HBR On Strategy

What It Takes to Thrive During a Crisis

Dec 25, 2024

Keith Ferrazzi, founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight and author of "Competing in the New World of Work," shares insights from his extensive survey of executives on how some companies excelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about the vital role of radical adaptability and resilience. The discussion includes enhancing team connection through regular check-ins, the emergence of flexible workforce dynamics, and the benefits of asynchronous collaboration for innovation. Ferrazzi emphasizes that clear organizational purpose is key to empowering teams.

23:43

Episode guests

Keith Ferrazzi

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Emphasizing radical adaptability, organizations must cultivate resilience as a proactive practice to thrive in volatile environments.

Prioritizing team dynamics and psychological safety through open communication enhances collective resilience and drives overall performance during crises.

Deep dives

The Importance of Radical Adaptability

Radical adaptability is essential for organizations to navigate extreme volatility, as revealed by research involving over 2,000 executives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies that previously embraced a culture of adaptability were able to thrive, while others struggled due to a lack of preparedness. The concept emphasizes that organizations should cultivate resilience not as a reactive measure, but as a proactive, ingrained practice. By holding on to the agility developed during the pandemic, companies can leverage their experiences to build a more competitive future.

Intro

3min

Embracing Radical Adaptability for Future Success

5min

Building Resilience and Foresight in Teams

6min

Evolving Workforce Dynamics and Asynchronous Collaboration

4min

Empowering Innovation through Collaboration

7min

Why did some companies thrive during the Covid-19 pandemic while others struggled?

Keith Ferrazzi, founder of the consulting firm Ferrazzi Greenlight, surveyed more than 2,000 executives to learn how they changed their operations during the pandemic. The results show that some companies had already been cultivating a kind of extreme adaptability before the pandemic. That practice helped them come out on top.

In this episode, Ferrazzi outlines the concrete steps organizations can take to cultivate the resilience and agility to stay competitive in the post-Covid-19 world.

Key episode topics include: strategy, adaptive leadership, organizational transformation, collaboration and teams.

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

· Listen to the full HBR IdeaCast episode: Why Some Companies Thrived During the Pandemic (2022)

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