Maria Theresa de Asis July 7, 2021

A Reflection Paper on The COVID Two-Step for Leaders: Protect and Pivot
In the article by Groysberg and Baden, I learned that opportunities can be found
during times of crisis. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it may seem like hospitals do not
need to improve their systems beyond rapid testing and personal protective
equipment. But because of this article, I believe that there is always room for
improvement even in the healthcare industry.

Successful managers are able to protect their business by finding ways to make
their systems and processes better for customers and staff. In our own hospital, we
found that there were inconsistencies in our supply chain, such as drinking water not
being delivered when needed because of an absent or quarantined supplier, or
insufficient water supply that is used for dialysis treatment because of the interrupted
water lines. One way that our hospital can improve during the pandemic is to fix the
problems within our supply chain so that the hospital can run smoothly even when
there are problems with one supplier. For the drinking water, the hospital can revise the
contract so the administration may order water from a secondary supplier whenever
the first supplier cannot deliver water. For the dialysis water, the hospital can find a
secondary water source so that there is a backup water supply should the water run
out. The pandemic has shown that we need to prepare for unpredictable situations.

The article taught me how to create new opportunities by exploiting crises.

Because of the pandemic, non-COVID related hospital services were not requested as
much because patients did not want to visit the hospital and expose themselves to
COVID-19. To solve this, the hospital can create a website so that laboratory services/
tests (CBC, Urinalysis, Blood Chem, etc.) can be ordered and done at home. If the
patients cannot go to us because of sickness or disability, we can go to them. By
putting healthcare services online (lab results, online consults, payments), we can help
patients who are unable to visit the hospital in person.

While these solutions work during the pandemic, the most important part is that
these improved processes can be beneficial even in a post-pandemic world. Our
supply chain can now run smoothly during any supply interruptions, and our patients
can access our services anytime through the website. This is the importance of
protecting and pivoting the business during and after COVID-19.