IMD Books

I by IMD Best Practice in Leading in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of business. Yet while organizations are investing heavily in AI, many are still struggling to create measurable value from it.

Leading in the Age of AI brings together some of IMD’s leading faculty, researchers, and practitioners to explore how leaders can move beyond experimentation and build organizations that thrive in an AI-enabled world.

Combining research, practical frameworks, leadership insights, and real-world case studies, this collection examines what it takes to turn AI from a technology investment into a source of competitive advantage.

Why this book matters

The conversation around AI often focuses on models, tools, and capabilities. But the real challenge is not technological.
Success with AI depends on leadership.
Organizations must decide where AI creates value, how people and machines will work together, what governance structures are needed, and how strategy, culture, talent, and operations must evolve.
The companies that succeed will not necessarily be those with the most advanced technology. They will be those that make the best leadership decisions around it.
This collection provides practical guidance for leaders facing one of the most significant business transformations of our time.

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Publisher

IMD

Publication date

20 October 2026

“From building competitive advantage to transforming leadership, talent, governance, and human-AI collaboration, these articles offer practical guidance for leading in an AI-enabled world.”

“Featuring real-world cases from Adobe, Raiffeisen Bank International, and the pharmaceutical industry, this collection turns AI challenges into practical lessons for creating business value.”

This book presents a curated selection of research-based, practically relevant, and thought-provoking articles from IMD faculty, researchers, and leading practitioners on how organizations can create value and thrive in an AI-enabled world. Covering key dimensions of AI leadership—from building competitive advantage and aligning AI investments with business value to developing organizational capabilities, strengthening governance, enabling human-AI collaboration, and transforming talent and operations—the contributions provide leaders with practical frameworks, real-world cases, and insights to navigate one of the most significant business transformations of our time.

Together, these perspectives equip leaders with the knowledge and tools to move beyond AI experimentation, make better strategic and organizational decisions, and turn AI from a technology investment into a source of meaningful, measurable, and sustained business impact.

Editor

Stefan Michel

Professor of Management, Dean of Faculty and Research at IMD

The articles are organized into three interconnected themes.

AI and competitive advantage

How can organizations create value from AI when the underlying technologies are increasingly accessible to everyone?

Experts explore:

The transition from AI-enabled to AI-centered organizations
The connection between AI investments and business value
The strategic implications of AI sovereignty and vendor choice
Common productivity traps and how to avoid them

The AI-capable organization

Technology alone will not determine success.

This section examines the organizational capabilities that enable effective AI transformation, including:

Strategy and execution
Leadership and governance
Human-AI collaboration
Talent development and workforce transformation
The evolving role of boards and executive teams

AI in practice

Three case studies illustrate how organizations are applying AI today to improve performance, enhance decision-
making, and create new forms of value.

Readers explore lessons from:

Adobe
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI)
The pharmaceutical industry

Featured contributors

The collection includes contributions from:

Amit Joshi, Michael R. Wade, Massimo Marcolivio, Mark Greeven, José Parra Moyano, Hamilton Mann, Cyril Bouquet, Nicolas Chauvin, Julian Nolan, Faisal Hoque, Paul Scade, Pranay Sanklecha, Stefan Michel, Goutam Challagalla, and Tomoko Yokoi.

Together, they offer diverse perspectives on strategy, leadership, innovation, governance, organizational transformation, and the practical application of AI across industries.

Who should read this book?

This collection is designed for:

CEOs and senior executives
Board members
Strategy and transformation leaders
Digital and technology leaders
Innovation and operations professionals
Managers responsible for leading organizational change

Whether you are developing an AI strategy, scaling pilot initiatives, or navigating broader organizational transformation, this collection provides practical frameworks and actionable insights grounded in research and real-world experience.