HBR Insights Future of Business Boxed Set (8 Books)

 

9

HOW BUSINESSES CAN BRACE FOR CATASTROPHE

by Yvette Mucharraz y Cano

On Sept. 19, 2017, a severe earthquake struck Mexico City, killing 370, injuring thousands, and destroying scores of buildings. For a short time, the city ground to a halt as rescue efforts took priority over normal commerce. But then something curious happened: Some businesses were able to return to work relatively quickly, while others lagged behind or even failed to recover and disappeared.

The earthquake provided a natural laboratory to study a crucial but often elusive business capacity: organizational resilience. Two years after the disaster, I met with a group of leaders whose businesses survived the quake to understand what set them apart. I found that their answers ...