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

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

Article

The business value of gamification: 5 tips for success and 2 pathways to failure

Gamification projects can result in very different outcomes, depending on which features are included – and which are left out. Here are five tips for success and two mistakes to avoid.

Digital Technology Management

By Michael G. Jacobides, M. Dalbert Ma, Konstantinos Trantopoulos and Vasilis Vassalos

in I by IMD Brain Circuits

15 January 2025

Case Study

Cocoacrafters: AI in the supply chain

Digital Disruption Artificial Intelligence

By Carlos Cordon, Arsen Sargasyn, Roberta Duarte, Siqi Chen and Yuvraj Mohite

Article

Meta Fact Checking Exit - Social Media

With fact-checking out and community-driven moderation in, Meta is betting big on free speech – but critics warn the move could open the floodgates for disinformation and online harm.

Digital

By Öykü Işık, José Parra Moyano and Michael D. Watkins

in I by IMD

9 January 2025

Case Study

CVTrust and the Smart Certificate

When the dotcom bubble burst in March 2000, this did not stop the world from going digital, but it did poke holes in the concept of trust, especially in the digital world. David Goldenberg, a Belgian entrepreneur with extensive experience in manag...

Entrepreneurship Digital Venture Capital

By Benoit F. Leleux, Baldvin Kovacs, Sayat Kurmanbayev and Luigi Mirri

Article

China and AI in 2025: What global executives must know to stay ahead

China has set a bold objective to become the global leader in AI by 2030. By 2030, AI could potentially add $600 billion to China's economy annually. The country hosted over 4,500 AI companies in 2024, representing 15% of the global total. China i...

China Global Business Digital Innovation

By Mark J. Greeven

in Forbes.com

23 December 2024

Book Chapter

Why now?

In the past, many business leaders could operate much like the generic merchants in Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. They could pursue their own personal and corporate ends, while resting assured that an “invisible hand” would promote the pub...

Organizational Change Sustainability Organizational Behavior

By Julia Katharina Binder and Knut Bjarne Haanaes

in Binder, Julia Katharina (Ed.); Haanaes, Knut Bjarne (Ed.) / Leading the sustainable business transformation: A playbook from IMD, pp. 19-32 / Hoboken: Wiley, 2025

Case Study

NTT at a crossroads (B): Mapping growth options

Strategy General Management Digital Disruption

By Patrick Reinmoeller

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

Related topics

Sustainability

Digital

Browse all topics

Cocoacrafters: AI in the supply chain

By Carlos Cordon Arsen Sargasyn Roberta Duarte Siqi Chen and Yuvraj Mohite
Case reference: IMD-7-2593 ©2024

Summary

In June 2024, at the CocoaCrafters Operating Centre, Elena Fever faced a crucial meeting with the board of directors. The discussion surrounded how to integrate Generative AI (GenAI) into the company’s supply chain strategy to enhance forecasting and simulation while maintaining ethical standards. CocoaCrafters (CC), a global confectionery leader, was renowned for its commitment to sustainable cocoa sourcing. Despite the board’s strong business acumen, they lagged on the digital agenda and for them the only success criterion was a convincing ROI. Elena’s challenges were amplified by the unknowns surrounding GenAI. Since ChatGPT’s debut, she had been urging her team to identify use cases that aligned with CC's strategic priorities and met its ethical commitments. CC’s digital transformation had begun in 2010 and was marked by phases of awareness, strategic adoption, advanced technology integration and a digital-first culture by 2020. CC’s unsuccessful blockchain project underscored the need for careful planning and ethical considerations in adopting new technologies. CC aimed to use GenAI to optimize its supply chain by forecasting cocoa yields, predicting market trends and simulating environmental impacts. However, ethical concerns about labor conditions and data manipulation persisted. Elena considered the HITL-HOTL-HOL framework for human involvement in AI decisions, reflecting on input from FMCG executives and consulting experts. Despite a lack of specific GenAI decision-making frameworks, traditional strategic basic frameworks were emphasized. Elena presented the board with strategic choices: waiting, focused phased use cases, full integration, or strategic partnerships.

Reference IMD-7-2593

Organization CocoaCrafters (Fictionalized)

Industry Consumer Goods, Food and Beverage

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Digital

Disruption

Artificial Intelligence

Browse all topics

CVTrust and the Smart Certificate

By Benoit F. Leleux Baldvin Kovacs Sayat Kurmanbayev and Luigi Mirri
Case reference: IMD-7-2611 ©2024

Summary

Reference IMD-7-2611

Organization CVTrust

Industry Information Technology, Information Technology Services

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Entrepreneurship

Digital

Venture Capital

Browse all topics

China and AI in 2025: What global executives must know to stay ahead

By Mark J. Greeven
in Forbes.com 23 December 2024

Summary

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

China

Global Business

Digital

Innovation

Browse all topics

Why now?

By Julia Katharina Binder and Knut Bjarne Haanaes
in Binder, Julia Katharina (Ed.); Haanaes, Knut Bjarne (Ed.) / Leading the sustainable business transformation: A playbook from IMD, pp. 19-32 / Hoboken: Wiley, 2025

Summary

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Organizational Change

Sustainability

Organizational Behavior

Browse all topics

NTT at a crossroads (B): Mapping growth options

By Patrick Reinmoeller
Case reference: IMD-7-2352 ©2024

Summary

Building on NTT (A), the case starts with NTT’s CEO having narrowed down strategic growth options with the board to prepare NTT for the future. Past international investments in AT&T Wireless and KPN to tap into foreign markets had resulted in billion $ write offs and stopped international acquisitions. However, after reviewing the disruptive changes facing the ICT industry and considering the shareholders’ views, CEO Miura committed to internationalization. The B case details NTT’s growth strategy focused on internationalization, while considering the need for new capabilities and technologies. It provides more insights into NTT, its opportunities and the Japanese experience with M&As and ends with Miura’s determination to quickly grow through international expansion to prepare NTT for the future.

Reference IMD-7-2352

Organization Nippon Telegraph and Telephone

Industry Services, Telecommunications;Information Technology

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Strategy

General Management

Digital

Disruption

Browse all topics