Webinar series: leading in times of global crisis

Start-ups and scale-ups: benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset?

In the last months societies and economies around the world have experienced an unprecedented upsurge in uncertainty surrounding almost every aspect of life. Ranging from the health consequences of COVID-19 and the development of an effective vaccine to the economic consequences of market lockdowns, the persistence of shifts in consumer demand and policy responses.

If not yet bankrupted, businesses are struggling to find effective ways of dealing with the uncertainty in the market place. At the same time, true entrepreneurs are known to operate well under uncertainty. This makes us wonder.. Can an entrepreneurial mindset save companies that are currently under pressure?

In this webinar, Prof. Justin Jansen and Dr Ingrid Verheul will discuss how two types of entrepreneurial companies – start-ups and scale-ups – are affected and have responded to the Covid-19 crisis. We will discuss the challenges and opportunities for these businesses. What lessons can we learn from companies that have been able to turn the lemons into lemonade and/or have found smart ways to prolong their runway, in anticipation of better days?

• How are start-ups and scale-ups affected by this crisis?  
• Which crisis management tactics/strategies are adopted in these companies?
• What lessons can we learn from how start-ups and scale-ups responded to the crisis?
• (How) does an entrepreneurial mindset help start-ups and scale-ups to steer through the crisis? 

» View webinar recording

Socioeconomic consequences of disruptions in supply chains

Organisations are often embedded in a large supplier network. While the management of Tier 1 suppliers has the attention of most, from Tier 2 onward, suppliers are often much less visible. The negative impact of this lack of transparency goes two ways: problems at a lower tier supplier can unexpectedly disrupt delivery throughout the chain, while decreased demand or payment delays can deal a blow to suppliers at the outskirts of a network, and the local communities that depend on them. 

In this webinar Merieke Stevens will explore what the social cost is of these invisible supply chains. She will discuss:

• How in our quest for efficiency and low costs, supply chains extended around the globe and multiplied in tiers, out of sight of their end users.
• Why we need to improve supply chain transparency.
• How the disruption caused by COVID can be used to relentlessly expose the weaknesses of our supply chains, and address them.

» View webinar recording

Global changes and leadership: how to shape the future?

As the pandemic crisis evolves around the globe, countries are already expecting an economic recession that could last for more than a year. This is when the best leaders can show their potential by turning problems into solutions, innovating, partnering with other companies or by reviewing their approaches to markets. But most importantly, by leading others, and giving them an appealing vision to follow.

RSM would like to bring a fresh perspective on the role of the leaders by using our Leadership Compass. The framework – based on a century of research that indicates what  ‘good’ leadership is – asks you to consider four basic questions whenever you make a leadership decision: What? Who? Why? and How? In this webinar, Dr Hannes Leroy will introduce the Leadership Compass in the context of the impact of the crisis on the role of leadership in organisations.

You will gain insights on:

• managing your resilience as your to do list increases (What?)
• openness to diversity in perspective on how to handle the crisis (Who?)
• framing the crisis as an opportunity for business and personal renewal (Why?)
• how facing moral dilemmas can lead to greater value clarification (How?)

» View webinar recording

Interorganisational collaboration: insights to overcome crises

After the Ebola outbreak in 2014, there was a spike in interorganisational collaboration activity.  Organisations were faster in developing the drugs compared to the period before the outbreak. This came at a cost, however, leaving another potential pandemic, influenza, under its shadow. Now, organisations are directing their resources to fight COVID-19, which meets our current urgent needs. Meanwhile, other areas of research may suffer. Also the Ebola virus came back in 2019 but was quickly overshadowed by COVID-19. So, what is the best approach in dealing with emerging crises? How can organisations develop systems to go beyond reactive action?  

During this live webinar, Dr Birgul Arslan will discuss how organisations can plan proactively to lessen the impact of the next pandemic crisis or any other emerging challenge in general? In this webinar, she will discuss:

• The importance of interorganisational collaboration in responding to grand challenges
• The balance between short and long term views in the middle of a crisis
• How companies can increase interorganisational collaboration to complement capabilities, keep slack resources and rethink current projects
• The need of keeping the innovation mindset alive when quick wins are necessary 

Economic consequences of a pandemic: road to a sustainable recovery

The global lockdown of more than 3.5 billion people brings a disruption to the economy, that we haven’t seen in the past decades. Attempts to forecast what might come next are heavily created and shared, and are based on how countries and organisations are currently dealing with the crisis. The diverse outcomes of this pandemic in each region of the world, will have long-lasting effects on the global economy as a whole.

During this webinar, Prof. Dirk Schoenmaker will explore some of the long-lasting effects and potential ways towards a sustainable recovery. He will discuss: 

• What are the current consequences for companies and workers? 
• How can governments give state aid to help out in a smart and forward-looking way?
• How to ensure viability of businesses to survive the crisis.
• How companies can emerge as a stronger and greener organisations.

Why do we need science fiction to address global challenges?

Invasions of extra-terrestrials, cyborgs taking over the human role or pandemics created to erase human kind are some examples that science-fiction bring to us via cinema and television. Everyone knows a movie or tv-series story, that only science fiction writers can create. Few of us fully understand the true power of science fiction: the perspective it gives and how it potentially can shape the future.

In this webinar, Dr Etienne Augé, one of the most renowned experts on Science Fiction, will explore how science fiction can give us an insight on how the future can look.. Currently, we are experiencing “an invasion of a creature”. This creature is putting billions of people in their homes for months. Think about it - what will come next? This webinar will give you some insights on:

• The role of science fiction in preventing or inventing the future.
• The Reality versus The Matrix.
• How businesses and governments are using science fiction to explore possibilities.
• The hope that imagination combined with science can give to us.

Keeping your leadership presence in a virtual environment

As we are dealing with an ever-changing environment these past weeks, working from home has become the norm. In this new virtual setting, you will not only need a robust internet connection, but also the tools to communicate more effectively in video-conferencing meetings as opposed to face to face meetings. More than ever, working on your body language becomes key to having productive meetings, and communicating with presence. 

During this webinar, presence coach Antonie Knoppers will explore why your leadership presence matters now more than ever.

• Why body language is more important than ever in virtual environments? 
• How do we make sure we’re still communicating effectively online? 
• How do we deal with the enormous stress that we’re experiencing? 
• What are ways to influence, motivate and show much needed confidence in these virtual settings?