Four business insights from the last academic year

Some interesting insights emerged when we analysed all of the Think articles, podcasts, and videos published since this time last year. The themes may not be new, but the way leaders are thinking about them is evolving. This offers some clues about how the conversation might be shaped in the year ahead.

Business insight #1: AI was a technology problem, now it’s a leadership one

Despite reports of AI fatigue, the topic dominated both the headlines and the highest performing articles at London Business School this year. The most interesting shift is how the debate has moved on. Performance statistics in 2024/2025 showed us that the questions were around what AI could do for a business. This year the conversation has changed. Think readers are now increasingly asking what AI means for how they operate, compete and lead. In What most leaders are still getting wrong, Michael Jacobides noted that, “We see senior executives and board members who think they need to do something about AI without really having concrete plans.” Find out about the Data Science and AI Initiative at LBS.

Business insight #2: In a world of uncertainty, leaders need to manage both adaptability and stability

The appetite for knowing what’s likely to appear on the horizon remains strong, with the 2026 trends for business ranking high in the most-read list. How can leaders steer their organisations on a steady course when the world is moving so fast and unpredictably – in the context of turbulent geopolitics, the uncertainty of AI, and slow economic growth? As Randall S Peterson explained, “Business needs to project confidence and stability, or face increasing volatility and polarisation between the current winners and losers in the economy.” It seems that today’s competitive advantage could depend less on knowing all the answers and more on creating stable organisations capable of adapting.

Business insight #3: The career ladder is becoming a career landscape

The traditional idea of a career – join an organisation, progress through the ranks, and eventually retire – moves further out of focus as the years continue. In 2024/25, one of Think readers’ most read articles was How to source your dream job. A year later, the conversation had broadened and high-performing themes have included freelancing, career adventure and happiness. Highly experienced professionals are increasingly choosing portfolio careers and greater autonomy, while longer working lives mean people need to reinvent themselves more than once. As Lynda Gratton shared in her piece on Why freelancers want your work but not your job, “The market changes really quickly, so you have to be much more cognisant of your career path than you have to be inside an organisation.”

Business insight #4: How we talk about sustainability needs to change

Sustainability remains firmly on the business agenda, but the data suggests it is losing some of the attention it once commanded. Related topics continue to matter to businesses, but it seems that audience interest is beginning to wane. At the same time, the debate itself is changing – ESG has become politically polarised, and companies are reassessing how they communicate their commitments. As LBS alumna Anna Lungley, Head of Sustainability Consulting at Fujitsu and a recent Think Ahead event panellist, said in Beyond greenwashing: how ESG became a corporate battleground, “Sustainability may go underground, but it never goes away.” This academic year, Think editors will explore how businesses reinvigorate the language of sustainability to keep pushing for progress.

What does this tell us about business?

These themes suggest that the business environment is changing but that the questions leaders are asking about it are changing too. The discussion around AI is shifting from technology to leadership and responsible implementation; uncertainty is making adaptability and stability equally important; careers are becoming more varied and less linear; and sustainability needs new language if it is to remain top of mind.

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