Davos 2023 – Cooperation in a Fragmented World

Trade, tech and tackling climate change were just some of the topics discussed at the 53rd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in January 2023, along with Ukraine, the economy and health.

Making the annual trek to Davos, as she has done for more than a decade, was London Business School’s Professor of Management Practice in Organisational Behaviour Lynda Gratton. Lynda moderated and spoke on a number of panels for the WEF and the Financial Times, looking at new ways to attract and maintain the best talent and discussing how skills can be unlocked to provide employment for all.

Writing about why she attends Davos in an article for Think, Lynda explains:

“When I teach our MBA students in my Future of Work elective, I talk about “multi-stakeholder approaches”. By that I mean that many of the challenges our students face, such as climate change or technological disruption, can only be addressed by multiple stakeholders. It takes governments, industrial leaders, social enterprise, civil society, educators, and citizens collaborating together. And that, possibly more than any other event I attend, is what happens at Davos.”

Collaboration is clearly something that WEF President Børge Brende thinks is key, using his closing remarks to hammer home the message: "In an uncertain and challenging time, one thing is clear. We can shape a more resilient, sustainable and equitable future, but the only way to do so is together."