1. SwitchVanessa was a partner in an audit firm in Paris. At the age of 51, she decided to cease her professional activity. “I was getting old and realising it,” she says. She gave herself two years to organise her succession and slowed down, changing her occupation day by day. “Things…
Throughout history, leaders have been seduced by success, leading them down a path of hubris. This ancient Greek term, literally translating to "excess", describes a state of exaggerated self-belief andarrogance.An extreme example is Xerxes, king of the Persian Empire. Feeling invincible from past triumphs, Xerxes sought to conquer Greece. However, when…
Changes in the graph (Figure 2) may result from changes in the relative share of global GDP of a country (even if the democracy scores are constant) or from changes in the individual democracy scores (even if GDP shares are constant). For example, from the late 1970s to 1989, the…
For decades, the mantra “follow your passion” has been one of the most popular pieces of career advice. Ever since Steve Jobs famously told Stanford graduates back in 2005 to “find what you love”, university students have been nudged to pursue careers that align perfectly with their personal interests. But…
If your company is working on a new technology that has yet to pass this inflection point, what must happen to get you there?The evolution of new technologies follows an S-curve. In the beginning, there is a long incubation period during which technological development and use are confined to basic…
It is broadly understood that bold, expansive postures and gestures convey power and credibility. But how often have executives entered a meeting confident in achieving their goal, only to leave blindsided – unsure of how the power dynamics shifted in favour of an opposing viewpoint? Most people assume that their actions…
A computer scientist by training, Rogers was involved in the creative industries from the early nineties, when he created the Beastie Boys’ website. He was later involved in Winamp and the launch of Apple Music, before working at luxury conglomerate LVMH as its Chief Digital Officer. He also sits on…
The last two years have been a period of history with a multiplicity of conflicts. While the world has of course experienced conflicts before, we have not witnessed this many clashes with such high complexity since the fall of communism. There are currently three sets of confrontations taking place in…
Just as there is no yin without yang, there is no leadership without followership. The two interdependent and complementary roles cannot exist without each other. Followership is the symbiotic interchange between a leader and those they seek to influence. However, the word has long carried connotations of subservience, implying that followers…
Being kind to others is great when it comes to personal relationships. But is it great in business? Regular readers of business publications would have noticed an uptick in discussions around the value of kindness in the workplace and how it can be practiced effectively. Kindness has also been increasingly emphasised across…
Business continues to play a critical role in society, according to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer. The survey, which polled more than 32,000 citizens across 28 countries, finds that business is the most trusted institution to integrate innovation into society. Business is also seen as more competent and ethical than governments,…
Mergers have become the norm in the telco sector recently. Far EasTone and Asia Pacific Telecom in Taiwan in 2022, True and DTAC in Thailand, as well as Celcom and Digi in Malaysia both in 2023. These represent a global shift towards an era of two-three players in each market, especially…
When a firm’s performance falls short of aspirations, organisational changes can help stop the bleeding and get things back on track. Broadly speaking, firms have two strategic avenues to consider. The first is growth-related strategies to improve the firm’s position and performance, which could range from mergers and acquisitions to introducing…
There is often a gap between our good intentions and our actual behaviour – what we claim to do and how we act. Alarmingly, we're sometimes not even aware of the difference between what we think we're doing and what we're really doing. Aligning our actions with our intentions is…
The practice of asking candidates to disclose their last-drawn salary to prospective employers has long been one of the more contentious aspects of the hiring process. While this remains a common request across many countries, certain states in the United States – including California and New York – have made it…
Actions tend to be judged based on some set of expectations, standards or thresholds. For example, managers may set sales targets that employees must achieve before getting a bonus; parents may establish ground rules that children need to abide by before rewarding or punishing them; and content moderators may let…
The marketing landscape is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT). In 2019, the estimated number of IoT-connected devices stood at 8.6 billion, but by 2030, this figure is projected to soar to 29.4 billion. This exponential growth is blurring the boundaries…
In January, Shopify deleted 12,000 recurring meetings from its staff’s calendars. The e-commerce firm also reinstated a no-meeting Wednesday policy. The idea wasn’t to prevent meetings from happening, but for staff to be intentional about them. In addition, it sent a clear message that it was OK to protect one’s…
The discussion around remote work — which has dominated news headlines, Slack conversations and water-cooler chats since countries relaxed their Covid-19 guidelines — is only getting more contentious. Many workers wish to continue working remotely in some capacity, while insisting that leaders’ productivity concerns are unfounded. However, some high-profile executives…
As growth decelerates in China and the economy slips into deflation, there are fears that the country may be heading towards a situation reminiscent of Japan in the early 1990s, a quagmire that could take decades to shake off. The question on everyone’s minds is whether Beijing will make the…
Dealing with environmental change – be it unforeseen supply chain shocks, sudden fluctuations in demand or rapid developments in the competitive landscape – is par for the course for companies doing business today. For start-ups to grow and mature, they must find a way to successfully navigate the opportunities and…
The world is getting bigger, quite literally. By 2035, just over half of humankind will be overweight or obese, with associated costs on the global economy. As complex and multifaceted a disease as obesity is, its link with socioeconomic status is clear: Obesity is more common among people of lower…
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in its proliferation across various sectors – from consulting and banking to manufacturing and healthcare, to name just a few. Generative AI has become increasingly widespread and is set to be a game changer at all levels, with far-reaching repercussions for…
History is filled with tales of courageous and decisive heroes. Individuals like Julius Caesar and Winston Churchill, for instance, have led from the front to guide their people through adversity and achieve ultimate success. This myth building is especially prominent in the business sector, with stories of inspiring CEOs parachuting…
In November 2022, the United Nations announcement that the global population had crossed the 8 billion mark brought out the usual fearmongering regarding overpopulation, food shortages and environmental destruction. But what if this is the last flourish for population increases and, 50 years from now, we’ll reminisce of countries and economies that…
Nathalie made a living promoting fashion brands and products on social media. Initially, she found her work as an influencer liberating as it allowed her to express herself. However, over time, the responsibility and pressure that came with having her whole life displayed online took a toll on her physical…
In November 2022, the United Nations announcement that the global population had crossed the 8 billion mark brought out the usual fearmongering regarding overpopulation, food shortages and environmental destruction. But what if this is the last flourish for population increases and we will look back 50 years from now with…
While ChatGPT falls short in this area, alternative approaches have come of age, mostly without people noticing. One of the earliest forms to hit the business scene was co-authored by John D.C. Little at MIT. Little developed algorithms that mimicked PhD econometricians in the way that they detect trends, variations…
Acknowledging despair and rebounding for the battle ahead The critical step occurs, or does not occur, precisely because we need to acknowledge that the solution is not to change nature, but to change ourselves. We need to adapt to the very problems that we have generated by believing that we…
The four factors run along different dimensions – short-term vs. long-term, individual vs. collective. However, they should be treated as interdependent parts of an integrated system and addressed holistically to ensure that a focus on one doesn’t undermine another. Take, for example, one of the most significant current demands from…
In February 2023, two devastating earthquakes claimed more than 55,000 lives and affected over 10 million people in Turkey and Syria. Responding to this massive humanitarian crisis is everyone’s business – including private companies. Indeed, after the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, semiconductor technology company ASML matched employee donations made to Turkish NGO…
Today’s boards can no longer afford to solely prioritise shareholders and maintain an inward-focused approach to business. Instead, they need to consider stakeholders and the wider ecosystem that gives rise to complexities, challenges and also opportunities, said Sonia Tatar, executive director of the INSEAD Corporate Governance Centre (ICGC) at the recent…
Much has been written about the negative impact of the food system on the health of the planet and people, from the harmful effect that intensive agricultural practices have on the natural environment to the looming global health crisis resulting from unhealthy eating habits. Many people believe that the food…
Fashion, one of the most unsustainable industries on Earth, has long grappled with its damaging environmental and social impact. Consumers, on the other hand, tend to act like passive bystanders at a crime scene, placing the blame solely on brands and producers. While companies and executives face mounting pressure to…