Navigating the crisis

: how Debeka managed the all overshadowing Covid-19 pandemic and how to implement agile methods in a post-crisis era

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about a significant level of uncertainty, and many companies were forced to rethink their operations. The familiar was suddenly out of date overnight. The insurance industry was also facing change. Internal company insights during this time were gathered through interviews with those directly involved. The Debeka employees interviewed are Mr. Markus Bär (Head of the Human Resources Department) and Mr. Henry Müller (Member of a Crisis Emergency Team and a New Work workforce). Both were directly involved in the prophylactic and acute crisis decision-making processes. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a pedagogical case study that offers insights into how an established insurance company can navigate a severe and unexpected crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The case study examines both the analysis of internal and external resources and explores the use of agile methods to maintain the company’s competitiveness and resilience in the face of a threat. For this purpose, the reader will assume the role of an external consultant who will provide post-pandemic support to Debeka. The thesis begins by laying out theoretical foundations to help the reader contextualize the case. It concludes with a teaching note in which the author works on the case and offers an exemplary solution.

Date of Award	5 Jul 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ricardo Reis (Supervisor)