Covid-19 | INSEAD Knowledge

Economics & Finance

Covid-19 Furloughs Helped Firms Thrive

M. Bennedsen, B. Larsen, I. Schmutte, D. Scur

Even keeping low-wage workers on the payroll yielded benefits after Covid-19 restrictions ended.

Responsibility

Unravelling the Link Between Socioeconomic Status and Obesity

P. Chandon, M. Langlois

A longitudinal study conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic suggests that stress plays a key role in explaining why obesity is more common among the poor than the rich.

Operations

Are Our Supply Chains Ready for the Next Global Health Crisis?

Prashant Yadav

We need resilient healthcare supply chains to prepare for the next global health emergency. Here’s how to do it.

Operations

Putting Covid-19 Testing to the Test

Prashant Yadav

The pandemic has underscored the chronically poor testing capacity and calls for diagnostics strategies at the national level.

Leadership & Organisations

Three Steps to Optimising Your Firm’s Hybrid Work Strategy

Mark Mortensen

You need a strong process to reconcile the needs and wants of your various stakeholders.

Operations

Why Targeted Lockdowns Could Be Better for Everyone

D. F. Ciocan, D. Iancu, S. Zoumpoulis

Covid lockdowns may be with us for a long time to come, but they could be made sharper, less painful and possibly even more effective.

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Leadership & Organisations

The Essence of Agility and Resilience After Covid

P. Zemsky, S. Hasija

Navigating unprecedented levels of uncertainty takes a careful combination of technology and talent.

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Leadership & Organisations

The Complex Psychology of Covid-19 Compliance

Wilson Cyrus Lai

Three main psychological factors helped determine whether people responded to first-wave Covid restrictions with deference or defiance.

Leadership & Organisations

Without Psychological Safety, Hybrid Work Won’t Work

M. Mortensen, A. C. Edmondson

People managers have their work cut out for them.

Strategy

Simple Rules for the Post-Pandemic World

Nathan Furr

Learning and using rules of thumb makes a difference both during crises and when opportunity knocks.

Leadership & Organisations

From Fear to Enlightenment: Building Resilience During Covid Year One

Lionel Frankfort

The four tools and strategies top leaders used most to convert stress and anxiety into positive energy.

Economics & Finance

What It’s Like to Be a Gig Worker During a Pandemic

M. Stabile, A. Roulet

How precarious workers balance financial uncertainty, health risks and mental well-being in the age of Covid-19.

Leadership & Organisations

Prospects and Pitfalls for the Post-Pandemic Organisation

Phanish Puranam

Big changes are coming for organisations and organisation designs. Whether they will be for good or ill depends on how leaders confront three key possibilities uncovered by the pandemic.

Leadership & Organisations

Teams in Evolution – and Revolution – After the Pandemic

H. Bresman, M. Mortensen

How sensemaking can help you cope with unplanned, constant changes in your team.

Economics & Finance

In Bad Times, Decentralised Firms Outperform Their Rivals

P. Aghion, I. Laporte

When there’s increased turbulence, delegating power improves sales and productivity, boosting a firm’s chance of survival.

Strategy

The Post-Covid Future of “Everything as a Service”

Wolfgang Ulaga

The tough lessons of 2020 will provoke two major developments in B2B, having to do with technology and people.

Responsibility

Foundations for Gender Balance Can Be Built at Home

Z. Kinias, V. D. Rao

If we want a robust economic recovery and a fairer world, we must stem the tide of women fleeing the Covid-19 workforce.

Economics & Finance

Covid Cost-Cutting May Backfire in the Long Run

Oliver Binz

Macroeconomic uncertainty makes firms more profitable in the short-term, but the bill comes due later.

Leadership & Organisations

How Ready Are You for the Work-from-Anywhere Era?

Benjamin Kessler

Advice from academics and practitioners who are well-versed in the remote working paradigm.

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Strategy

Food Security in a Pandemic: Lessons From India’s Lockdown

W. W. Koo, X. Li

Portable food ration cards allow migrant populations to shelter in place, but implementation across state borders faces hurdles.

Leadership & Organisations

A Checklist for Boards in the New Normal

S. Shekshnia, V. Zagieva, M. Nazarova

Covid-19 has spurred corporate boards to improvise new practices while keeping those that have served them well. Here’s a run-down.

Leadership & Organisations

Deconstructing Learning, Reconstructing Education

Ilian Mihov

Covid-19 will change higher education for good – and, ultimately, for the better.

Entrepreneurship

Reconceiving Innovation for Covid-19

Manuel Sosa

Covid-19 is an opportunity for businesses to build a new normal that is more human-centric, imaginative and agile.

Leadership & Organisations

Pandemic or No, It’s Business as Usual for Boards

S. Shekshnia, V. Zagieva, M. Nazarova

For now, corporate boards prefer to keep the status quo – and the long view – in the face of Covid-19 upheaval.

Entrepreneurship

The Central Conundrum of Covid-19 Entrepreneurship

Vikas A. Aggarwal

A recently released report reveals how one entrepreneurial ecosystem is responding to the pandemic.

Responsibility

Can Zoom Be a Tool for Teaching Anti-Racism?

Z. Kinias, M. Akinola, E. Kelly, M. I. Norton

Leverage today’s technology to help correct systemic problems.

Strategy

Recession-Proofing the Subscription Economy

W. Ulaga, M. Mansard

Believe it or not, most subscription-based businesses are still seeing modest growth by exploiting four strategic manoeuvres.

Marketing

Beyond Covid-19: Remodelling the Future of Fashion

D. Dubois, D. Teo

The industry is set to become less cyclical, less vicarious and more transparent.

Responsibility

A Post-Covid Social Contract

Karien van Gennip

How we can manifest “the next world” that serves us all.

Leadership & Organisations

Why the World Needs Self-Reflective Leaders

Isabelle Laporte

The coronavirus crisis facilitates the rise of autocratic and narcissistic leaders just when we least need them.

Leadership & Organisations

Three CEO Strategies to Guide Companies Through Crises

S. Shekshnia, M. Nazarova

We distil top executives’ experience for the ideas that work.

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Strategy

How Social Impact Start-ups Are Solving Brazil’s Covid-19 Challenges

F. Salum, K. Coleta, F. Monteiro

The persistent problem of inequality in Latin America leaves citizens more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Innovative platforms move towards balancing the scales.

Economics & Finance

Covid-19 Furloughs Are Getting the Job Done

M. Bennedsen, B. Larsen, I. Schmutte, D. Scur

Despite questions as to their cost and fairness, employment subsidies in the EU appear to be working as intended.

Leadership & Organisations

Networking in the New Reality

Lee Seok Hwai

Curiosity and reciprocity, plus some ingenuity, will help you build relationships in the age of Zoom.

Leadership & Organisations

How Resilient Leaders Think

Rachael Noyes

Can you encounter adverse circumstances and emerge stronger from them?

Leadership & Organisations

Covid-Era CEOs Are ‘Keen, Tough or Edgy’

S. Shekshnia, M. Nazarova

Not all CEOs are created equal, but everyone can come out of this crisis stronger.

Career

The Hidden Upside to Low-Power Negotiating

Alena Komaromi

Looking for work during a historic downturn needn’t cost you your dignity. Multiple research studies suggest strategies for turning a negotiation disadvantage into opportunity.

Strategy

Green Shoots for Businesses in China’s New Normal

Guoli Chen

After a historic economic contraction, opportunities beckon nimble-footed companies.

Leadership & Organisations

The Six Biggest Post-Lockdown Challenges for Organisations

Lee Seok Hwai

Businesses and other institutions will be judged on how well they adapt to the post-Covid reality.

Strategy

How Covid-19 Raises the Digital Stakes Even Higher

Rachael Noyes

Now is the time for firms to invest in digital transformation.

Operations

Why Public Healthcare Systems Weren’t Prepared for the Pandemic

S. Bhattacharya, S. Hasija, L. Van Wassenhove

Healthcare resource sharing can be the difference between life and death. And it can be done without sacrificing agencies’ autonomy.

Operations

Africa’s Drone Medical Delivery Service Saves Lives in Lockdown

Lee Seok Hwai

Could airborne despatch of medical supplies also be the answer to the needs of developed countries?

Operations

The Supply Side of Covid-19 Patient Management in Hospitals

S. Chick, A. Alban

A tool for hospital managers faced with scaling up their ICU capacity to handle Covid-19 cases.

Career

Shoring Up Executive Careers in a Pandemic

Lee Seok Hwai

The best time to plan for contingencies was yesterday. The next best time is now.

Operations

A Post-Covid Outlook: The Future of the Supply Chain

Eric Buatois

Revisit global logistics across three dimensions.

Strategy

Growing Resilience in Uncertain Times

Nathan Furr

Managing the current crisis is an inside job.

Leadership & Organisations

How to Spot When an Employee Is Secretly Struggling

T. Hellwig, C. Rook

An “emotional triaging” technique can help managers identify early warning signs of COVID-19 burn-out and take appropriate actions.

Economics & Finance

Private Equity’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan

Benjamin Kessler

Board members and senior managers can learn from the “structured crisis management” techniques PE firms are employing with their portfolio companies.

Leadership & Organisations

What COVID-19 Data Can – and Can’t – Tell Us About Leadership

Hellmut Schütte

Some governments, especially those led by women, have dealt with the pandemic better than others.

Leadership & Organisations

The Psychic Burden of Working During Lockdown

W. W. Koo, X. Li

Left literally to their own devices, home-bound employees reduce their community participation and experience higher emotional costs.

Economics & Finance

To Save India’s Economy, Think Big, Blunt and Fast

Pushan Dutt

With unemployment pushing 30 percent, the world’s fifth-largest economy needs a strong dose of fiscal and monetary intervention.

Economics & Finance

Social Norms for the Era of Social Distancing

Rachael Noyes

What we do determines the trajectory of the pandemic.

Leadership & Organisations

Is Your Crisis Response Defensive or Proactive?

Rachael Noyes

Encouraging dynamic capabilities in your organisation or team can help your business find its feet, even in perilous times.

Operations

Harnessing Technology in Our Battle With COVID-19

T. Evgeniou, X. Hua, G. Rodier

Tech companies are pumping out new services and products to tackle pandemic challenges.

Strategy

How to Handle Video Negotiations

Alena Komaromi

Better get used to virtual negotiations, as they might just be the way of the future.

Leadership & Organisations

What Lies Ahead for the Class of 2020?

W. Jiang, J. Singh

The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique opportunity for us to redefine what we mean by a successful leader, a fulfilling career and a meaningful life.

Entrepreneurship

Safeguarding Privacy in a Pandemic

Andrea Canidio

Speeding up the adoption of blockchain and other digitised ledger technologies (DLT) can help society reconcile security and privacy.

Strategy

How Virus-Hit China Manages Its Sprawling Gig Economy

Chengyi Lin

When it comes to employee satisfaction in these extraordinary times, Alibaba and other Chinese e-commerce players leave Amazon in their trail.

Economics & Finance

Three Keys to Ending the Great Lockdown

Lily Fang

Mass testing combined with AI is our best hope of managing the coronavirus and containing the economic fallout.

Leadership & Organisations

What Will Life Be Like After the Pandemic?

Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries

Having exposed society’s dysfunction, the COVID-19 crisis invites us to rethink our future.

Economics & Finance

COVID-19: Four Reasons for Optimism About the Stock Market

Theo Vermaelen

Although this economic crisis is unique, there is good news from the recent and distant past.

Operations

Lessons From Past Outbreaks Can Inform Public Health Policy Now

Stephen E. Chick

Scientific approaches to infectious disease transmission models can help us make better decisions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economics & Finance

The Shape of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery

Rachael Noyes

The shock of shuttering the economy is real and very large. But this is not a normal recession because we decided to shut it down. What happens when we choose to reopen?

Economics & Finance

COVID-19: A Turning Point for Inequality?

Benjamin Kessler

The pandemic calls into question the economic trends of the last four decades.

Responsibility

In Times of Crisis, You Can Help More Than You Think

Amit Bhattacharjee

If you’re reading this, you probably have the wherewithal to help others hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Responsibility

COVID-19: What Every Business Can Do to Help

Katell Le Goulven

How large corporations, SMEs and society can work together during this time of crisis.

Marketing

How Corporates Can Leverage Start-ups Against COVID-19

Joerg Niessing

Top start-ups may be a critical resource for recovery, providing quick solutions where they’re needed most.

Leadership & Organisations

How True Leaders Communicate in a Crisis

Rachael Noyes

Reflect while taking action.

Leadership & Organisations

Seven Questions for Corporate Boards Navigating COVID-19

Stanislav Shekshnia

A guide to steering companies effectively through the crisis and beyond.

Leadership & Organisations

The Role of the Board in Times of Distress

J. Winter, E. van de Loo

If companies are to survive the coronavirus, corporate boards need to exercise collaborative, proactive leadership.

Operations

A Crisis Management Blueprint for COVID-19

L. Van der Heyden, P. Nathanial

Crisis is conquered through a positive combination of talents and competencies.

Leadership & Organisations

What Newly Remote Teams Need, Right Now

P. Puranam, M. Minervini

Our survey reveals that in the transition to remote working, the technology is fine but the organisation needs help.

Operations

Supplying the Frontline of the War on Coronavirus

Lee Seok Hwai

Countries and businesses must fight as one to prevail over the pandemic.

Leadership & Organisations

Coping With Life in Lockdown

Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries

What if we used the COVID-19 crisis to reconnect with others and ourselves?

Leadership & Organisations

The Three Main Challenges of Remote Working

Mark Mortensen

Even for long-established teams, moving from physical to virtual is a game-changer.

Responsibility

Collaboration Unlocks Global Health Solutions

Rachael Noyes

Business is a force for good in global healthcare when partnered with academia and non-profits.

Leadership & Organisations

Coronavirus Has Taken Remote Work Mainstream. Now What?

P. Puranam, M. Minervini

How organisations survive the COVID-19 stress test will reveal how ready they are for the future of work.

Economics & Finance

The Psychology Behind Coronavirus Panic Buying

A. Yap, C. Chen

The rush for toilet paper and other necessities in the face of COVID-19 is a natural behavioural response to the loss of psychological control.

Operations

Bringing Critical Supply Chains Back From the Brink

Lee Seok Hwai

Will the coronavirus outbreak lead to a watershed in international collaboration, or will history repeat itself?

Leadership & Organisations

The COVID-19 epidemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the traditional physically co-located office, forcing many Asian companies to work remotely. However, a small but growing number of tech companies are intendedly going “all-remote”. They may well be harbingers of the future of work.

Operations

COVID-19: Preparing for the Worst Before Crisis Strikes

P. Yadav, INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group

Diagnostic capabilities and coordination among and within countries can mean the difference between life and death.

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