How DHL Express Navigated the Pause — and Rebound — of Global Trade

The stunning turnaround of international trade during the Covid-19 pandemic and the logistics operations behind it suggest three key lessons in resilience that run counter to conventional thinking. First, beware of binary thinking, especially about globalization. Just as expectations about new technologies erasing the effects of borders and distance have repeatedly been overblown, globalization’s setbacks are also frequently exaggerated. Second, your people are the differentiator when a shock renders plans obsolete. Companies should treat investments in workforce skills and culture as key pillars of corporate resilience. And finally, size and direct control of assets can make a company nimbler. Despite the typical narrative that scale and asset-intensity are associated with inertia, size and reach were clear advantages for DHL and other global enterprises during the pandemic.