and Tawfik Jelassi

June 2020

The second installment in our Resilient Mindset Mini-Series is focused on how to build resilience into the organizational foundations of your business by considering your leadership, strategic and systemic resilience in the face of pressure from external forces.

In this edition of our short video series, CEO of Zuellig Pharma, John Davison, reflects on how the organization’s resilience and digital transformation were developed. In conversation with Katherina Lange Professor of Leadership at IMD and Tawfik Jelassi, Professor of Strategy & Technology Management also at IMD, he credits that effort as key to Zuellig Pharma’s navigation of the COVID-19 crisis.

Zuellig Pharma’s success during the COVID-19 outbreak has been based on the strength of its Business Continuity Plan (BCP), its supply chain resilience and the organizational commitment of its people to make healthcare accessible. Davison describes the central importance of the BCP and also outlines Zuellig Pharma’s successful transformation from traditional pharmaceutical wholesaler to modern, data driven healthcare service provider.

Other topics raised in the discussion include the reinvention of Zuellig Pharma over the past five years to provide a new foundational support to the business’s ability to not only meet, but to gain momentum through challenging times. By developing new business streams, the company effectively future-proofed itself.

Davison describes Zuellig Pharma’s investment in technology across its business model, the restructuring of the organization to ensure optimal balance between centralized and decentralized decision-making, and the opportunities Zuellig Pharma has been able to seize during the crisis.

“We build resilience into our organization, systems and supply chain because, as a distribution company in the healthcare space, we cannot afford to step down. We have to keep supplying; we have to keep delivering. If we stopped doing that, we would no longer be true to our mission of making healthcare accessible.” – CEO of Zuellig Pharma, John Davison.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Keep reading

Case Study

TBC Group: Future proofing a history of success

Strategy Digital Growth

By Goutam Challagalla, Francis D. Kim and Philip Charles Zerrillo

Case Study

Boosting and sustaining operational excellence

The case explores the principles and challenges of operational excellence through the experience of Magdi Batato, former EVP of Operations at Nestlé. It examines how he implemented Mission-Directed Work Teams (MDWTs) to empower front-line workers,...

Change Management Digital Operations

By Luis Vivanco, Carlos Cordon and Magdi Batato

Article

Beyond foresight; Imagining distant futures

As uncertainty grows, organizations must rethink how they navigate a volatile world. Rather than relying solely on scenario planning based on historical data, organizations could take a more proactive approach—imagining and shaping distant futures...

Technology Management Change Management Digital

By Tomoko Yokoi

in Forbes.com

20 February 2025

Article

Research: How AI helped executives improve communication

A great way for executives to hone their communication skills is by having a coach listen in on their conversations and provide feedback. But given the increasing capability of AI-based tools to have meaningful conversations with people, research...

Artificial Intelligence Communication Coaching Digital

By Katharina Lange and José Parra Moyano

in HBR.org

14 February 2025

Article

Think AI is a useful ‘copilot’? Soon it will take the controls

The implications of generative AI for ‘knowledge’ work are more profound than many of us might think. Organizations need to wake up.

Artificial Intelligence Business Transformation Disruption Organizational Change

By Michael Yaziji

in I by IMD

Case Study

China Resources Beer: Becoming future ready

China Digital Human Resources Strategy Diversity and Equity and Inclusion

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei

Case Study

DIDA: Becoming a world leader in IT infrastructure

Strategy General Management Digital Disruption

By Patrick Reinmoeller

Article

How to become a digital sustainability leader in 5 steps

Companies that excel in both digital and sustainable transformation attract a stock market premium – but how do you tap into that value? Here’s a five-step guide to outperforming your competitors.

Sustainability Digital

By Michael R. Wade and Evangelos Syrigos

in I by IMD Brain Circuits

20 January 2025

TBC Group: Future proofing a history of success

By Goutam Challagalla Francis D. Kim and Philip Charles Zerrillo
Case reference: IMD-2651 ©2025

Summary

The case explores TBC Bank Group’s remarkable journey from a small Georgian bank to a regional leader in digital financial services across Central Asia. Founded in 1992 with just US$500 in initial capital, TBC evolved into Georgia’s largest financial institution and pioneered into digital banking. The case highlights TBC’s strategic expansion into Uzbekistan, where it rapidly built a leading digital banking ecosystem. Students will analyze TBC’s international growth approach as it transformed customer experience, leveraged technology and built a sustainable competitive advantage through product diversification, strong organizational culture and operational agility. The case explores international market entry, digital transformation and aligning strategies with local market needs, highlighting how TBC’s focus on innovation drives its regional expansion.

Reference IMD-2651

Organization TBC Bank Group

Industry Finance and Insurance, Banking

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Strategy

Digital

Growth

Browse all topics

Boosting and sustaining operational excellence

By Luis Vivanco Carlos Cordon and Magdi Batato
Case reference: IMD-2653 ©2025

Summary

Reference IMD-2653

Organization Nestlé

Industry Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage;Consumer Goods

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Change Management

Digital

Operations

Browse all topics

ABN AMRO (A): When culture drives transformation

By Michael R. Wade and Lisa Simone Duke
Case reference: IMD-7-2192 ©2025

Summary

The case describes two transformation journeys for ABN AMRO bank. The first transformation is cultural and the second is digital. It explores the interplay between these two journeys from the perspective of the head of the Personal Banking. The case goes into detail regarding how the bank rebuilt its internal operating model. The hierarchy was de-layered and replaced with agile ways of working, employee empowerment and a new performance management approach. At first, there was a lot of chaos, but, after some time for adjustment, benefits started to appear, such as higher NPS scores and improved financial results. The new approach also helped the bank cope with the Covid-19 pandemic as many of the changes were linked to remote working for employees and technology-mediated service provision for customers. The case also explores new challenges that appeared. While some teams embraced the new ways of working, others had trouble letting go of legacy approaches. There were inconsistencies and confusion around performance measurement. Despite improving performance in some areas, multifunctional teams were not necessarily delivering the best customer experiences. Sick leave was increasing, and there were signs that employee engagement was falling. The reader is placed in the shoes of the head of Personal Banking who must come up with solutions to these challenges.

Reference IMD-7-2192

Organization ABN AMRO

Industry Finance and Insurance, Banking

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Digital

Browse all topics

Related topics

Digital

Browse all topics

Related topics

Technology Management

Change Management

Digital

Browse all topics

Research: How AI helped executives improve communication

By Katharina Lange and José Parra Moyano
in HBR.org 14 February 2025

Summary

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Artificial Intelligence

Communication

Coaching

Digital

Browse all topics

Think AI is a useful ‘copilot’? Soon it will take the controls

By Michael Yaziji
in I by IMD

Summary

The implications of generative AI for ‘knowledge’ work are more profound than many of us might think. Organizations need to wake up.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Artificial Intelligence

Business Transformation

Disruption

Organizational Change

Browse all topics

China Resources Beer: Becoming future ready

By Mark J. Greeven and Wei Wei
Case reference: IMD-7-2538 ©2024

Summary

The China Resources Beer (CR Beer) case study is a compelling narrative of the world’s largest beer producer by volume under the leadership of CEO Hou Xiaohai. In 2016 CR Beer embarked on a pivotal transformation journey. This case study offers critical insights that particularly resonate with Chinese corporations navigating similar challenges in an era marking the end of China’s rapid economic growth. Faced with industry saturation, changing consumer behaviors, the rise of digital technology and the imperative shift from expansive to high-quality growth, CR Beer’s story mirrors the predicament in which many Chinese companies find themselves today. The case delves into CR Beer’s strategic overhaul, how it optimized its vast 60,000-employee structure, streamlined operations and embraced digital transformation to remain competitive. CR Beer’s transformation was characterized by tackling “three mountains” – operational inefficiency due to numerous small factories with high costs and low-capacity utilization, weak brand presence in the high-end beer market and an underutilized and mismatched workforce. The study also highlights the company’s innovative approach to rebranding for younger consumers, integrating consumer insights into product development and exploring new business models. It underscores the importance of internal cultural shifts to support these external changes and the role of leadership in guiding transformation. CR Beer’s journey from traditional efficiency to future-readiness offers valuable lessons in managing large-scale organizational change, strategic management and business innovation. It provides essential insights for understanding the complexities of transformation in a rapidly evolving industry, making it a crucial read for those interested in organizational change, particularly in the context of the Chinese market and its unique challenges and opportunities.

Reference IMD-7-2538

Organization China Resources Beer

Industry Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

China

Digital

Human Resources

Strategy

Diversity and Equity and Inclusion

Browse all topics

DIDA: Becoming a world leader in IT infrastructure

By Patrick Reinmoeller
Case reference: IMD-7-2547 ©2024

Summary

Five friends created DIDA in 1983 and turned it into a global provider of IT infrastructure and services. Riding the wave of rapid growth of communication networks and increasingly global business relationships of corporations, DIDA established its brand through its strong alignment with dominant infrastructure companies such as Cisco and Microsoft. Navigating the end of the internet bubble, DIDA served as a major reseller of these companies’ products, adding value with its integration services by increasing its clients’ efficiency and enabling collaboration within corporate networks. By 2005 DIDA had resumed rapid growth through partnerships, equity-based alliances and, most prominently, acquisitions, which led to a network of subsidiaries in more than 50 countries and six continents. By the end of 2009, DIDA had shown its critics that it could grow and integrate. However, its revenue was growing faster than its profits and it was not poised to help corporations move to the next generation of internet technology which would require new capabilities for installing and managing large data centers for computing as a service (CaaS) and cloud computing. The case ends with DIDA’s CEO reviewing the prospects of shrinking core markets and displacement by technological disruption. He acknowledges the need to make choices and get ahead of technological trends again in a changing IT infrastructure landscape. DIDA could seek to further grow its core business or internalize new capabilities to get ready for a CaaS future. Should DIDA seek more profitable growth organically or through acquisitions?

Reference IMD-7-2547

Organization DIDA (Disguised)

Industry Services, Telecommunications

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Strategy

General Management

Digital

Disruption

Browse all topics