Lessons learned in a crisis
Lessons learned in a crisis
In the wake of the Corona pandemic leaders are keen to see concrete examples of what works and what doesn’t to lessen the impact of this crisis. Alumni Consultant and Manager Malin Samuelsson recently caught up with Christian Carlsson, SVP HR at Gunnebo to find out more about how they are tackling this multifaceted crisis.
Gunnebo, the worldwide leader in security products, services and solutions, headquartered in Gothenburg, has been affected by the Corona pandemic since its early days in China. While still handling the effects of the ever-changing crisis some lessons have already been learned.
- This is a global and complex crisis which is evolving faster than anything we’ve ever seen before. Our game plan must constantly be adapted to new situations and the prerequisites vary immensely between, and sometimes even within countries. Some truths are however universal. We learned three main things early on in China which we have applied throughout this crisis, says Christian.
Christian Carlsson, SVP HR Gunnebo
1. Stay close to your employees. Frequent dialogue and being aware of how different individuals react in a time of crisis helps us better meet individual needs and we dare to be personal in these dialogues.
2. Now is the time to walk the extra mile for your customers. In our case, that has, for example, meant that we’ve distributed protective gear, not only to our employees but sometimes also to our customers when that has been possible.
3. Take the opportunity to develop individuals and organisations. Some part of our organisation has found themselves with more time available when e.g. production has been shut down. We’ve tried to use this time for training to help us come out stronger on the other side.
At Gunnebo, the main priority is to take care of their employees, ensuring well-being through e.g. keeping the facility safe by adding tents to enable social distance with shifts changes, proactive measurement of body temperature, information sharing about Corona, protective gear enhancements. Then follows actions to protect the business and to ensure the robustness of for instance our supply chain.
- We realised early on that this pandemic would impact our business eventually and we were determined to take early actions to secure our cash-flow, short to medium term. From day one, our goal has been to not merely survive the Corona crisis but to come out even stronger on the other side. Solutions in a complex crisis such as this pandemic are best found locally since the situation and the prerequisites differ widely. Our role as top management is to support, challenge and empower local management teams, says Christian.
In order to keep momentum and transparency, Gunnebo’s management team structured the company’s activities into three main streams: 1) People and well-being, 2) Financial stability and 3) Business continuity. As SVP HR, Christian has been heading the People and well-being work stream. To ensure early actions and preparations across the company, Christian and his team sent out a questionnaire with 16 questions covering the main focus areas, e.g. local government support provided, headcount development, flexible working etc. The intention was to kick start the thought process among all leader, to think outside their own box and potential comfort zone to handle this extraordinary situation.
- To further support local management, we try to ensure frequent and clear communication and try to stimulate a daily dialogue to jointly develop solutions to new situations that arise. We have also made e-learnings and trainings available, for instance holding webinars regarding leadership in crisis, says Christian.
The corporate culture at Gunnebo has also been a huge asset throughout the crisis. This is a culture defined by closeness, loyalty and a solution-oriented focus. In a situation like this, when tough decisions need to be made, their culture plays a big part in helping to guide them and stay on track, maintaining respect for each individual, both within the organisation and towards external stakeholders.
The management team and the entire company has so far been focused on handling the immediate crisis. Now they have reached a point where they need to continue to do so, while at the same time refocusing on the long-term strategy.
- The ability to keep that dual focus, on both short- and long-term goals is ultimately what distinguishes great leaders from good leaders. I believe we have many great leaders in our organisation so now the hard work continues. To ensure all our employees stay safe, the business wheels keep turning and Gunnebo comes out even stronger on the other side, says Christian.
About Gunnebo
Gunnebo is a global provider of security products, services and software. The company’s solutions protect banks, retail, mass transit, public & commercial buildings and industrial & high-risk sites with an offering covering Entrance Control, Safe Storage, Cash Management and Integrated Security.
The Group has a turnover of MSEK 5,500, employs 4200 people in 25+ countries and is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm.
Malin Samuelsson
Consultant
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