I by IMD - First-person Business Intelligence from the Brightest Thinkers

Latest insights

How to successfully exit a business

11 hours ago • by Lea Wang , Jung Eung Park, Benoit F. Leleux in Leadership • 7 min read

Why the way you leave a company can shape your legacy as much as your tenure....

Before you say yes: Five lenses for effective family due diligence before joining a family business board

February 5, 2026 • by Estelle Métayer, Marleen Dieleman in Family Business (Industry) • 10 min read

Joining the board of a family business can be one of the most rewarding roles a director takes on, but it requires a different kind of due diligence. Beyond financials and formal...

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Two young diverse business people male and female coworkers talking discussing project and smiling while walking down the modern office

Facing the AI onslaught, young workers need a new skill: Humility

February 5, 2026 • by Katharina Lange in Talent • 4 min read

Entry-level roles give new recruits an opportunity to develop intuition and judgment. But a lack of humility could be stunting the development of future leaders, argues IMD’s Katharina Lange. ...

10 ways AI can support learning and skills resilience (or not)

February 5, 2026 • by Michael D. Watkins in AI • 3 min read

AI can do plenty in terms of learning and skills development – but educators and talent leaders also need to understand what AI tools should not be used for. ...

Pandora CHRO on why tomorrow’s strategic leaders must invest in themselves

February 4, 2026 in Leadership • 5 min read

HR leadership will require a balance of frontline experience and a business-first outlook, argues Pandora CHRO Byron Clayton ...

Walk, don’t talk: How to survive culture wars

February 4, 2026 • by Philip Thomas in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

Global brands expert Philip Thomas suggests simple ways for businesses to walk the tightrope between buzz and backlash in today’s divisive cultural and political landscape. ...

Why human-machine teams need deliberate design to be creative

February 3, 2026 • by Yeun Joon Kim, Yingyue Luna Luan in Artificial Intelligence • 9 min read

Teams using AI are often perceived as less creative—regardless of their actual output. New research from Cambridge reveals the solution isn't less AI, but better collaboration design. ...

Are you stuck in a leadership comfort zone? 

February 3, 2026 • by Brenda Steinberg in Brain Circuits • 3 min read

If you’re known as a solid executor and a safe pair of hands but can’t see an exciting  future for yourself in the organization, you may be overly risk-averse. Answer the questions below to see if this applies to you and check out...

Longevity in Family Business: Lessons from Japan

February 3, 2026 • by Peter Vogel, Toshio Goto in Family business • 6 min read

Drawing on lessons from family businesses, Toshio Goto and Peter Vogel explore the drivers of family enterprise longevity. Rather than prescribing longevity as a universal goal, they highlight the strengths of the...

Optimism as strategy

February 2, 2026 • by David Bach, Huda Al Hashimi in Geopolitics • 11 min read

Countries building ecosystems where government vision, business innovation, and investor confidence reinforce each other to gain competitive advantage through strategic optimism. ...

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When is the right time to say goodbye? It’s the age-old question

February 2, 2026 • by Michael Skapinker in Leadership • 10 min read

Performance, not age, should influence when older leaders step aside, argues Michael Skapinker ...

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Embracing conflict, the catalyst for renewal

January 30, 2026 • by Qi Zhang in Coaching Corner • 5 min read

David learns to see conflict not as an end, but as a cycle of renewal - embracing tension, repair, and trust to transform his work relationships...

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Slow down! Why doing too much is not helping you or your team

January 30, 2026 • by Qi Zhang in Coaching Corner • 7 min read

Striving to be a superhero has backfired professionally and personally for ambitious Frances. It’s time to ease her foot off the gas, says Qi Zhang...