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Responding to the radical changes in work practices and extensive virtual forms of interaction brought by COVID-19, this study aims to investigate the role played by authentic leadership and horizontal collectivism in helping the Indian startups sail through the pandemic.

Data was gathered through standardized questionnaires from 300 leaders and 300 employees from Indian startups during the second phase of lockdown. Statistical analysis using AMOS 23.0 checks for the direct effect of authentic leadership on work engagement and the moderating effect of horizontal collectivism on the relationship between the two. This study also compares the results between self-ascribed and perceived authentic leadership.

Statistical analysis using AMOS 23.0 was done to check for the direct effect of authentic leadership on work engagement and the moderating effect of horizontal collectivism on the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. This study also compared the results between self-ascribed and perceived authentic leadership.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explores the role of authentic leadership in unlocking work engagement among employees serving in Indian startups during the pandemic. The lesson learned from this is when employees perceived their leaders to be authentic, the work culture to be nonhierarchical and felt collective responsibility toward work, it unlocked their high potential and made them soulfully engaged in their work.

Working through the case and the questions that follow will allow students to evaluate: critically assess the effectiveness and feasibility of Berrylush’s business model through the lens of the Business Model Canvas; understand: explain the strategies used by the organisation to gain and sustain a competitive advantage; apply: use the principles of judo strategy to develop tactics for competing effectively against well-established brands; analyse: examine how environmental changes affect the organisation; and create: formulate a growth strategy for Berrylush.

Two young MBA graduates from a top Indian management institution dreamed of running a large-scale business, providing women all over India with high-quality western clothing. In 2017, Berrylush was born with an initial business model where they designed and manufactured all their products in-house. While at one point, their maximum production capacity was only 900 units a month, within a handful of years, the brand saw its highest selling week of 2022 with sales of over 50,000 orders on India’s largest apparel and fashion website. Co-founder Alok Paul is spearheading the company’s channel expansion, taking it from only direct-to-consumer online sales to offline sales, creating an omnichannel experience for shoppers.

The case can be used for an undergraduate or MBA program teaching a strategic management course after the fundamentals of strategic management have been taught but before strategy execution and implementation have been discussed.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.