Digital Innovation and Transformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 02, 2020

Read The Full Prompt

The COVID-19 outbreak is a tragedy that will have long-lasting implications for our global economy. The pandemic has showcased the value of digital operating models and is likely to force many companies to speed up their digital innovation and transformation.

For this blog post assignment, please consider ONE of the following questions:

  • Identify an organization that was under significant threat from the COVID-19 outbreak but quickly innovated its operating model to mitigate the impact during the crisis. Please describe the capabilities and processes that enabled these changes and any generalizable lessons for other organizations.
  • Identify an organization that has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and recommend how it can leverage digital innovation to grow again.
  • Identify an organization that has experienced significant growth during the outbreak because of its digital operating model. Discuss whether this growth is short term or not and what actions the organization can take to sustain its growth.

Create an approximately 1000-word post to make your contribution on digit.hbs.org by 6 pm on May 2.

Please also respond to and comment on three other posts per assignment. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos, and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Submitted (79)

“Mickey in the Middle of It”
Nicholas Dimitruk
Posted on April 27, 2020 at 12:28 pm
Almost 100 years of Disney magic is about to fight its biggest battle yet, and the digital experience could be the golden ticket.
ClassPass – COVID-19 not a threat, just an occasion to innovate and bond more with partners & clients
Jona Babi
Last modified on April 27, 2020 at 11:08 am
ClassPass was under significant threat from the COVID-19 outbreak but quickly innovated its operating model to mitigate the impact during the crisis. The fitness industry has a lot to learn from this company.
Airbnb vs COVID: The battle for community and connections!
panda
Posted on April 27, 2020 at 9:06 pm
Will COVID take down the community connections that Airbnb built over years? Or will Airbnb strengthen its community to defeat COVID and emerge stronger than ever?
Love in the Time of Corona: How Dating Apps have Successfully Adapted
Cherish Weiler
Last modified on May 5, 2020 at 10:10 pm
Dating apps have been able to leverage their digital capabilities to remain competitive by offering new video features and growing their customer funnel.
GMAT goes online- Taking the exam at-home during a pandemic
HZ
Posted on May 2, 2020 at 12:58 am
Standardized Tests such as GMAT are moving online to accommodate for test takers to meet business school timelines amidst a Pandemic.
Teladoc Health: A Clear Winner During (and After) COVID-19
Loti de Esteban
Posted on April 29, 2020 at 8:40 am
It is clear that Teladoc and other telemedicine providers are clear winners during today’s global pandemic. The question is: Will they continue to be winners when COVID-19 is over and societies go back to normal?
“Zoom by Day, Houseparty by Night”
Partha Ray
Last modified on April 30, 2020 at 1:57 pm
Social distancing orders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has left individuals isolated from friends and loved ones, resulting in increased demand for video chat apps. Houseparty has grown dramatically in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evo theaters: Social distancing and watching movies
Sneha Biswas
Last modified on April 27, 2020 at 11:53 pm
With worldwide drop in movie theater business due to COVID-19, EVO Entertainment quickly shifted its business model from closed physical theaters to open air drive-in theaters in its parking lots. Alongside, it also delved into grocery delivery services to expand [...]
Peloton: Riding Quarantine into a Demand Boom
A Iglehart
Posted on April 29, 2020 at 8:59 am
Peloton has taken advantage of the nationwide stay at home orders that have caused a surge in demand for at-home fitness solutions.
June Motherhood: Delivering advice and education to expectant moms in the time of quarantine
Megan M
Posted on April 27, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Incubated out of HBS, June Motherhood is an exciting digitally-native maternal care education platform. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on and consumers are thinking differently about all in-person experiences, June is well-positioned to support both sides of its network and [...]
Harvard Business School – Time to Embrace The New Reality?
I'm Not A Robot
Last modified on May 1, 2020 at 8:06 pm
The COVID-19 epidemic has affected every organization in the world, and Harvard Business School itself is no exception. As this pandemic could last for years, what else should HBS do to survive this storm and potentially come out stronger.
NextDoor: Neighbors Help Neighbors as Your Street Block Goes Online
hbs51369394
Posted on April 28, 2020 at 2:46 am
COVID-19 has made those that we love seem much further away. Next-door takes on the gigantic task of reacquainting people with the neighbors they never really had to meet or ask for help from, until now.
Formula 1: Speeding towards esports success?
Colm Farrell
Posted on May 1, 2020 at 10:44 am
Coronavirus has put a halt to the current Formula 1 season. However, within days of postponing/cancelling Grand Prix races, Formula 1 innovated to offer 'Virtual Grand Prix' races to its fans. How did they achieve this? Will this esports success [...]
GoPuff and COVID-19: The privilege and doom of exponential growth in the convenience goods online market.
Leonardo Hugo Lujan
Last modified on April 27, 2020 at 12:06 pm
Exponential growth during a global pandemic is always good news, but as competitive pressure increases so are the challenges to sustain this short-term advantage and avoid no-turning-back failures.
Zola: Proving Even The Wedding Industry Isn’t Pandemic-Proof
Elisa
Last modified on April 29, 2020 at 6:24 pm
With the 2020 wedding season largely postponed, Zola - a wedding registry site - is experiencing first hand that the wedding industry is far from pandemic-proof
Three Squirrels: how China’s largest snacks retailer react to Covid-19
Haoran
Posted on April 27, 2020 at 11:21 am
Covid-19 promoted instant food and packaged food sales, but also reduced offline sales of snacks. How did Three Squirrels react?
Shopify: A Pandemic Proof Platform?
C. Xu
Last modified on May 1, 2020 at 7:16 pm
COVID 19 presents both a significant challenge and a massive opportunity for Shopify. Will one of the recent darlings of the public markets prevail?
TAL: Online Education Transformation in Covid 19
Amanda Dong
Posted on April 27, 2020 at 11:31 am
TAL: a leading tutorial institution with strong offline network TAL Education Group is a leading K-12 after-school tutoring services provider in China. The acronym “TAL” stands for “Tomorrow Advancing Life”, which reflects TAL’s vision to promote top learning opportunities for [...]
HouseParty – A Social Distancing Phenomenon or the Next Big Thing?
dknab1892
Posted on May 1, 2020 at 1:56 pm
With over 50 million downloads between March 15 and April 15, about 70 times above the average number of downloads for any app[1], Houseparty has clearly benefited from the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Over the same period, the digital socialization app [...]
MasterClass: The future of “edutainment”
lumos
Last modified on April 27, 2020 at 5:53 pm
Bored at home? Here’s how to invest in yourself while staying entertained in the time of coronavirus.
Nuro: self-driving delivery accelerates
Walter Mitty
Last modified on April 27, 2020 at 8:08 pm
Autonomous delivery vehicles benefit from e-commerce growth and new regulations.
Zoom: Can “Zoom” become a verb?
H&M
Last modified on May 1, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Can Zoom win an intense competition and maintain its presence in people’s life after COVID19?
Nintendo COVID Gains Hampered by Ring Fit Adventure Strategy
ka
Last modified on April 28, 2020 at 5:50 pm
Nintendo Switch has benefitted from increased demand due to COVID-19, but title-specific strategy hamstrings short- and long-term growth and sustainability.
TELADOC – Has telemedicine finally gone mainstream?
James Eckfeldt
Posted on May 1, 2020 at 12:47 pm
Before COVID-19 struck, the once-niche telemedicine industry struggled to gain traction and mainstream acceptance. Now it has gone mainstream. Will this hold post COVID-19?
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