S. Vishnu Sharma
IIM Lucknow researcher, Prof. Arvind Shroff, Assistant Professor, Operations Management has conducted a study.
The study explored how private healthcare organizations can innovate during crises while maintaining their core ethical values.
IIM Lucknow faculty research delves into the delicate balance between rapidly adapting to external pressures—such as environmental shocks—and staying true to an organization’s mission.
This is particularly crucial in resource-constrained settings, where healthcare institutions must deliver essential services while managing to innovate in times of crisis, says IIM Lucknow sources.
Publishing
The findings of this research have been published in the FIIB Business Review journal.
Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems worldwide, says IIM Lucknow researcher.
Public healthcare systems, often underfunded and unprepared, struggled to cope with the surge in demand, while private healthcare institutions played a pivotal role in responding swiftly with innovative solutions.
Many of these organisations introduced telemedicine, virtual consultations, and resource optimisation strategies to ensure continuity of care while minimising patient exposure.
These innovations were instrumental in helping healthcare providers navigate the pandemic’s challenges while maintaining high standards of care.
Focus
Dr. Shroff’s research focused on Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital (SSSH) in Chhattisgarh, which provides free paediatric cardiac care.
Despite facing critical shortages of resources during the pandemic, such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators, SSSH adapted quickly with innovative solutions like telemedicine, in-house blood banks, and efficient resource management, enabling it to successfully navigate the crisis, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
Key findings
The research identified three key findings:
· A culture of values such as empathy, resilience, and integrity helps healthcare organizations respond effectively during crises
· Crises often push organizations to innovate, with solutions like telemedicine and better resource management emerging as key strategies.
· Crisis management is an iterative process where internal values and external challenges work together to foster lasting innovation and ethical care.
Research
Speaking about the findings of the research Prof. Arvind Shroff said, crises like the pandemic show that resilience and virtues are not just values, they are catalysts for transformative innovation, especially when delivering affordable healthcare as a basic human right.
Crucial role
This IIM Lucknow research also underscores the crucial role of leadership in navigating crises.
Leaders who prioritise values like empathy and integrity inspire their teams to meet challenges head-on and transform crises into opportunities for innovation.
By focusing on these virtues, leaders can help organisations balance the immediate demands of crisis management with the long-term goal of delivering ethical, high-quality services.
The research emphasises the importance of maintaining a strong organisational culture to cultivate resilience and foster innovation, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
Applications
The findings of this research have broad applications for healthcare organisations, leaders, and policymakers.
For healthcare institutions, it provides a framework for integrating ethical practices and innovation during emergencies.
It also offers strategic insights for leaders, helping them incorporate values like resilience and empathy into their decision-making processes.
Policymakers and training programs can leverage these insights to develop guidelines that promote virtuous practices in resource-constrained environments, ensuring that healthcare providers can effectively deliver essential services during crises.
About IIM Lucknow
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, established in 1984, is the fourth in the prestigious IIM family of management schools to be established in India after IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Bangalore.
In 2005, IIM Lucknow expanded its area of influence in the realm of management education by becoming the first IIM to set up a satellite campus exclusively for Executive Education at NOIDA in Delhi NCR region.
IIM Lucknow is accredited by AACSB and AMBA while its EQUIS Accreditation is ongoing. The institute features in the prestigious FT -100 Top Global Business schools for both the 2-year Flagship PGP program and One-year IPMX Program.
It is also consistently ranked amongst top business schools in the NIRF Rankings. IIM Lucknow was the first IIM to start a 2-year full time MBA program in Sustainable Management 10 years back. It also has a long-standing full-time MBA program in Agri Business Management.
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