Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times: Asian Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact during COVID-19

ASIA BUSINESS COUNCIL HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 3 3 Esquel Group (Hong Kong) Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times layer of the mask is water repellent and treated with an anti-microbial chemical, meaning that this could not have been done overnight. Esquel’s culture also emphasizes the need to challenge the status quo and explore all available options through trial and error before coming up with a new product. In the words of Esquel’s Director of Global Operations Edgar Tung, Esquel’s reusable mask exemplifies how “innovation is the key cog to moving the three interlinking processes of discovery, experimentation and optimization.” 4 Excellence is also a core value. When making the mask, Esquel relied on automation because it wanted consistent production quality and minimal human handling to avoid contamination. But the ear loops still had to be attached manually, and Esquel encountered initial problems when Temasek Foundation asked for colored ear loops in cheerful colors such as red, yellow, and green. While Esquel had thought it could easily dye them in house, this turned out not to be easy. The ear loops were made of polyester, and after dyeing they got tangled up like spaghetti. So one weekend the workers had to do it by hand until engineers came up with the clever solution of autowinders. Yang believes that this drive to solve problems and strive for excellence is what got them over that hump. Education is the final component of Esquel’s eCulture. Yang notes that while a lot of people think that means training people, at Esquel it also means “dare to err,” or a culture where people are not afraid to make mistakes. This is complemented by efforts within Esquel to make sure that all departments build on the same expe- riences and that no one single individual or unit makes the same mistake twice. In Yang’s words, “When you graduate from a great university, you’re probably a good student. One of the things you’ve been told all your life is you should hand in a paper that gets you 95 points out of 100. So you’re very afraid to hand in any kind of work unless you’re sure that it’s near perfect, but that’s a bad habit. You have to remember that you need to work as a team. If everyone had held on to their work until it was perfect, we would not have made a mask or even half a mask.” Exploration and Excellence are core values at Esquel