Assessment 2 Part B Case Study 3: Ventilator Challenge UK

Case Synopsis

It was the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK – the government was already stalling
in deciding how to respond despite having seen the virus rip through Italy and decimate the
country’s health care system. Unable to slow contagion, the virus overloaded hospitals in Northern
Italy (the country’s epicentre) and make-shift emergency units kitted out with camp beds still weren’t
enough to cope with the onslaught of virus patients. The situation was so bad that doctors and
nurses were put in the unsavoury situation of having to make decisions on who would live and who
would die.
The projected numbers and anticipated rise in demand for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS)
also painted a grim picture. The NHS was also facing potentially crippling shortages of medical
equipment and services. In particular, the number of ventilators in the current supply was way below
projected demand. Even if production of new ventilators were to start immediately, the production
capacity was still significantly lower than projected demand. The government pleaded for industry
intervention.
In response, a number of UK aerospace, motorsport, automotive and medical organizations
(including Ford, Airbus, Rolls Royce and McLaren among others), brought together and led by High-
Value Manufacturing Catapult CEO Dick Elsy, got together to form the Ventilator Challenge UK
consortium. The consortium mobilized to scale up the production of ventilators as well as produce
breathing aids for those patients that require some assistance. Production went from approximately
55 devices per week to 1500 devices per week.

Case Brief

The Ventilator Challenge UK represents an interesting case of innovation and inter-organizational

mobilization to address an acute societal need.

Below are three short readings that give more details about the initiative and that you are
required to read to complete Assessment 2 Part B. Any part whether directly quoted or
paraphrased from these readings or your textbook MUST be intext referenced and the full
reference for the reading MUST be included in your report reference list. Use UOW Harvard
Referencing Style.

UK Ventilator Challenge
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/uk-ventilator-challenge-ends-
after-making-over-13-000-devices

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 Interview Transcript with Dick Elsy (Chairman VentilatorChallengeUK)
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/interviews/interview-dick-elsy-on-
leading-the-ventilator-challenge-uk-consortium

Coronavirus Breathing Aid

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-inside-story-of-how-mercedes-f1-and-academics-fast-
tracked-life-saving-breathing-aid-136028

Journal article from Nonaka et al. 2018 download from Subject Readings tab in Moodle
Nonaka, I & Takeuchi, H 2021, ‘Humanizing strategy’, Long Range Planning, vol. 54, no. 4, pp.
102070-102108.

Case Questions

1. What type of knowledge creation (refer to Nonaka) process did the consortium follow?
2. Knowledge exploitation and knowledge exploration are different forms of learning. Which one
more closely aligns with to Ventilator Challenge UK consortium and why?
3. According to Etienne Wenger, what would the Ventilator Consortium be an example of?
4. What are the characteristics of Ventilator Challenge UK consortium’s innovation journey?
Consider the following stages:
 the initiation stage
 the development stage
 the implementation stage.

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