Articles and News

How businesses can harness the ideas of the changemaker generation

By Vanina Farber

As more organizations embrace purpose within their corporate strategies, it makes sense to involve the purpose-driven mindset and ideas of young people to challenge existing business models and...

IMD Professor Wins Financial Times’ Management Challenge

The age of hybrid working demands a new type of manager, one that can foster meaningful connections among virtual teams and also cultivate true collaboration back in the office. In the Financial...

‘Unlock the potential of your people by putting them in the driver’s seat’: academic and industry experts aligned over democratizing learning in the workplace

2020 has certainly been a challenging year for most people, industries and organizations. But there are silver linings and one is that technology-powered executive education programs are...

The hidden impact of COVID-19

By Christos Cabolis, José Caballero

As the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc around the world, concerns have largely been focussed on its immediate impact on economies and health-systems. Lockdowns have led to business...

Insight Session: Leaders Beware of Your Bias – Affiliate Professor Heather Cairns-Lee

Leaders are asked to take charge in complex situations and they do so through their own lenses, including their mental models, frames and words. These lenses privilege some things and...

MBA Class of 1970-71 celebrates with virtual 50-year reunion

It has been 50 years since the MBA Class of 1970-71 began their studies, but some things never age – the strong bond developed by IMD alumni is one of them. There are 14 active members of the class...

Agile does not mean abandoning traditional skills, just knowing when to use them

COVID-19 has accelerated our evolution to digital, but that evolution is not yet complete; traditional leadership skills can still be just as important as new traits when it comes to...

The principles of post-COVID stakeholder engagement in the pharmaceutical industry

The COVID-19 crisis has brought suffering around the world, with devastating social and economic effects. Health care companies – specifically in the pharmaceutical industry – have scrambled to...

Two ways to make your organization more diverse and inclusive today

“Recently, I heard an executive say, ‘I support inclusion. But it depends who we are including’,” said Professor Toegel. “Sadly, this is still the state of inclusion in many organizations today...

Faculty Q & A: Michael Yaziji

1. What are you working on at the moment?  I’m most excited about innovating in program journeys. I’m integrating participants’ home teams in real depth like I never have before; using...

How jumping to the right S-curve can mean the difference between life and death for your organization

No one claims that  the key to organizational buoyancy is to remain stag nant. But for companies operating in the face of today’s economic fallout, the ability to   determine where and how to  leap...

Chief Happiness Officer transforms organizations by identifying internal barriers

“You’re allowed to do anything that you allow yourself to do,” said Céline Relecom with a professional coach’s precision in identifying the needless internal barriers that we sometimes erect...

‘There will be no COVID-19 vaccine without the right packaging’

Last year, the global pharmaceutical industry purchased some 12 billion vials. Then along came COVID, not only triggering the need for even more, but for the right type. SiO2 Material Science...

Here is how we solved climate change: the view backwards from 2030

In this case study Professor, Lundin Sustainability Chair Knut Haanaes imagines we have turned the corner on climate change — but how? The world is in celebratory mood at New Year 2030, even though...

How to make the Swiss economy more responsible without slowing it down

In the run-up to the popular vote on Swiss corporate responsibility in November, Enterprise for Society (E4S) – the competence hub which brings together IMD, EPFL and the HEC faculty of the...

Business supply chain strategies are evolving, can poor countries benefit?

By Fabrice Lehmann, Carlos Cordon

Multiple sourcing and proximity sourcing are taking shape as long-term trends as global firms hardwire resilience and agility into their supply chains. Less developed countries face considerable...

Survival of the fittest: why you must learn to innovate at speed

A new form of inclusive, fast and intense “crowd-sourced” intervention could transform corporate culture for good, says Louise Muhdi, Professor of Innovation and Strategy. For organisations...

If you want to drive your business, support the potential of your people

In a market environment in which industries are being challenged by digitalization, automation and an unprecedented speed of change, companies can not only survive, but also innovate and thrive...

How and why you should distinguish between stakeholders

By Paul Strebel

IMD Alumni Event liVe concludes with message of hope and opportunity

The second day of IMD’s first fully virtual Annual International Alumni Event liVe explored the role of collaboration in meeting global sustainability challenges. Here is a look into the...

MBA cohort makes a welcome return to a safeguarded IMD campus

A long-anticipated reunion occurred on 8th June, as IMD’s 2020 MBA cohort returned to the reopened campus after its almost three-month shutdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. MBA...

LGBT and inclusion: too many companies are diverse without being inclusive

In this Open Office Hour session, participants’ frustrations were palpable as they discussed inclusion and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights in their organizations at OWP liVe. &ldquo...

Framing messages, female leadership in impact investment, and how to prepare for the next global crisis on the final day of OWP liVe

Powering your inclusive, diverse teams to greatness Innovation starts with focusing on the data, and a diverse team must include cognitive variety, said Harriet Green in her OWP live keynote...

Plasticity of the social brain: training the mind and heart to a more caring society

Yes, you can change your brain, said Professor Tania Singer in her OWP live keynote address aimed at improving one of today’s most pressing issues – mental health and well-being.  In the last...

Supercharging innovation-led growth – powering your inclusive, diverse teams to greatness

Innovation starts with focusing on the data, and a diverse team must include cognitive variety, says Harriet Green in her OWP live keynote address.   The energy of Harriet Green  will have...

How Massive Collective Intelligence can drive insight and engagement in your organization

Expertise is not dead. But the large-scale tool of narrative building will help leaders motivate all stakeholders in their organizations to bring about change.   This is the moment to employ...

How sustainability issues are rapidly changing the business landscape

Long gone are the days when sustainability was a nice-to-have, says Peter Bakker who believes that companies have the capacity to heal the world but is unsure whether they will react quickly enough...

Resilience in a crisis is on the agenda on day two of OWP liVe

Use autonomy to create resilience in the face of crisis   Make it through the “cash crunch” by focusing on autonomous advice and operations.   Resilience is the umbrella that allows a company to...

Strategic agility in the age of COVID-19: focus on day 1 of OWP liVe

Renewal not return: leadership in times of COVID-19 Rather than revert to how things were before, companies must leap ahead into a better future, says Jim Hagemann Snabe. In his...

Renewal, not return: leadership in times of COVID-19

Rather than to return to how things were before, companies must leap ahead into a better future, says Jim Hagemann Snabe.   The COVID-19 crisis has posed unprecedented challenges for business...