By José Ángel de la Paz

In the midst of the abrupt change of plans due to the COVID-19 crisis, companies have taken on the responsibility of prioritizing their employees' health.

Experts from academia, consulting and industry discussed this issue in the webinar “The dilemma of COVID-19 as a threat to the organization's well-being”, from EGADE Business School’s webinar series “Rising to the challenge: Leadership in the face of COVID-19”.

“If we go back to the start of 2020, we had plans which, over the last few weeks, have changed drastically; today the priorities have changed,” said Alejandro Olivera, associate dean of Lifelong Learning at the Undergraduate School of Business at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Gabriela Garcia, senior vice president of Human Resources at PepsiCo Alimentos Mexico, said that COVID-19 has changed the way companies work.

“2020 started like any other year, with business challenges, growth targets in sales and market share, plans to boost our staff's development, and suddenly this is forcing us to redefine our priorities,” he said.

García noted that this global food and beverage company is now focused on building on the lessons learned in China and Europe as a result of the pandemic, in order to strengthen the safety of its employees

Meanwhile, Mauricio Reynoso, CEO at AMEDIRH, mentioned that in view of the constant evolution of the COVID-19 crisis, organizations face the challenge of first ensuring the safety of their staff.

“This contingency has also taught us how to be agile, an ability we have found in ourselves and in our work teams, in order to find solutions faster without losing contact with our scenario,” he said.

Juan Pablo Ventosa, CEO at Human Performance, said that with millions of people in quarantine and working from home, the contingency has made companies aware of how much they depend on technological resources to ensure business continuity.

“If a computer virus were to bring down the Internet right now, how would it change our world? We need to be prepared for the new normal or we will hardly return to the circumstances to which we were accustomed,” he noted.

WATCH THIS WEBINAR HERE

The upcoming scheduled webinars of this series are:

Wednesday, April 22: A conversation with inspirational leaders to help address the pandemic. With:

• Ivan Lansberg, Co-Founder and Senior Partner of Lansberg, Gersick and Associates (LGA).
• Susana Coppel, President of the Coppel Community Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Coppel.
• María Fonseca (moderator), Head of the Institute of Family Businesses for Mexico and Latin America at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Friday, April 24: Guidance on how to find solutions using the Family-Business system. With:

• Susanne Grimm, Board Member at Estafeta Mexicana.
• Oscar Howell, Author and Founding Partner of LFE Windward.
• Fernando Sandoval Arzaga (moderator), Associate Director of the Institute of Family Businesses for Mexico and Latin America at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

All of these webinars will take place at 1:00 p.m. (GMT-6). You can catch the previous webinars here.

By José Ángel de la Paz

A pizza shop striving to promote social change one slice at a time, a device designed to replace the cane and reduce the disadvantages suffered by the visually impaired, and biopolymers made from avocado seeds and used in disposable products and to promote responsible consumption, are all part of the 11 business innovation stories written by EGADE Business School students, which are now finalists for the 2020 Flourish Prizes.

This year, the Flourish Prizes feature a shortlist of 76 stories selected by an international jury from 824 stories published in 2019 on the AIM2Flourish website, which showcased business innovation models that promote each of the 17 UN Global Goals.

Overall, the selected stories were developed by students from 35 universities and business schools across 17 countries with the direction of 42 professors. The companies represented are located in 22 countries spanning more than 20 industries.

The stories written by EGADE Business School students and nominated as finalists are:

• Pizzeria Making Social Change One Slice at a Time, about Pixza in Mexico, written by Sandra Moreno, Tanya Lilian Ramírez Guzmán, Alicia Fernández and Mirelia Ríos, supervised by professor Consuelo García de la Torre.
   
• Inclusion Drives Innovation: Visual Disability and Autonomy,  about Strap Technologies in México, written by Héctor Serrano, Maryangel García Ramos, Emmanuel Martínezand Jorge Miguel Castañeda Himmelspach, supervised by  Fernanda Concha.
   
• Sustainable Biopolymers Made with Avocado Seed, about BIOFASE in México, written byJavier Flores, Francisco Ochoa Castillo, Javier Berecochea and Fernando Maldonado, supervised by Ezequiel Reficco.
   
• Making Quality Education Accessible to Everyone, about Kytabu in Kenia, written by Jesszika Udvari, Paul Gibson, Anuja Verma, and Manuel Abascal, supervised by Ezequiel Reficcoand Francisco Layrisse.
   
• Programando para el Futuro, about Laboratoria in México, written by Cesia de la Garza, Kristina Ayon, Lucero Muñoz and Ana Aguilar, supervised by Consuelo Garcia de la Torre.
   
• Sustainable Housing for All, about Casa para Ensamblar in México, written by Darío Genolet, Mariana Martínez Ramírez and Juan Carlos Flores Hesiquio, supervised by  Ezequiel Reficco.
   
• Energryn, Hybrid Technology, about Fricaeco América in México, written by Nelly Matzi Salas Flores, Moisés Carbajal, Vladimir Cruz and Gabriela Gavica, supervised by  Alejandro Ríos.
   
• Construyendo Contigo, about CEMEX in México, written by Juan Carlos Castro and Verónica Barroso, supervised by Martín H. Bremer.
   
• A TIREless Effort for a Brighter Future, about Mamut in Bolivia, written by Joseline Galindo, Manuel Morales, Mauricio Rubio and Lucía García, supervised by  Ezequiel Reficco.
   
• We Make Forestry Matter, about Proteak in México, written by Luis Evaristo Hinojosa Robles, Ricardo Ramírez Corona, Miguel Ángel Naranjo Carmona and Maribel Galindo, supervised by Christiane Molina.
   
• A Marketplace of Good Deeds, about BOP in México, written by Evelyn Garrido, Mario Luis González, Daniel Cajero and Elizabeth De León Salazar, supervised by Martin H. Bremer.

The winning stories of the 17 Flourish Prizes will be announced at the end of June.

This competition is organized every year by the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

By José Ángel de la Paz

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything, all at once, and its implications not only regarding health but also the economic and social spheres, have urged companies to prioritize the safety of their employees and to rethink their strategies for business continuity.

"We're going through an unplanned, unforeseen situation, a pandemic of unseen consequences in previous decades. Millions of people in organizations have suddenly and abruptly made the transition to a flexible digital work format or home office. This, added to the existing stress we experience, presents a challenge to personal and work-related health," said Ignacio de la Vega.

The dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate School of Business at Tecnológico de Monterrey discussed the challenges of today's climate with other leaders of the institution in the webinar "Strategies to maintain a healthy staff in our organizations", from the series “Rising to the challenge: Leadership in the face of COVID-19”.

Guillermo Torre, head of Tec Salud, explained that although measures such as work suspension and social distancing affect academic activity, they are the key to flattening the curve of coronavirus infections in Mexico, where there are already more than 5,000 confirmed cases and more than 400 deaths from the disease.

"If the goal is to protect lives, then reinforcing social distancing, avoiding mass gatherings, and doing it in an orderly fashion by suspending some business activities, undoubtedly helps us to flatten the curve and decrease mortality," he said.

Hernán García, vice-president of Talent and Culture at Tecnológico de Monterrey, noted that companies are experiencing the crisis differently according to their sector.

"While some industries are now extremely busy, there are others that are at a standstill. And what we are seeing is that each company is taking measures according to its reality," he said.

In organizations that have been able to continue their activities online, such as Tec, Garcia pointed out the importance of implementing programs to support and care for the mental and emotional health of employees, whose well-being may be affected by being quarantined at home.

WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE

The upcoming scheduled webinars of this series are:

Friday, April 17: The dilemma of COVID-19 as a threat to the organization's well-being. With:

• Gabriela Garcia, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at PepsiCo Mexico
• Juan Pablo Ventosa, CEO of Human Performance.
• Mauricio Reynoso, CEO of AMEDIRH.
• Alejandro Olivera (moderator), Associate Dean of Lifelong Learning at the Undergraduate School of Business at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Monday, April 20: Growth opportunities for family businesses in response to COVID-19. With:

• Cristina Alvarado Álvarez, Senior Consultant, Family Business Specialist and Professor at the University of Barcelona.
• Francisco Malagón, Director of Strategic Projects at the Institute of Family Businesses for Mexico and Latin America at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Wednesday, April 22: A conversation with inspirational leaders to help address the pandemic. With:

• Ivan Lansberg, Co-Founder and Senior Partner of Lansberg, Gersick and Associates (LGA).
• Susana Coppel, President of the Coppel Community Foundation and member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Coppel.
• María Fonseca (moderator), Head of the Institute of Family Businesses for Mexico and Latin America at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Friday, April 24: Guidance on how to find solutions using the Family-Business system. With:

• Susanne Grimm, Board Member at Estafeta Mexicana.
• Oscar Howell, Author and Founding Partner of LFE Windward.
• Fernando Sandoval Arzaga (moderator), Associate Director of the Institute of Family Businesses for Mexico and Latin America at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

All of these webinars will take place at 1:00 p.m. (GMT-6). You can wcatch the previous webinars here.

By José Ángel de la Paz

The COVID-19 crisis is raising challenges for both businesses and the financial sector in Mexico, but it is also creating opportunities to adopt new collaborative paradigms.

This was discussed by academics and experts in the webinar “Corporate wellness and banking in the face of COVID-19”, as part of EGADE Business School's webinar series “Rising to the challenge: Leadership in the face of COVID-19”.

“It is essential to acknowledge that companies are and will always be key sources of employment and well-being for each country,” said José Antonio Quesada, professor at EGADE Business School.

Because of his role as Vice President of regulatory policy at Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores, he added that in many cases the growth of a company is linked to the multiple benefits provided by the banking sector, including non-banking financial intermediaries and new players such as Fintech companies.

“That is why having a good relationship and a clear understanding of the role played by companies is essential for the growth of both the financial and business sectors; now, more than ever, we need this partnership to overcome the great crisis facing the world and our country,” he said.

Quesada also mentioned that the loans granted to companies prior to COVID-19 need to be reviewed in the light of the current situation.

“We're not talking about changing the terms, we're talking about a change of era, before and after COVID-19,” said the professor.

José Alarcón Irigoyen, technical advisor to the Health Committee of Consejo Coordinador Empresarial, noted that COVID-19 has jeopardized efforts to save both people’s lives and the economy.

He also pointed out that this health emergency has presented an opportunity to improve our health system through collaborations between the public and private sector.

Large companies, said the health consultant at PwC Mexico, now play an important role in strengthening social distancing and other safety measures in essential supply and distribution processes.

Alarcon Irigoyen said that, out of the roughly 4 million companies in Mexico, about 99% have less than 10 employees, so to believe that they have a contingency plan is far-fetched.

Therefore, he said that small businesses should be supported by the same efforts of medium and large companies.

“Let's address COVID-19 through a war and life lens, and then we'll be able to save both businesses and lives,” he said.

In addition to this, Juan Carlos Erdozain, Executive Director of EA Business Consulting, reviewed, through the works of artists such as Jheronimus Bosch and Brueghel the Elder, the historical context of previous pandemics and their impact on humanity.

“The reality we had in February (of 2020) is not going to come back; we are having a Renaissance in the 21st century,” he said.

WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE

By José Ángel de la Paz

In the response to COVID-19, we have seen extraordinary examples of companies that are illustrating the belief that business should be a force of good for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and shareholders, said Ignacio de la Vega.

"These companies, by an individual or collective action, are reinforcing the validity of things we been hearing for the last year, such as the Business Roundtable statement," said the Dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

In the webinar "The Power of Purpose: How Conscious Business Can Shape the Post-COVID-19 World", De la Vega and academic and business guests discussed the change in consciousness that the pandemic will leave in business.

Raj Sisodia, the co-founder of Conscious Capitalism, agreed that there are many examples of leaders and companies that are stepping up during the contingency, taking actions that are rarely seen in ordinary times.

“It's like all the society had a heart attack and we are in intensive care. And I think what takes to come out of that is intensive caring. So this a time for us to care for each other and share the pain,” he said.

After COVID-19, Sisodia said that all will result in a fundamental shift in leaders' consciousness.

“I don't think you could go back and unlearn what you have learned here. Coming out of this, it will be a new normal, deeply rooted in our collective being, changing the way we operate overall,” he said.

In the webinar, the fifth in the series "Rising to the challenge: Leadership in the context of COVID-19", Eduardo Garza T. Junco, Chairman of the Board of Grupo FRISA, and Eugenio Clariond Rangel, CEO of Grupo Cuprum, also participated.

WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE

Upcoming webinars in the series:

Monday, April 13: Business health and banking in front of COVID-19, with:

• José Antonio Quesada, professor at EGADE Business School and vice-president of Regulatory Policy of Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores.
• José Alarcón Irigoyen, PwC Mexico Dean Partner & Strategic Advisor for PwC Health & PLS.
• Juan Carlos Erdozain, executive director of EA Business Consulting.

Wednesday, April 15: Strategies to maintain the health of talent in organizations, with:

• Hernán García, vice-president of Talent and Culture at the Tecnológico de Monterrey.
• Guillermo Torre, rector of Tec Salud.
• Ignacio de la Vega, dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Friday, April 17: COVID-19 dilemma as a threat to the organization's health, with:

• Gabriela García, SVP of Human Resources at PepsiCo México.
• Juan Pablo Ventosa, CEO of Human Performance.
• Mauricio Reynoso, CEO of AMEDIRH.
• Alejandro Olivera (moderator), associate dean of Continuing Education at the Undergraduate Business School of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

All webinars will be held at 1:00 p.m. (Mexico City time). More information and registration in the Events section of the EGADE Business School website.

By José Ángel de la Paz

"The crisis of COVID-19 will leave us a deep wound in the economy and stock market, but not a wound difficult to heal," said Jorge Arturo Martínez, CFA.

The director of the EGADE Financial Think Tank presented the webinar "The difference one day makes: crisis risk management under highly emotional elements."

Martínez estimated that as soon as the first signs of relief and improvement arrive, the markets first, followed by the economic revival, will bring a response that is truly as prodigious as the decline has been.

"That is the difference that a single day can make in the human mind," he said.

This forecast, he said, is based on the fact that the governments of all countries will provide sufficient and ambitious fiscal and monetary stimulus, and that a virus has never been the driver of a traditional recession, but rather of a temporary shock.

For these reasons, he noted, the buying and investing intentions of households, banks and businesses can be expected to remain intact and rather only postponed.

Martínez's webinar was the fourth in the series "Rising to the Challenge: Leadership in the Context of COVID-19”.

WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE

Upcoming webinars in the series:

Monday, April 13: Business health and banking in front of COVID-19, with:

• José Antonio Quesada, professor at EGADE Business School and vice-president of Regulatory Policy of Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores.
• José Alarcón Irigoyen, PwC Mexico Dean Partner & Strategic Advisor for PwC Health & PLS.
• Juan Carlos Erdozain, executive director of EA Business Consulting.

Wednesday, April 15: Strategies to maintain the health of talent in organizations, with:

• Hernán García, vice-president of Talent and Culture at the Tecnológico de Monterrey.
• Guillermo Torre, rector of Tec Salud.
• Ignacio de la Vega, dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Friday, April 17: COVID-19 dilemma as a threat to the organization's health, with:

• Gabriela García, SVP of Human Resources at PepsiCo México.
• Juan Pablo Ventosa, CEO of Human Performance.
• Mauricio Reynoso, CEO of AMEDIRH.
• Alejandro Olivera (moderator), associate dean of Continuing Education at the Undergraduate Business School of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

All webinars will be held at 1:00 p.m. (Mexico City time). More information and registration in the Events section of the EGADE Business School website.

Full reproduction of the official communication "Academic Continuation of the Flexible and Digital Model at EGADE Business School", issued on April 2, 2020:

To the entire EGADE Business School Student Community:

I write to you in the hope that you and your families are all doing well during this COVID-19 pandemic. I wish to share the official communication issued by Tecnológico de Monterrey, today, April 2, regarding Academic Continuation of the Flexible and Digital Model.

Based on the official determinations of the Mexican Ministries of Health and of Public Education respectively, I inform that Tecnológico de Monterrey has extended the use of the Flexible & Digital Academic Model for face-to -face programs until April 30, for the moment. This means that we will commence the April-July 2020 trimester with this virtual model. The ongoing semestral programs will also continue in the virtual model. We are monitoring to the evolution of the COVID-19 situation in Mexico, and we are preparing for the possibility of continuing in this virtual model until the end of the current semester as necessary.

All the details and specifications necessary to continue in the Flexible and Digital format will be shared by your Program Director and Academic Coordinator.

Our Professors continue to prepare and remain updated in the use of our teaching tools and methodologies, adapting their courses to offer the best learning experience for our students.

Finally, we remind you that it is important to continue to follow the recommendations of the Mexican authorities. We will be sending you relevant information through our official channels and the Coronavirus COVID-19 website, where you will find the institutional communications, the measures we have implemented, as well as useful information to know how to proceed individually and as part of the Tec community.

We will continue to inform you of every update to these Tecnologico de Monterrey and EGADE academic dispositions.

Warm regards,

Laura Zapata
Academic Associate Dean
EGADE Business School

By José Ángel de la Paz

During the COVID-19 contingency, the support that the Innovation and Growth Committees provide to the Boards of Directors becomes greater and more relevant, according to Félix Cárdenas.

The Director of the Center for Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship at EGADE Business School addressed this matter in his webinar “Investment, Innovation and Growth Committees in Times of Uncertainty”.

Cárdenas noted that the primary role of these committees is to accelerate decisions on whether an innovation initiative should be stalled, adjusted, or continued and advanced.

“These committees are there to help the Boards of Directors define risks and identify opportunities that relevant to the industry and the company,” he added.

As for the Mexico’s impact in the face of COVID-19, Cárdenas noted that, because of the change in global supply chains, investment strategies are undergoing a major transformation.

“Companies are looking to reduce their dependence on China's supply chain. Mexico is in a strategic position to attract a significant portion of the resulting redirected investment. This could add about 2% to Mexico’s annual GDP growth over the next decade,” he said.

WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE

Cárdenas' session was part of the webinar series “Rising to the challenge: Leadership in the face of COVID-19“, of which the next scheduled sessions are:

• Wednesday, April 1st: “One day can make the difference: crisis risk-management under highly emotional circumstances“, hosted by Jorge Arturo Martínez, Director of the Financial Think Tank at EGADE Business School.
   
• Friday, April 3rd: “The Power of Purpose: How Conscious Business Can Shape the Post-COVID-19 World”, with Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School; Raj Sisodia, co-founder of Conscious Capitalism; and other guests. 

All of these webinars will take place at 1:00 p.m. (GMT-6). For further information and registration, please visit the Events section of the EGADE Business School website.