Dean Adil Najam Gives Guest Lecture at LUMS on “World After Coronavirus” Video Series

On June 6, Pardee School of Global Studies Dean Adil Najam gave a guest lecture for a class at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) structured around the Pardee Center’s ongoing “The World After Coronavirus” video series. The series, consisting of more than 50 interviews with leading experts and practitioners from across the world, explores the myriad challenges and opportunities we will face in our post-coronavirus future.

Prior to the lecture, students were given an assignment to watch three videos of their choice from the series. Dean Najam’s lecture and the ensuing discussion focused on the innovation needs and opportunities that might emerge in the changed realities of a post-COVID world.

Dean Najam shared his own lessons learned from the series, suggesting a “3R” model for innovation: a post-COVID world a) will require innovation in a number of areas; b) will reject those who fail to innovate in line with new realities; and c) will reward innovation more than during ordinary times, as entire industries and societies are restructured. He drew on examples from higher education, the retail sector, and the technology sector to describe the geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts that are creating what he called “new ecosystems for innovation.”

The lecture was given to an Executive MBA class on Innovation and Technology Management, consisting of about 40 students and taught by Prof. Adeel Zafar. Dean Najam previously served as Vice Chancellor of LUMS, Pakistan’s top-ranked business school.

Watch the full video series on the Pardee Center’s YouTube channel.