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Latest insights

Why the CFO must shape the system, not just support it

18 hours ago in CFO Horizons • 5 min read

As QBE shifts from turnaround to growth, CFO Chris Killourhy explains why finance leaders must shape capital, risk, and strategy - not just measure results....

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An adventure is a crisis you accept, and a crisis an adventure you refuse

September 8, 2026 • by Kartik Ashta in Innovation • 7 min read

Explorer Bertrand Piccard explains why leaders should motivate rather than convince, and know when to let go of what they think they know....

mannequin figures standing on a dark wooden table in front of bookshelves, engaged in a tug-of-war with a red rope tied in a knot, symbolizing tension and the rift between leadership and employees in a toxic workplace

Reconciling the rift: A playbook for toxic workplaces

September 8, 2026 • by Robert Vilkelis in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Learn how to disrupt executive echo chambers, align KPIs, and restore trust with a systemic approach to toxic workplaces....

Red ship hull with a large structural support in the water, waves crashing against the base.

Six new AI imperatives for every CEO and Board 

September 7, 2026 • by Faisal Hoque, Paul Scade , Pranay Sanklecha in Artificial Intelligence • 11 min read

Record CEO turnover, fractured geopolitics, and an AI transition that most companies are failing to profit from require a fundamental shift in the ways we lead and govern. Here is how to...

Gas station with a tall green price board listing fuel types and prices (unleaded 153.4, truck diesel 178.6, ultimate diesel 186.7, autogas 162.3) plus carwash and ATM; a car is parked near pumps under a green canopy.

Why a price you can’t raise starts high

September 4, 2026 • by Harry J. Paarsch, Karl Schmedders in Strategy • 6 min read

When firms can cut prices freely but struggle to raise them, they start higher to insure against being trapped tomorrow – even in competitive markets. ...

How should CEOs respond to the era of hyper-vigilance

September 3, 2026 • by Jean-François Manzoni in Governance • 6 min read

CEOs face greater scrutiny than ever. Retreating from the speaking spotlight is no solution. IMD’s Jean-François Manzoni explains how CEOs should talk with trust and integrity....

Do you know how to create new products from your old knowledge?

September 3, 2026 • by Alfredo De Massis in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Alfredo De Massis shows how to tap into existing ideas and knowledge to innovate and stay competitive....

AI strategy is a journey – these are the levers that matter

September 2, 2026 • by Cyril Bouquet, Nicolas Chauvin, Julian Nolan in Artificial Intelligence • 12 min read

AI strategy is not about adopting technology. It is about deciding where to compete as value shifts across ecosystems and value chains – and having the organizational levers to make the move....

A person walks alone through intersecting stone paths and stairways, symbolizing the different directions a career can take

When in Rome, be yourself: Career advice from the experts

September 2, 2026 • by Julia Binder, Robert Hooijberg, Alyson Meister, Michael Watkins, John R. Weeks, Stefan Michel, Howard Yu in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Explore career advice from IMD experts: align strengths with your purpose, play the long game, and make authentic, impactful choices....

How to build a successful multigenerational family enterprise

September 1, 2026 • by Alfredo De Massis, Emanuela Rondi in Family business • 8 min read

Survival is one thing; prospering is another. Here are the five things keeping the most successful family businesses thriving together, generation after generation. ...

Using AI as a sounding board to strengthen communication

Three tips to start using AI as a communications sounding board

September 1, 2026 • by Katharina Lange, José Parra Moyano in Artificial Intelligence • 2 min read

Learn how AI-powered feedback can boost executive coaching: three concrete tips to improve tone, word choice, and cultural insight....

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How to make the most of a five-generation workforce

August 31, 2026 • by Katharina Lange in I by IMD Book Club • 6 min read

Author Rebecca Robins and IMD's Katharina Lange explore why leaders should stop managing generational divides and start making the most of them. ...

From space to the workplace, collaboration is making us more liberal

August 31, 2026 • by Thomas Fewer, Murat Tarakci, David Dwertmann in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion • 4 min read

Can collaboration in the workplace reshape ideology? This IMD study shows diverse teams foster inclusivity and better strategic decisions....

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Believe: What Ted Lasso gets right about leadership

August 28, 2026 • by Heather Cairns-Lee in Leadership • 7 min read

As Ted Lasso returns to Apple TV, we examine what leadership research says about the show’s optimism, teamwork, motivation, and genuine human concern – and why they beat command-and-control leadership. ...

Business executive watching his team from his office

Why workforce well-being is your leadership imperative

August 27, 2026 • by Alyson Meister, Nele Dael in Leadership • 9 min read

Employee well-being is not a perk or a program, but an outcome shaped by individual capacity, organizational systems, and the intentional leadership that creates the conditions where people can thrive. ...

A sophisticated architectural mobile positioned in the right-hand third, composed of three distinct materials: a solid stone form, a cluster of smaller geometric objects, and a finely engineered metal framework

How to build corporate advantage today

August 27, 2026 • by Markus Menz in Consumer Goods • 9 min read

Owning multiple businesses is not, by itself, a source of advantage. Corporate advantage arises only when a company’s corporate concept, business portfolio, and operating model are coherent....

yellow canary in a dark coal mine illustrates how employee dissent and behavioral friction can reveal deeper organizational problems

Is your employee really difficult – or the canary in the coal mine?

August 27, 2026 • by Robert Vilkelis in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Dissent signals are data. Shift from blaming individuals to diagnosing the system, using friction to reveal operational bottlenecks....

A healthy debate: CHROs can use geopolitical opinion to unite, rather than divide the workforce

August 26, 2026 • by Katharina Lange in Human Resources • 4 min read

IMD’s Katharina Lange explains how CHROs can strike a balance between respecting employee opinions and preserving organizational performance and integrity....

Man stands on a rocky cliff at the edge, looking out over a calm blue sea on a sunny day.

Starting to lose focus? Take a well-earned (micro) break

August 25, 2026 • by Alyson Meister in Wellness • 7 min read

Leaders can sustain performance and make better decisions by managing their cognitive energy as deliberately as they manage their time, writes Alyson Meister....