Coping with the coronavirus crisis: A guide for business leaders

How can executives keep calm and lead during the COVID-19 outbreak? Six experts discuss resilient strategies, clear crisis communications, reducing anxiety, increasing health security and more to help leaders respond to the pandemic as proactively as possible.

On March 9, 2020, IESE held an online session and conducted interviews with professors and experts in six different areas to discuss how business leaders can best respond.

How the coronavirus is reshaping the global economy

Economics professor Pedro Videla explains why a global recession is looming. What's more, the virus could trigger a process of deglobalization which would negatively impact GDP growth over the long term.

Of microbes and men: The microbiologist's view of COVID-19

Be prepared and be agile, advises health security consultant Axel Lambert. "The plan never survives contact with the enemy," he says, quoting received epidemiologist wisdom, "but not having a plan is a recipe for disaster."

See also: "Axel Lambert: How to handle crises"

Strategies to emerge from the coronavirus crisis more resilient

Mike Rosenberg, strategy professor, stresses that business leaders must keep an eye on the next potential disruption. The coronavirus has been "the expected unexpected," and the company that is prepared for disruption is the company that can best survive it.

4 keys to business operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak

With more market distortions and shortages on the horizon, the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting supply chain operations at every level. Weiming Zhu lays out four considerations that are critical for normalizing operations in the future.

COVID-19: 3 principles for risk communication

Communications expert Yago de la Cierva emphasizes the need to keep internal stakeholders well informed. Not everyone has the same response to risk, he cautions, but there's one response that is always the wrong one in times of upheaval: silence.

Coping with anxiety and not overreacting when crises hit

There's helpful stress, and then there's harmful overreacting, explains Alberto Ribera, who worked for 15 years at the World Health Organization before joining IESE's faculty. Maintaining perspective can keep us healthier and better able to handle the crisis.