Anyone knowledgeable about management is well aware of the power of “disruptive innovation”—Clay Christensen’s term for how long-established and well-resourced enterprises can be upended by creative competitors focused on delivering more value to their customer bases. What many do not yet recognize, however, is that management itself—the whole set of rules and tools by which organizations are professionally run—is also in the process of being disrupted.[…]
Continue reading
What will be involved in enabling the next management to become a noble calling that helps create a worthy society? In his HBR article of June 2024, Richard Straub suggested that it should include at least seven aspirations, as shown in Figure 1.[…]
Continue reading
As a guest at the 16th Global Peter Drucker Forum, I had the honor of talking about recent developments in the global political landscape and their effects on society and the economy. The era of globalization as we have known it has ended and, unfortunately, we are not only being confronted with a new geopolitical situation, we must also simultaneously face the challenges of climate change and increasing biodiversity loss. In other words, globalization is over; global problems, however, will become ever more pressing. Against this background it is clear that we will only be able to feed and provide health care for a growing world population if we find new, uncommon ways to collaborate.[…]
Continue reading
Thinking across different time horizons is a crucial skill for driving impact and sustainable value creation. We can choose our own perception of time to exercise our long-term thinking muscles, to bring our future vision into focus, and to spot opportunities.
Our expanding liminal present
Today, few can focus beyond the next news cycle. But looking farther into the future is necessary for survival. As the world will be radically transformed over the coming years, there is no alternative but to understand what key features to look out for, what fragments of the future are emerging today – sometimes prematurely and unannounced. Thinking across different time horizons provides an opportunity to explore these possibilities.[…]
Continue reading
In Alan Turing’s seminal paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”, he posed the now-famous question, “Can machines think?”—an inquiry that laid the groundwork for exploring the cognitive potential of machines.
Today, as we witness AI systems moving beyond narrow tasks into increasingly autonomous roles, this question evolves into a new, urgent line of inquiry: “Can machines act with integrity?”
Just as Turing’s work invited us to ponder the boundaries of machine cognition, the rise of advanced AI compels us to ask if machines can be equipped to uncompromisingly act ethically and responsibly.[…]
Continue reading
When we talk about the future of the knowledge economy, the first question that comes to mind is whether we should still call it that. Relatively soon, all knowledge, expertise, and the know-how to apply them – accelerated by the combined explosion of AI and robotics – will reside with machines.
We tend to downplay the impact of AI on work, focusing on the automation of rote tasks while humans would focus on those that demand “human qualities” like creativity and empathy. That’s comforting; it helps us overcome the fear of the potential loss of jobs. Fear is a natural reaction.[…]
Continue reading
“Managers probably need financial and accounting, marketing and strategic skills more today than they ever have done. But they also need something else. They need grounding in the messy realities of the human condition, an understanding of politics and culture and an awareness of the historical forces that have shaped the world in which we live. …and they need role models from whom to learn.”
(John Hendry)[…]
Continue reading
I just came back from attending one of the world’s largest technology conferences where the sarcastic comment of the week from speakers was to promise they wouldn’t bring up the term ‘AI’. We have a huge problem looming that’s related to AI. It’s already become a confusing buzzword that most can’t define or explain. When asked, the common response is that AI is ChatGPT or another GenAI tool. This lack of clarity and confusion about AI is compounded by the AI fearmongering that exists in the media and within organizations that want everyone to believe we’re all going to be replaced by robots or a bot. There’s also a perception of division between the knowledge worker (people) and the AI (the tools).[…]
Continue reading
The Evolution of Management Success
Management innovation has been a key driver of human progress. Over decades, organizations have successfully adapted their practices to meet emerging challenges, creating unprecedented prosperity and advancement. While many organizations continue to operate with industrial-era practices focused on hierarchical control and short-term financial metrics, pioneering institutions are demonstrating that a different approach is not only possible but delivers superior results.[…]
Continue reading
At the World Management Agility Forum that took place in Lisbon in September, a panel of founders and managers of successful decentralized companies shared their insights. Lars Brüning described how chemical giant Bayer is undergoing full-scale restructuring, defying the organizational charts that are at best matrix-shaped: he visualizes each department as a cycle that self-manages itself, setting its own goals, strategies, and plans. The focus is on consumer experience. […]
Continue reading