Beyond the crisis: an LBS webinar series

COVID-19 in the UK NHS: Why hospital management matters

Healthcare providers in the UK are rightly celebrated for their often heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Could their efforts have been better directed if better management practices had been in place? What difference can better managers and better management practices make to healthcare outcomes? What actions should be taken to enable better outcomes in the event of future waves of the pandemic – or future health crises?

This webinar will feature a conversation on these and related topics, with a particular focus on the UK National Health Service. Panelists are Sir Andrew Likierman, Professor of Management Practice in Accounting and former Dean of London Business School, Raffaella Sadun, Professor of Business Administration in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School, and Nicos Savva, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School. Rajesh Chandy, co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, will moderate the session.

Andrew Likierman was Deputy Chairman of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, and is an expert on judgment, leadership, and financial planning and control. Raffaella Sadun is a renowned expert on leadership, and has done pioneering work on NHS hospital CEOs and their impact on patient outcomes. Nicos Savva is an expert on healthcare operations, and is currently engaged in research (with Imperial Medical School) on the impact of COVID-19 on non-COVID care (such as cancer).

Behavioural responses during a pandemic: Implications for UK exit strategies

With social distancing measures in place as the UK begins to cautiously ease lockdown, Flavio Toxvaerd, who holds a PhD in economics from London Business School and is currently at The University of Cambridge and Andrea Galeotti, Professor of Economics at London Business School, will host a webinar focussing on behavioural responses. Flavio has devised techniques to observe social distancing and its relaxation in the UK context. Andrea is currently working on e behavioural responses to cash prizes in the presence of externalities with MBA students(see here,a summary of a COVID-related experiment he ran in class recently). Elias Papaioannou, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development will host the session.

Financial policy and UK business

This webinar will provide insight into financial policy and business in the UK, hosted by Lord Raj Bagri Professor of Economics, HélèneRey and Paolo Surico, Professor of Economics at London Business School. Hélène who is actively involved in COVID-19 policy responses in Europe - will discuss the macro UK context in view of COVID-19, and Paolo will provide insight from firms and the consumer level context, given his recent work on the impact of COVID-19 with the Bank of England. Elias Papaioannou, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development will host the session.

UK firms and COVID-19: Survival, management and strategy 

The focal point of this session will be the survival, management and strategy of UK firms during and after the Coronavirus pandemic, with Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School and John van Reenen, Professor Gordon Y Billard Professor in Management and Economics, MIT Sloan. John has undertaken pioneering work on quantifying the impact of better management practices in manufacturing, but also in education and health, including in the NHS. Julian will discuss the strategy context for UK firms. Rajesh Chandy, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development will host the session.

UK debt before and after the crisis

Andrew Scott and Paolo Surico, Professors of Economics at London Business School, discuss UK debt before and after the crisis. Andrew has published a series of papers on debt, inflation, and optimal public debt management using data spanning centuries. Paolo has focused extensively on work surrounding UK household debt. The webinar brings a novel angle, on the interlinkages of public and household debt. Elias Papaioannou, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development hosts the session.

Previous webinars

Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice

Suddenly we’re all trying to figure out how to work virtually. Lynda has been researching and consulting with companies on the practical challenges of collaboration and decision-making in virtual teams for more than a decade. In this webinar, she shared some of her insights into how you structure and manage your teams when they’re working from home.

Making difficult judgments in coronavirus times

Sir Andrew Likierman, Professor of Management Practice

The scale and disruption of this crisis make crucial judgments essential but also particularly problematic. Personal, as well as professional decisions, are involved. Sir Andrew used his current research on judgment to advise on how to tackle these big issues.

Negotiating losses in times of crisis

Niro Sivanathan, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour

The COVID-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on supply chains and resulted in cash flow challenges for businesses. As a result, vital shipments are delayed, clients are struggling to meet payments and services are not rendered. Invariably, these issues will result in conflicts and disputes that need to be resolved. The responsibility to negotiate these disputes and resolve conflict may fall on you. In this webinar, Niro covers evidence-based approaches to negotiating these complex scenarios.

Leading through a crisis

Kathleen O’Connor, Clinical Professor of Organisational Behaviour

It is often said that leaders reveal their true selves in times of crisis. In this session Kathleen addressed the challenges of leading effectively under time pressures and when you’re not in control of events around you.

Coping through a pandemic: from strategic agility to resilience

Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship; Deputy Dean, Executive Education and Learning Innovation

When the external environment is unpredictable and fast-changing, companies need to be agile (able to respond quickly). But they also need to be resilient (able to withstand shocks). In this session, Julian explains the difference between agility and resilience in terms of how companies need to operate and manage their activities.

Coronavirus and the global economy

Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics

The novel coronavirus has created a huge shock to the global economy in terms of both supply and demand. Many sectors are already in crisis, and the stock market has fallen by around 40%. In this session, Andrew draws experience from previous crises, such as 9/11 and the 2008 global financial crisis, to discuss how governments, central banks and cross-national entities such as the World Bank Group and the IMF will seek to chart a way forward. 

Navigating a crisis: lessons from the Great Recession
Ioannis Ioannou, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

In this session, Ioannis draws on his research from the 2008-10 global financial crisis to examine strategies adopted by companies to find their way through, and subsequently recover from, that crisis. In particular, he examines the trade-offs between short-term demands and longer-term investment. 

Surviving past survival mode: learning from successful turnarounds and what this new crisis may bring

Michael Jacobides, Sir Donald Gordon Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Professor of Strategy

The coronavirus crisis might threaten the very existence of many firms, as sectors collapse and economic activity grinds to a halt through quarantining and self-isolation. Michael G. Jacobides looked at what we can learn from successful and failed turnarounds when firms enter survival mode. He also explained how leaders can push organisations to move beyond survival mode to ensure we come out stronger when this crisis subsides.

Taking advantage of the coronavirus disruption to rethink (and possibly reinvent) your career

Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour

An external shock like the current pandemic can be a great opportunity to rethink – and perhaps take steps towards reinventing – our careers. Anything that disrupts our daily routine brings an opportunity to reflect on our past, our present situation, and what possibilities we envision for the future. But reflection rarely leads to change without the action steps that teach us what is actually feasible and desirable. Herminia Ibarra draws on two decades of research and writing on work and identity transition to describe key elements of successful career change, offering guidelines for taking advantage of these challenging times to do things we might not have done before.

Marketing leadership in a time of crisis

Rajesh Chandy, Tony and Maureen Wheeler Chair in Entrepreneurship; Professor of Marketing; Academic Director, Wheeler Institute for Business and Development

This too shall pass. But the world we will emerge into will likely be a changed one. In this webinar, Rajesh Chandy shares insights from research on driving markets during and after periods of great change.

The upside of pestilence: how the virus will humanise our organisations

Dominic Houlder, Adjunct Professor and Jules Goddard, Guest Faculty

There are two responses to extreme uncertainty. One is nihilism. The other is a hunger for meaning. Drawing on their recent work exploring what philosophy can teach us about leadership, Jules Goddard and Dominic Houlder show how the institutions and leaders that help to satisfy that hunger for meaning will emerge from the crisis far stronger than those which do not.

The economics of pandemics

Paolo Surico, Professor of Economics 

What are the major economic and social costs of the COVID-19 crisis? Which generation, group of households and firms will suffer more? How will inequality change? What can the government do about it and what should be planned as priority for the short- and medium-term? What are the essential trade-offs that policy makers need to focus on? In this session, Paolo discusses the major economic and policy challenges posed by the worst health and economic crises of our time, looking at how COVID-19 will completely reshape the world economy and how governments and central banks around the world can still avoid an economic catastrophe.

Using a quarantine to improve your work and non-work relationships

Dan Cable, Professor of Organisational Behaviour

When it comes to team productivity, good relationships are essential. And when it comes to enjoying life, studies show good social relations are necessary for happiness and for living a long healthy life. What can you do to improve your social relationships, now that you are under lockdown? Science shows that the best way to improve our social relationships is to share our appreciation for others and celebrate their strengths, yet most of us focus on improving others’ weaknesses. This session will give you a specific, science-backed way to help others see who they are at their best, while you are quarantined, to build better relationships and improve your life.

Coronavirus and the economic policy response

Linda Yueh, Adjunct Professor of Economics and Lucian Cernat, Chief Trade Economist at the European Commission

How should government policies address the coronavirus crisis? How should governments and central banks set fiscal and monetary policies respectively to try and mitigate the effects of such a pandemic? This session takes stock of the measures so far and discusses what else might be required to help people and businesses. 

Responsible business in a time of crisis

Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance, Academic Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance & Tom Gosling, Executive Fellow and Partner at PwC

What does it mean to be a responsible business in the time of crisis? This might seem clear for industries most directly affected, such as supermarkets and healthcare companies, but how can every company show leadership and play its part? How can investors and ordinary citizens support and reinforce the actions that businesses are taking?  Alex and Tom collectively draw on decades of academic research and practical experience to show how responsibility can be translated from idealism to realism.

Building a resilient supply chain: Lessons from COVID-19

Jérémie Gallien, Professor of Management Science and Operations 

Through its impact on both demand and supply, the coronavirus crisis is profoundly disrupting most supply chains worldwide. Which short-term and medium-term supply-chain strategies have proven most effective to date? What are the paths for converting this unprecedented threat into opportunities for supply chains going forward? In this webinar Jérémie Gallien reviews implications and learnings for supply-chain management to date and analyse current best practices for supply-chain resiliency both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Leadership challenges in times of profound uncertainty

Randall S. Peterson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour

Business leaders face completely new challenges as they seek to provide clear direction while adapting to the unknown. In this webinar, Professor Randall S. Peterson focuses on a specific risk facing many executive teams and boards: falling victim to the threat-rigidity effect, where we focus on what has worked in the past rather than coming up with new approaches. He explores the psychology and suggests ways you can avoid three main traps. Randall will be joined by Chris Hopson, CEO of NHS Providers (the membership organisation for all of England’s health trusts) Chris shares insights into how they have successfully addressed these challenges.

How is the economic and political system adapting to lockdown?

Richard Portes, Professor of Economics and Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics

In this webinar, two leading economists focus on some of the big-picture challenges facing governments around the world. First, Professor Richard Portes explains what has happened to the world’s financial system since March. With differing opinions on the best exit strategy, central banks bear a heavy burden and financial regulators are taking unprecedented measures to reduce stress on markets and institutions. Second, Professor Elias Papaioannou focuses on one specific political challenge: the rise of authoritarian populism. What is the link between populism and COVID-19? Will the health crisis, on top of the existing problems of social inequality and low trust in politicians, attenuate the populist wave or amplify it?

The Adaptable Animal: the evolutionary context and practical tactics for building your resilience

Nigel Nicholson, Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Richard Jolly, Adjunct Professor of Organisational Behaviour

In the first part of this webinar, Nigel Nicholson sets out what is happening today in the context of human evolution. While shocks like this pandemic can have dire consequences, they also present opportunities for new adaptive forms and patterns, Nigel discusses what kinds of changes will be immediate and potentially lasting. In the second part, Richard Jolly focuses on the challenges we face as individuals in adapting to this new world, and outlines the tactics you can use to build your own personal resilience.

How not to waste a crisis: sources of entrepreneurial opportunity and start-up financing

Luisa Alemany, Associate Professor of Management Practice in Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Rupert Merson, Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

It is often said that every crisis is also an opportunity: research shows that businesses founded in a crisis are more likely to last than those founded in boom times. Building on this observation, entrepreneurship faculty Dr Alemany and Rupert Merson discuss the nature of opportunities emerging from the current crisis for both entrepreneurs and early stage investors. As Dr Alemany suggests, “Having an entrepreneurial mindset isn’t just about starting companies, it’s a way of meeting life’s challenges.”

Leading through turbulent times: Sir Andrew Likierman interviews Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Sir Andrew Likierman, Professor of Management Practice in Accounting and former Dean of London Business School, interviews Sir Jim Ratcliffe, LBS alumnus and benefactor, and founder and majority owner of Ineos, the UK’s largest private company. Sir Jim has experienced huge ups and downs in the course of his 40-year career and is well-placed to make sense of the challenges facing business leaders today. In conversation with Sir Andrew Likierman, and taking questions from the audience, he will share insights into what has made Ineos so successful and advice on how to weather this present storm. 

How to Make Your Operation Resilient to Future Shocks

Alex Yang, Associate Professor of Management Science and Operations, Michael Davies, Guest Lecturer in Strategy & Entrepreneurship, and Otti Vogt, COO, ING Bank C&G region

What does it take to create a resilient operation that is capable of withstanding future shocks?  How do you get the right balance between efficiency and reliability in your core activities? 

This session will feature brief presentations from three experts and a roundtable discussion chaired by Julian Birkinshaw. Alex Yang and Michael Davies will share insights into the underlying concepts of resilience and agility, and why companies often struggle to respond effectively to external shocks. Otti Vogt will share his perspective as a senior executive in ING Bank.

Humanocracy: Creating organisations as amazing as the people inside them

Gary Hamel, Visiting Professor

In a world of unrelenting change and unprecedented challenges, we need organisations that are resilient and daring. Unfortunately, most organizations, overburdened by bureaucracy, are sluggish and timid. In the age of upheaval, top-down power structures and rule-choked management systems are a liability. They crush creativity and stifle initiative. As leaders, employees, investors, and citizens, we deserve better. We need organizations that are bold, entrepreneurial, and as nimble as change itself.

In this webinar, Gary discusses what this organisation of the future – the humanocracy – will look like.  His new book on this topic, co-authored with Michele Zanini, is published in late June. 

Holding on to diverse talent through a major disruption 

Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Melanie Richards, Deputy Chair KPMG 

Retaining and developing a pipeline of diverse top talent is a constant challenge, in good and bad economic times. But, amidst the shrinking budgets, workforce reductions and massive shift to new and different ways of working brought by the coronavirus pandemic, companies are at risk of jeopardizing hard won gains on diversity and inclusion. In this webinar, Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, and Melanie Richards, Deputy Chair at KPMG will explore what are the challenges of nurturing a diverse workforce in the current environment and what dangers and opportunities the new normal may bring.

How to build collaboration and innovation over the coming months

Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice and Jenni Emery, Global People and Culture Leader, Arup.

As we adjust to the new ways of working, collaborating to share information, support experiments and to innovate will be crucial. Yet the traditional foundations of collaboration – face-to-face meetings and serendipitous encounters are sure to evolve. How can executives best navigate this transformation?

This webinar builds on Professor Lynda Gratton’s award winning research on collaborative ‘hot spots’ to consider how leaders can shape the environment, their narrative and management practices. Lynda will be joined by Jenni Emery who shares insights about how the 15,000 specialists at the design and engineering group Arup are responding to this challenge – both for themselves and for their world-wide clients. 

How do you Maintain Strong Customer Relationships Through a Crisis?

Anja Lambrecht, Professor of Marketing and Richard Hytner, Adjunct Professor of Marketing

Maintaining relationships with customers in times of crisis is critically important. Reliant on these relationships for current and future cash flows, companies are still tempted to respond to a crisis by cutting marketing expenditures, or refocusing them on activities that they hope will directly lead to sales.

In this webinar, Anja Lambrecht and Richard Hytner discuss the importance of building and maintaining customer relationships in times of crisis, in both B2B and B2C; the role marketing communications can play; and the kinds of conversations to have with customers that will generate trust and profitability in the long term.

Finance and the economy in the COVID-19 world and beyond

In conversation with Mohamed El-Erian, Professor Hélène Rey and Professor Richard Portes.
In June, London Business School's AQR Asset Management Institute hosted a fireside chat with Mohamed El-Erian, Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz and former Chair of President Obama’s Global Development Council. The discussion was centred on the state of the global economy in a COVID-19 world and beyond.