IMD-OWPLIVE22-PostEvent-Report

WHY DOES IT MATTER NOW? Q&A →Strategy

These kinds of threats are known as ‘grey rhinos’, as we tend to overlook them as they don’t bother us most of the time. But when these rhinos come charging, they cause significant upheaval. However, grey rhinos – and black swans – can be proactively managed.

WHAT IS YOUR HOT TOPIC? Faced with a succession of large and global shocks — from the COVID-19 pandemic to war in Ukraine and US-China tensions in Taiwan — leaders of organizations need to build up their capability to respond to threats in turbulent times.

In an increasingly volatile world, many executives are concerned about the rare and devastating events that are known as so-called ‘black swans’. However, many of these disruptions are actually easier to predict than most people realize, because the signs exist all around us already – think about geopolitical conflicts, fast- rising inflation, and impending global recession, as well as the occurrence of natural disasters linked to climate change.

TO IMPROVE RESILIENCE,

FOCUSON ‘GREY RHINOS’ INSTEAD OF ‘BLACK SWANS’

As they confront multiple growing risks, leaders need to sense dangers and move quickly to avoid their impact.

MICHAEL WADE Professor of Innovation and Strategy and Cisco Chair in Digital Business Transformation

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