The Best of This Week
The week’s must-reads for managing in the digital age, curated by the MIT SMR editors.
Topics
Weekly Recap
During the COVID-19 crisis, we at MIT SMR want to support our readers by offering free resources to help during the pandemic.
Tackling Remote Work Challenges
Working from home can be challenging in the best of times — and even more so while facing the uncertainty of a global pandemic. Drawn from the authors’ years of research on the science of emotions and their intersection with daily work life, consider these eight practical tips for tackling remote work and managing stress.
How a Beloved Texas Grocery Chain Prepared for COVID-19
While grocery stores across the country have struggled to meet the rapid consumer demand while balancing employee needs, one San Antonio, Texas-based chain, H-E-B, began preparing back in January and has been a steady presence throughout the crisis. Executives and employees of the regional chain worked early to contact Chinese retailers and create their own tabletop simulations while also preparing their employees for the crisis.
7 Key Principles to Govern Digital Initiatives
Why do so many digital initiatives fail? Poor governance. From finding alignment between business processes to assigning ownership for change efforts, executives need to reassess their digital transformation governance approaches. Seven key governing principles linked to successful digital business transformation can help.
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Health Care Systems Face Cyber Threats in a Critical Time
Ransomware and other cyberattacks against health care systems are increasing, which is an added threat for health care workers who are already combating coronavirus on other fronts. This article looks at how companies in the health sector can raise awareness and prepare countermeasures to minimize threats.
Leadership Tools for Crisis Response and Recovery
When the world seems to be spiraling, effective leadership can make crises less overwhelming. Leaders can lessen the panic people feel by enacting a more directive style of leadership, instituting frequent communication, and formulating decision-making structures to prioritize pressing tasks. Also helpful is the often-overlooked approach of projecting humanity through attentiveness and awareness of others.
What Else We’re Reading This Week:
- Everyone’s using Zoom these days — hackers included
- Why leaders need to recognize and help combat digital pollution
- A rundown of 19 companies working on coronavirus treatments and vaccines
Quote of the Week:
“The old strategy recipe used to be that you found an attractive position in an attractive industry, you threw up entry barriers like crazy, and then you giggled to yourself for decades while you enjoyed a sustainable competitive advantage. And, you know, if that world ever existed, it certainly doesn’t anymore.”
— Rita McGrath, professor at Columbia Business School, in the latest episode of Three Big Points: “Meet the New Disrupters”