In times of turmoil, leaders must think and act in unconventional ways, while remaining calm and mindful
Unprecedented times necessitate unprecedented leadership. While we saw many leaders setting examples in
maintaining business continuity and employee safety, many others are struggling to weather the crisis while
preparing their organisations for the uncertain future.
What is needed to navigate the rising waters of the pandemic and emerge as a force? In my view, it is not about
a reactive or proactive approach and taking everything upon oneself. Rather, it involves changing the mindset of
organisations from past processes to an agile approach.
Being ‘Agile’ was the driving force behind Roche’s diagnostics. We were purpose-driven and approached each
day with speed and flexibility in actions and stability in thoughts, to improve the situation and help each other amidst an unprecedented global pandemic.
In times of turmoil, leaders must think and act in unconventional ways, while remaining calm and mindful. They
should acknowledge the facts of the situation and allow space for what is still unfolding. Our leadership at Roche
Diagnostics India began assessing their strategy and the severity of the pandemic, even before the first case of the virus was reported in India on January 27, 2020. By staying connected to our network globally, we could
evaluate the situation, though not to this extent. For leaders, this significant uncertainty exacerbates the challenges associated with decision-making. Such ambiguity requires an agile mindset for a rapid coping response that is not typically associated with leadership in normal times.
During the time of the pandemic, the biggest strengths of the organisation are its culture – which should demonstrate trust, agility and willingness of its people to take ownership. These creative dimensions contribute towards transforming and sustaining the future. We kept employee engagement and wellbeing as our priority.
The digital way of working during the pandemic led to employees feeling disconnected, insecure, and uncertain about their future. Many of our employees had to step out to support our covid installations, putting themselves at a health risk. We sensed these situations early through manager check-ins and mini pulse surveys.
Our people and culture team initiated collaboration with 1to1 Health for mental and physical health support
for all employees and their families and extended insurance coverage for COVID-19.
Dedicated town halls were organised, where hobbies and fun topics were discussed between employees, to bust stress. The safety, health and environment team ensured that all employees were regularly informed on the pandemic situation and safety rules; those who had to step out were well equipped with safety gear to support our labs and hospitals. It was important for the employees to feel safe and have faith in the organisation and its leadership.
We focussed on providing access to diagnostic testing solutions to help control the outbreak of COVID-19 in
India. Our biggest challenge was to rapidly build testing capacity in India, for high quality, fast and automated
RT PCR testing. We not only received immense support from our global teams but also repurposed instruments within India to employ them for SARS CoV-2 testing.
We speedily worked with government authorities to obtain the import license for the cobas SARS CoV-2 diagnostic tests by mid-March 2020. It ensured that patient testing could begin at the earliest. Our commitment to supporting patients in India led us to secure two million test kits for RT PCR test along with critical parameters such as Interleukin 6, D Dimer, LDH, CRP and Ferritin. This could not have been achieved without an agile mindset and willingness to collaborate to support the end stakeholders. We also partnered with corporates from manufacturing, consulting and healthcare to provide them COVID-19 management solutions to re-establish safer workplaces. Our ardent efforts bore fruit only due to the support we received from government organisations, customers and partner organisations, bearing in mind the gravity of the situation. Moreover, we managed to work out supply through various freight carriers to multiple ports to de-risk cancellation of flights, delays in clearance or any unforeseen situations that could impact the frequency of supplies in India.
COVID-19 continues to evolve in its trajectory. We continue to work courageously and remain available 24/7
to ensure that patients and healthcare workers receive our diagnostic solutions as quickly as possible. This is an unknown territory with many challenges, but we are committed to continuing to provide healthcare systems, communities and individuals with the tools they need to help facilitate the unlocking of the country. As we prepare for the ‘next normal,’ the focus of the leadership must continue to build the agile and resilient organisations needed to deliver both short-term goals and adapt their long-term vision to address the inevitable challenges to come.
In my perspective, a great way to rise above the pandemic is to remember: we are stronger together.
Views express are personal.
