[September 29, 2015] On this date in 1982, twelve-year old Mary Kellerman died after taking a capsule of Tylenol pain medicine laced with cyanide. It’s now been 33 years since her death and the poisoning murders of six others remain unsolved. But some good came from the murders in that it prompted improved packaging of over the counter medicine. Thanks to the leadership of Johnson & Johnson, we have an example of how leadership works in a crisis.
The company Johnson & Johnson1 was never suspected but they knew that quick taking action was the key to overcoming the problem. What matters most, as we look at leadership, is what did the company do to prevail after the destruction wrought by the tampering. The dilemma for them was to find a way to protect consumers, protect their reputation, and keep their most profitable product.
First, they immediately assumed responsibility although they were positive that the tampering of the capsules did not occur in its plants. They did this by alerting consumers across the nation, via the media to stop consuming any type of Tylenol. Furthermore, they stopped production and issued a recall of all Tylenol products. By doing this they showed that putting safety ahead of profits were their main priority.
Second, at about the same time, they issued warnings to health professionals and cooperated with all police activity, including the FBI. Although they were not required to do so they also offered to exchange all Tylenol capsules that had already been purchased. This initiative would help them preserve their reputation and show that they cared about their customers.
And third, they began a public relations campaign to bring back Tylenol in a safer tamper-resistant package. The company was the first provide the new packaging and to be in compliance with the Food and Drug Administration’s new regulations and national mandate for tamper-resistant packaging. Many of their sales people made presentations to the medical community as part of reintroducing the product.2
According to James E. Burke, chairman of the board of the corporation at the time of the tampering, the poisonings put everyone into shock. He noted that many of the initial decisions were easy to make, others more difficult. For example, there was an internal debate on whether the recall should be nationwide or restricted to the area of the poisonings; nationwide was the right decision.
Johnson & Johnson received a lot of positive feedback and praise on their quick actions to overcome the poisonings. The final result could have been much different if the executives of J&J had not done these things so quickly and with compassion. It shows us the benefits of good senior leadership that acts decisively.
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1. Technically it was McNeil Consumer Products, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. I’m using J&J for ease and name recognition.
2. http://www.aerobiologicalengineering.com/wxk116/TylenolMurders/crisis.html