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Publication
No Roadmap, No Compass ‒ Japan country heads render orientation and guidance in an unprecedented catastrophe
The tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 destroyed cities and villages, killed thousands of people, and resulted in the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Recovery ‒ both physical and psychological ‒ for Japanese society as a whole is ongoing and will be for many years. In this catastrophe, Japan country heads had to lead their organizations, making difficult decisions based on incomplete or even contradictionary information. In an attempt to understand how they managed to lead through the crisis, Egon Zehnder International sat down with leaders from 45 multinational companies from different industry segments to see how they responded to a situation that most executives would find unimaginable.
These interviews revealed many common concerns and how these concerns were addressed and prioritized, among them: the perceived need of these executives to be on-site; the necessity of putting employees and their safety first; the implementation of crisis management plans (of varying degrees of preparedness); the relationship between Japan heads and HQ with regard to critical decision-making; the role of communications (with employees, clients, and the market in general); and the need to help in the general recovery. As well as revealing some of the thinking behind difficult decisions, theses interviews pulled together some valuable lessons regarding leadership in such a crisis.
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