We keep our ear to the ground for the interesting stats, insights and discussion points you need to feel in the know to shape the future with confidence.
The scariest move might be no move at all. Transformation used to be something companies could plan, launch and eventually tick off the list. Good luck with that now. Markets shift, priorities change and yesterday’s big bet can suddenly look a bit wobbly. So leaders have a harder job: keep the business running while changing it at the same time. And much of that comes down to people. Who makes the call? Where does the money go? What gets left behind? Standing still might feel comfortable, but comfort can get expensive pretty quickly.
Transformation in an era of instability
Some shortcuts come back to bite. Moving faster sounds great, right up until a bad decision starts moving just as fast. EY’s analysis of nearly 19,000 tasks found fewer than 3% had friction AI could cleanly remove. Turns out, some of those annoying pauses earn their keep. They give people time to question an assumption, spot something odd or simply say, “Hang on.” As AI takes on more work, leaders will have to get pickier about what they streamline. Cut the wrong corner and efficiency can become exposure, fast.
Why frictionless enterprises break first
For many Europeans, investing can still feel a little scary. Households put only around 20% to 25% of their investments into equities, compared with 35% to 45% in the US, with much more money staying in seemingly safer places. But playing it safe can come with risks of its own, especially when inflation eats away at long-term returns. New EU rules aim to make investing clearer, fairer and easier to navigate, from clearer fees to stronger consumer protections. Because when people understand what they’re getting into, putting their money to work might feel a little less frightening.
How the Retail Investment Strategy aims to empower EU retail investors
AI may be changing how work gets done, but a lot of companies are still haunted by organization structures built for another era. Customer journeys cross teams, AI agents move between systems and processes stretch across functions, while ownership is often chopped into pieces. Everyone owns their part, but who owns the whole thing? AI is bringing some of those old organizational ghosts back into view. And until someone owns the road, the chicken isn’t getting very far.
Which Comes First: The Chicken or the Operating Model?
AI used to make a recommendation and wait for a human to decide what happened next. Agents can now choose tools, make decisions and take action on their own, sometimes faster than anyone could reasonably approve every move. That changes the risk. Checking whether the model works is still important, but companies also need to know what their AI is allowed to decide, when it needs to call in a human and how to stop it if things go wrong. Once AI can act on its own, somebody still needs to set the rules.
Are you governing your AI models or your AI-driven decisions?
Join us in celebrating Janet Truncale’s Distinguished Leadership Award here.
