Coronavirus has caused an unprecedented global crisis and considerable confusion and uncertainty. In these challenging times, managers are looking for tools and ideas to turn crisis into opportunity and lead the change. This trend was confirmed by the high number of participants, 1,154 from all over the world, who registered at the webinar "Ordo ab Chao: How to Find Order in a World of Chaos", hosted this week by Nicolas Kfuri, Visiting Professor of Innovation and Strategy at ESCP Business School.

The online masterclass gathered together a variety of people, from students to alumni, from young entrepreneurs to top managers, keen to find out how the world we are living in is changing, moving from a world of control into one of chaos.

Prof. Kfuri said that we have reached a new level of uncertainty, where complexity increases with time, and nothing is constant. We live in liquid modernity that has to deal with pandemic risks, climate change, globalisation and technology. All of them are challenging the sources of order and authority that have guided our society for centuries.

What should be the role of leaders in this context? Which specific skills and tools should a seasoned manager master? There are no unanimous answers to those questions, but there are certain practices that should give managers a solid ground from which to look at and strategize for the future.

Prof. Kfuri gave innovative and brilliant tips, such as mastering time instead of controlling space, moving from headhunter to heart-hunter, going beyond your industry and organization looking for innovation in other fields, mixing culture and philosophy with business and economics in inspiring the change.

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, ESCP has involved experts and faculty from all its campuses to offer a series of virtual lectures focusing on how businesses and individuals can understand, adapt, change and innovate during this pandemic.

“Ordo ab Chao” was the first webinar in a series of six that create the online executive programme "Drive Change Through Crisis". The masterclasses are hosted by six distinguished ESCP professors and offer the critical skills needed to drive change through times of crisis. Professors will examine the consequences in terms of economics, trends, threats and leadership. They will go through the most radical technological evolutions of our time, discussing the new roles of managers facing these challenges.

Next webinars:

29th April; 18.30-20.30
Build Resilience and Strategy during and after the Crisis – Prof. Mark Esposito

6th May; 18.30-20.30
Thriving in the Instant Economic Crisis – Prof. Terence Tse

13th May; 18.30-20.30
Decision Making in Times of Crisis – Prof. Alessandro Lanteri

20th May; 18.30-20.30
International Financial Markets Post-Crisis: What to do with your Money – Prof. Vittorio De Pedys

27th May; 18.30-20.30
Leading Through A Global Pandemic: How to build resilient and hopeful teams with purpose and humanity? – Prof. Lisa Xiong

Early-bird registration deadline is coming up!

Don’t forget to register by April 26th to benefit from our early bird registration fee.

For info and booking, write to cbocchio@escp.eu

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