Dean Participates in Dialogue about “Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow” at 11th Annual Global Peter Drucker Forum

“The Power of Ecosystems: Managing in a Networked World” was the theme of this year’s 11th Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna, Austria. The conference included a variety of speakers, panels, workshops, and conversations about how businesses, public sector institutions, and third-sector organizations are moving beyond their traditional borders into new, flexible, and adaptive networks and enterprises – aided in part by the likes of new digital networks, technology, and artificial intelligence – and what it means to manage and lead in these new ecosystems.

IE Business School Dean Martin Boehm took part in this year’s pre-conference activities, in an afternoon that looked at preparing leaders for the growing opportunities and challenges of business ecosystems. He and his fellow panelists endeavored to identify the key challenges leaders face now and in the future, the competencies required, and how educators and academic institutions can help prepare these leaders of tomorrow.

“We must also focus on those skills which make us distinct from machines, such as creativity, empathy, and being able to collaborate with others.”

“It is clear that in order to be a successful leader and manager, technological skills are a must, as is an understanding of the continually evolving digital landscape. Yet, we must also focus on those skills which make us distinct from machines, such as creativity, empathy, and being able to collaborate with others,” said IE Business School Dean and Professor of Marketing Martin Boehm during the forum.

He continued, “To nurture and train those skills, educators and academic institutions must create diverse and international environments that present students with challenging topics and situations – even ones that are uncomfortable at times – in order to help them expand their worldview and be able to adapt and succeed in the varied ecosystems of the 21st century.”

In addition to Martin Boehm, speakers included Speakers Laurent Choain, Chief People, Education, Culture Officer for Mazars; Yves Doz Solvay, Chaired Professor of Technological Innovation and Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management at INSEAD; Michael J. Gelb, executive coach; Bernhard Kerres, entrepreneur and former opera singer; and Julia Wang, CEO of MLA Foundation and President of Peter F. Drucker Academy in Hong Kong.