VOICES OF THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW REPORT Archives - St. Gallen Symposium https://symposium.org/category/voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow-report/ Lead with the Next Generation in Mind. Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:28:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://symposium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-android-chrome-512x512-1-32x32.png VOICES OF THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW REPORT Archives - St. Gallen Symposium https://symposium.org/category/voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow-report/ 32 32 Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2025: Shifting Global Power https://symposium.org/voices2025/ https://symposium.org/voices2025/#respond Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:28:28 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=23472 The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2025 reveals where generations of leaders align and where they diverge—on global risks, market priorities, and what it takes to lead in an era of global disruption. Geopolitical volatility is no longer an abstract backdrop but a day-to-day business risk. Whether it’s sudden tariffs, supply shocks, or wavering […]

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The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2025 reveals where generations of leaders align and where they diverge—on global risks, market priorities, and what it takes to lead in an era of global disruption.

Geopolitical volatility is no longer an abstract backdrop but a day-to-day business risk. Whether it’s sudden tariffs, supply shocks, or wavering consumer sentiment, the ripple effects of geopolitical shifts can hit balance sheets quickly. In this climate, uncertainty is no longer a temporary disruption—it is a defining condition of modern markets.

Leaders can no longer rely on static plans—they must continuously adjust and innovate as the world shifts around them. The need for adaptability and strategic foresight has never been more acute. Yet seasoned executives and emerging leaders view this landscape through different lenses. These divergent perspectives influence priorities, risk strategies, and even organizational decision-making. Such differences can fracture corporate strategy at a time when clarity and alignment are critical.

The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2025 Report examines these dynamics, asking whether generational divides will be a source of division or strength. It reveals where leaders‘ outlooks converge and where they clash. The study examines how each generation perceives the changing geopolitical landscape, how they navigate uncertainty and risk, and how leadership should be redefined to bridge their perspectives.

By highlighting both tensions and common ground, the report shows how businesses can transform generational gaps into strategic advantages. Intergenerational tension is a reality; whether it becomes an organizational risk or a strategic advantage is a choice. For today’s decision-makers, the message is clear: in a volatile, multipolar era, aligning leadership across generations is more critical than ever. This is not about indulging millennial whims or preserving boomer traditions—it’s about fusing diverse strengths to navigate a world in flux. The coming years will test the adaptability of even the best-run companies, underscoring the need for shared responsibility among leaders of all generations. Bridging generational divides at the top could determine who leads in 2025 and beyond. Those with a united, cross-generational vision will be better equipped to innovate, anticipate, and thrive. This challenge is also an opportunity—one that can only be seized through collaboration across generations and a commitment to adapt. The time to act is now— both younger and seasoned leaders must share the responsibility of turning their contrasting perspectives into a coherent, future-proof strategy before competitors do.

“The economic center of gravity is shifting toward diverse, emerging regions. For businesses, this means strategy must become more inclusive and resilient, leveraging local knowledge and innovation. Those who fail to adapt to this decentralization will lose relevance.”

Anna Beserra (27), Scientist & CEO, Water Startup, Brazil

“Hope and risk are shaped by lived experience. We may need both: the caution of those who see the cracks forming and the optimism of those who still believe they can be mended.”

Andreas Kuster (30) Computer Science PhD Student & Founder, Singapore & Switzerland

“Younger talent wants meaningful involvement, not token representation. This perception gap can weaken trust, lower morale, and reduce innovation, ultimately impacting organizational culture and driving younger employees away.”

Helena Kandjumbwa (29), Chief of Staff (Climate Finance & Impact Monitoring), Namibia

“As a younger leader, I see unprecedented speed in tech disruption and the erosion of US hegemony. With rising protectionism and geopolitical volatility, this moment feels less like continuity and more like the start of a new era.”

Santiago Guglielmetti (31), Impact Entrepreneur, Argentina

“As businesses gain more global influence, so does their responsibility. Taking a stand on key issues isn’t about replacing institutions— but about upholding principles in a fragmented world. Companies must lead with integrity, not ideology. When they speak out, it should be to protect shared values—without fueling division or further polarization.”

Kay von Mérey (28), Founder & President, Circle of Young Humanitarians, Switzerland

INSIGHTS

Shifting Global Power: Are We Prepared for a New Global Balance? 

An insightful conversation with Miryan Vieira about youth, multipolarity, and international cooperation  According to this year’s Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow study, young and senior leaders differ significantly in their perceptions of global power shifts. How would you describe the biggest changes in global power relations from your point of view?  In recent years, the world witnessed…

Continue reading

Read and Download the Full Report here.

VOLOT_2025_ReportDownload

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]]> https://symposium.org/voices2025/feed/ 0 2025 Essay Review – Reimagining Global Power: Innovative Pathways for a Multipolar Future https://symposium.org/2025-essay-review/ https://symposium.org/2025-essay-review/#respond Sat, 03 May 2025 09:48:51 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=19961 Introducing the Top 25 Essays of the 2025 Global Essay Competition  by Prof. Dr. Georg Guttmann & Dr. Kata Isenring The 2025 Global Essay Competition continues the tradition of surfacing visionary ideas from emerging leaders across the world. This year, the competition explored the shifting centers of global power, particularly the emergence of dynamic hubs […]

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]]> Introducing the Top 25 Essays of the 2025 Global Essay Competition 

by Prof. Dr. Georg Guttmann & Dr. Kata Isenring

The 2025 Global Essay Competition continues the tradition of surfacing visionary ideas from emerging leaders across the world. This year, the competition explored the shifting centers of global power, particularly the emergence of dynamic hubs across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As nations in these regions evolve into influential centers of economic, political, technological, societal, cultural, and demographic transformation, participants were invited to address the critical risks and opportunities arising from this global rebalancing. The top 25 submissions demonstrate how the next generation of leaders is reimagining the foundations of global cooperation, proposing ambitious, regionally grounded innovations that challenge existing institutional assumptions and call for more inclusive, distributed, and future-ready systems.

Many of the essays vividly illustrate both the profound risks and emerging opportunities of an increasingly multipolar landscape. They highlight critical vulnerabilities, including cybersecurity threats, environmental degradation, geopolitical fragmentation, cultural homogenization, and pressures on social infrastructures, all of which demand innovative and proactive responses. Through context-specific, decentralized solutions such as cryptographic digital verification frameworks, culturally embedded artificial intelligence systems, and digitally enabled caregiving platforms, the essays encourage a rethinking of traditional models. Collectively, these insights urge today’s leaders and policymakers to envision new institutional architectures that foster inclusive growth, regional autonomy, and globally shared resilience..

Reimagining Resilience: Innovative Pathways in a Multipolar World 

As global power continues to shift toward a multipolar order, innovative and self-reliant approaches become essential for emerging economies to navigate complex risks and seize new opportunities. The submissions emphasize that traditional centralized systems – whether digital, economic, environmental, or social – are increasingly inadequate for meeting contemporary challenges. Instead, decentralized and context-specific innovations emerge as pivotal pathways to resilient and sustainable growth. 

A recurring theme is the urgent need to build robust digital sovereignty. Centralized digital infrastructures, such as traditional GPS systems or proprietary data services, expose significant vulnerabilities, leaving nations susceptible to manipulation and exploitation. Several essays illustrate how such vulnerabilities have already been weaponized, from election interference to the manipulation of military intelligence during conflict. To counter these threats, participants propose strengthening digital infrastructures through decentralized verification frameworks rooted in cryptographic validation. These solutions not only enhance national security but also reinforce international credibility by ensuring greater trust and autonomy within the global digital ecosystem. 

Expanding beyond digital resilience, the essays call for a radical rethinking of artificial intelligence deployment. Many authors critique AI systems predominantly developed in the Global North as ill-suited to the environmental and socio-economic realities of emerging economies. For example, one essay argues that AI-driven climate solutions must move beyond universal predictive models to embrace culturally embedded, co-creative frameworks. Regional initiatives demonstrate how localized adaptation, informed by community knowledge and regional data ecosystems, can transform AI into a tool for inclusive governance. Such approaches empower communities to design adaptive, culturally relevant solutions while counteracting biases inherent in externally developed technologies. 

Another critical focus is the innovative reshaping of social infrastructure, particularly in caregiving and social services. Rapid urbanization, migration patterns, and demographic transitions have disrupted traditional caregiving systems across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. One essay proposes an AI-driven caregiving platform that integrates telehealth, remote monitoring, and digital caregiving labor markets. This technology-driven approach addresses urgent social care deficits while creating economic opportunities by professionalizing caregiving and reducing the unpaid care burden, particularly for women. Innovative models like this could help alleviate the global “care drain”, stabilize communities, and establish sustainable, culturally sensitive caregiving practices in emerging economies. 

Beyond these central themes, the broader set of submissions highlights additional dimensions of resilience and innovation, including geoeconomic risk management, corporate accountability, sustainable agricultural transitions, and cultural-linguistic preservation. For instance, proposals to introduce national insurance mechanisms to manage geoeconomic risks provide strategies for protecting domestic economies amidst geopolitical volatility. Likewise, recommendations to implement targeted environmental levies tied to sustainability performance offer pathways to align corporate behavior with global development goals. 

Collectively, these integrated proposals invite a profound reconsideration of global interdependencies, encouraging new ways of approaching emerging risks and opportunities, and inspiring a more resilient, inclusive, and adaptive future. 

Reclaiming Agency: Emerging Regions as Architects of the Future 

A powerful message resonates across the essays: emerging regions are not seeking to be merely included within existing global systems – they are calling for a fundamental rethinking of those systems. Many authors emphasize that countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America possess the institutional creativity, environmental assets, and technological imagination to lead on urgent global challenges. What often holds them back is not a lack of capacity, but a global order that remains structurally unprepared, or unwilling, to allow parallel systems to flourish.

Rather than proposing isolated fixes, the authors advocate for institutional reconfiguration. They urge decision-makers to create space for new forms of governance, innovation, and cooperation that are locally rooted and globally relevant. Whether in digital infrastructure, AI development, caregiving systems, or energy policy, the essays call for a future in which sovereignty is redefined not as isolation, but as fair and mutually beneficial interdependence.

This vision is reflected in proposals for decentralized digital verification systems designed to reduce reliance on vulnerable centralized infrastructures. Others call for AI development frameworks built on local knowledge and regional perspectives, aiming to replace extractive models of technological transfer. Several essays envision public health and caregiving systems as strategic foundations for inclusive growth, particularly when enhanced by AI and regionally managed data ecosystems. Proposals for cross-border energy connectivity, data sovereignty compacts, and even quantum governance illustrate that the emerging generation of leaders is not retreating from global engagement but is imagining new architectures for it.

What unites these diverse contributions is a quiet but transformative demand: emerging regions must be empowered to shape the systems they inhabit. This requires embracing multipolarity not just as a geopolitical reality but as a guiding design principle – one that welcomes diverse solutions, parallel institutions, and the redistribution of voice and agency. These essays do not merely respond to a shifting world; they issue an invitation to co-create it.

Synthesis and Future Outlook 

This year’s essays go beyond proposing innovative solutions; they offer a transformative vision for global leadership. They call for courage in institutional experimentation, humility in international collaboration, and clarity in redistributing agency where it has long been withheld. 

They highlight three strategic priorities for navigating the multipolar shift: 

• Build trust through sovereign digital and data infrastructures that reduce dependency and reinforce global credibility. 

• Create space for parallel innovation systems that draw on local knowledge and foster mutual learning across regions. 

• Invest in resilience, strengthening social and ecological foundations as pillars of long-term economic and political stability. 

As the global landscape continues to evolve, these submissions remind us that ambitious, context-sensitive innovation is essential. They show that emerging economies, by strategically integrating technology, local expertise, and adaptive policy frameworks, can not only manage the risks of shifting global power but also seize new opportunities for inclusive and sustainable growth.

Conclusion

The 2025 Global Essay Competition reaffirms the transformative potential of the next generation of global leaders, embodied by the Leaders of Tomorrow from the St. Gallen Symposium. Through visionary proposals – from building sovereign digital infrastructures and advancing inclusive AI governance to reimagining caregiving systems for contemporary challenges – these emerging voices offer vital perspectives for navigating a complex, multipolar world. Their ideas are not simply reflections of change but invitations to action, calling on policymakers, innovators, and communities to invest in institutional environments that empower diverse regions to shape a resilient, equitable global future. 

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]]> https://symposium.org/2025-essay-review/feed/ 0 Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2024: Confronting Scarcity https://symposium.org/voices2024/ https://symposium.org/voices2024/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:17:08 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=19474 The 2024 report juxtaposes the Leaders of Tomorrow’s perspectives on the global challenge of natural resource scarcity with those of today’s senior leaders. It identifies areas of consensus, highlights divergent opinions, and uncovers potential avenues for intergenerational collaboration based on a multifaceted analysis of leaders’ perceptions of the corporate, consumer, and political landscapes. At a time […]

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The 2024 report juxtaposes the Leaders of Tomorrow’s perspectives on the global challenge of natural resource scarcity with those of today’s senior leaders. It identifies areas of consensus, highlights divergent opinions, and uncovers potential avenues for intergenerational collaboration based on a multifaceted analysis of leaders’ perceptions of the corporate, consumer, and political landscapes.

At a time when environmental capital and, ultimately, humanity’s natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce, the need for companies to make a positive contribution and adapt and innovate has never been more pressing. Crucially, scarcity extends beyond mere supply chain disruptions; it also represents a critical management issue that requires strategic foresight and transformative action.

The findings reveal a clear intergenerational consensus on the urgency of addressing challenges that arise from natural resource scarcity. However, differences emerge across leadership generations regarding the topics of concrete approaches, personal accountability, and willingness to make sacrifices. Although consensus on the urgency of the problem and the need for companies to do more provides a solid foundation for cooperation, differences in implementation strategies highlight potential obstacles to intergenerational cooperation and, in turn, to reaching actionable compromises. Confronting scarcity requires more than mere dialogue; it requires a strategic pivot toward negotiating solutions, setting priorities, and making concessions that pave the way for a truly sustainable future.

The surveys were conducted in February and March 2024. A total of 650 Leaders of Tomorrow participated online, and 250 senior executives were surveyed by phone with screen-sharing to facilitate answering rating questions and overseeing lists of items.

Generations Agree on the Urgency

There is strong consensus among generations of leaders about the urgency of natural resource scarcity and the need to act. The shared understanding of overarching goals and the need to challenge the status quo provides a solid foundation for intergenerational collaboration.

Divergence on Execution

However, generational disagreements over the right strategies underscore potential barriers to intergenerational cooperation and agreement on concrete actions to address scarcity. Navigating scarcity requires prioritization. Differences in leaders’ perceptions may impede the search for compromise on the optimal course of action and ultimately prevent action.

Optimism a Privilege of the Older Generation?

The Leaders of Tomorrow are significantly less optimistic that solutions for tackling natural resource scarcity will be found in time to avoid a collapse of global systems. Today’s senior executives should be aware that a significant proportion of young, emerging leaders are genuinely concerned, possibly af – fecting the way in which they communicate and address the topic in cross-generational debates.

Way Forward: From Dialogue to Action

A common understanding is good; common action is better: While dialogue is essential to building trust and enabling mutual understanding, it is not sufficient. Leaders need to be aware of both consensus and disagreement, but ultimately, they need to move from dialogue to concrete negotiation in order to reach actionable compromises that will transform business for a sustainable future.

Read and Download the Full Report here.

Voices-of-the-Leaders-of-Tomorrow-2024Download

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]]> https://symposium.org/voices2024/feed/ 0 Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2023: Intergenerational Solidarity in Question https://symposium.org/voices2023/ https://symposium.org/voices2023/#respond Thu, 27 Apr 2023 09:05:22 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=12486 Our global survey of Leaders of Today and Tomorrow reveals fundamental frictions between generations on the urgency as well as the appropriate means to address the climate crisis. The actions which they do agree on are bold – and surprising. As early as 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as “development that […]

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Our global survey of Leaders of Today and Tomorrow reveals fundamental frictions between generations on the urgency as well as the appropriate means to address the climate crisis. The actions which they do agree on are bold – and surprising.

As early as 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

For some time now, we have assumed that this basic intergenerational solidarity is a given. But this year’s Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report – a joint publication of the St. Gallen Symposium and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – shows that such solidarity across generations is not as certain as we may have thought.

Our study reveals fundamental frictions between the Leaders of Tomorrow and the older generation of leaders in addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainable transformation. How urgent and severe is climate change? And how radical do the solutions need to be?

The report is based on a survey of 762 Leaders of Tomorrow from the St. Gallen Symposium network and 300 Leaders of Today – senior executives who are 50 years or older from large corporations – and reveals divisions as well as common ground.

Generations Disagree on the Urgency and Root Cause of the Climate Crisis

Only 26% of the Leaders of Tomorrow believe that the two generations share the same assessment of the severity of the consequences of the climate crisis. In contrast, 77% of the Leaders of Today believe in a shared assessment. A similarly drastic contrast exists between the different generations regarding a shared sense of urgency (36% vs. 85%, respectively).

Leaders of Tomorrow Are Split on Whether Breaking Rules and Laws is Justified for Climate Action

47% of the Leaders of Tomorrow believe that it is acceptable to defy existing rules and laws to accelerate sustainable transformation, leading to a nearly 50/50 split on the question of how radical or moderate measures for sustainable solutions should be. In contrast, today’s leaders clearly agree on moderate measures. For a contextualisation, explore our recent research Briefs on civil disobedience by Prof. Martin Kolmar here and Prof. Benjamin Schindler here.

Surprisingly, Leaders of Today are Bolder in Calling for More Rules and Regulations for Sustainability

69% of the Leaders of Tomorrow and 90% of the Leaders of Today believe that rules and market regulation are more likely to drive sustainable change in the economy, as opposed to relying on the free market and voluntary changes in behavior.

Read and Download the Full Report here.

Voices-of-the-Leaders-of-Tomorrow-2023_webDownload

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]]> https://symposium.org/voices2023/feed/ 0 Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2022: Charting a Path for Cross-Generational Collaboration https://symposium.org/voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow-2022/ https://symposium.org/voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow-2022/#respond Wed, 04 May 2022 05:46:02 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=5483 This year’s Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report, developed with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions, explores the views of two generations of leaders on key intergenerational conflicts and identifies common ground for collaboration. For many generations, a common idea has been that children will be better off than their parents. The prospect of […]

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]]> This year’s Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report, developed with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions, explores the views of two generations of leaders on key intergenerational conflicts and identifies common ground for collaboration.

For many generations, a common idea has been that children will be better off than their parents. The prospect of a brighter future for one’s offspring, with better education, prosperity and well-being, motivated parents to work hard and often make sacrifices. Yet today, at least on a global scale, this intergenerational ‘convention’ may no longer hold. Financial debts and the looming climate collapse pose serious threats to the next generation’s freedom, health and safety. And most recently, a new war has unsettled the world, reviving the old East-West conflict that we thought – wishfully maybe – we had overcome long ago.

The scale of these crises will require cross-generational cooperation, to ensure that the older generation’s legacy will not become a bane but a baton, leaving the next generation sufficient freedom to create a livable future for themselves. What are the chances for successful cooperation? Which challenges should be addressed with highest priority? And how should the transition of decision power be shaped? For this year’s Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report (read and download the full Report here) – developed jointly by the St. Gallen Symposium and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – asked representatives of the younger and older generations to share their views on these topics.

Respondents from two generations

The “Leaders of Tomorrow,” a selected group of top talent from the network of the St. Gallen Symposium, represent voices of the younger generation. A total of 683 Leaders of Tomorrow from all over the world accepted the invitation to share their views on the topic of this report.

To acknowledge this year’s focus on intergenerational discourse, we decided – for the first time in the history of this study series – to explicitly give voice to a selected sample of “Leaders of Today” in an additional survey: 300 top managers and executives (C-suite level) aged 45 and older from the 2,000 largest publicly traded global companies in 26 countries around the globe also had the opportunity to share their generation’s perspective on the challenges that require intergenerational collaboration.

Main findings on conflicts and common ground

The Report paints a differentiated picture, of significant cleavages between generations, as well as common ground, upon which cross-generational collaboration on key challenges could be built.

The Leaders of Today are skeptical that the younger generation is really willing to take more responsibility in business and politics. The Leaders of Tomorrow disagree. Both sides should put their assumption to the test and perform a reality check by working together to initiate the transfer of decision-making power.

The climate crisis, future of education, and healthcare are common ground in the cross-generational agenda. But Leaders of Tomorrow see additional pressing issues they want to discuss, such as fair distribution of wealth and pension systems. The Leaders of Today should take these issues seriously.

Results will inform global initiative for a New Generational Contract

This year’s Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report underlines the need for generations to come together and collaborate on issues where they mutually depend on each other – such as the climate crisis, education and health. Therefore, to take this Report’s findings forward, the St. Gallen Symposium and the Club of Rome are uniting to launch a joint initiative this May: “A New Generational Contract” will foster dialogue and, subsequently, encourage actions that put intergenerational fairness firmly at the centre of decisions taken during “our time”.

Read and download the full 2022 Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report here.

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]]> https://symposium.org/voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow-2022/feed/ 0 Neue Studie: «Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow» https://symposium.org/neue-studie-voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow/ https://symposium.org/neue-studie-voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow/#respond Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:20:50 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=2757 Was bedeutet Freiheit in einer digitalen Welt für die Entscheidungsträger von morgen? Nürnberg/St. Gallen, 13. Mai 2020 – In Zukunft werden Entscheidungen immer häufiger im Spannungsfeld zwischen eigenem Willen, künstlicher Intelligenz und wirtschaftlichen Interessen getroffen. Sehen die Entscheidungsträger von morgen durch technologische Entwicklungen Einschränkungen ihrer Informations- und Entscheidungsfreiheit oder gar eine Bevormundung? Und wie beurteilen […]

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]]> Was bedeutet Freiheit in einer digitalen Welt für die Entscheidungsträger von morgen?

Nürnberg/St. Gallen, 13. Mai 2020 – In Zukunft werden Entscheidungen immer häufiger im Spannungsfeld zwischen eigenem Willen, künstlicher Intelligenz und wirtschaftlichen Interessen getroffen. Sehen die Entscheidungsträger von morgen durch technologische Entwicklungen Einschränkungen ihrer Informations- und Entscheidungsfreiheit oder gar eine Bevormundung? Und wie beurteilen sie hierbei die Rolle von künstlicher Intelligenz? Haben ältere Generationen bei ihren Entscheidungen zu kurzfristig gedacht und auf Kosten der jüngeren gelebt? Bereits zum siebten Mal führte das Nürnberg Institut für Marktentscheidungen die Studie «Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow» in Kooperation mit dem St. Gallen Symposium durch.

Der Fokus der diesjährigen Studie lag auf dem Thema «Human Freedom and Choice in the Light of Technological Change» – menschliche Freiheiten und Entscheidungen unter Berücksichtigung des technologischen Wandels. Befragt wurden knapp 900 junge Top-Talente aus dem Netzwerk des St. Gallen Symposiums.

Individuelle Freiheit braucht dort klare Grenzen, wo sie der Gesellschaft schadet. 

Das ist die klare Meinung der jungen Top-Talente, darunter Führungsnachwuchs aus Unternehmen, junge Unternehmerinnen und Unternehmer und top qualifizierte Studierende, in der aktuellen Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Studie. Die jungen Nachwuchsführungskräfte fordern verantwortungsbewusstes Denken und üben deutliche Kritik an älteren Generationen: Sie kritisieren einen Freiheitsmissbrauch, der klar zu Lasten jüngerer Generationen geht. Sie beklagen insbesondere kurzfristiges Denken, Ausbeutung der Umwelt und einen zu starken Fokus auf Wirtschaftswachstum und den eigenen Wohlstand. Einer egozentrischen Interpretation von individueller Freiheit erteilen sie eine klare Absage.

Auch im Internet erwartet der junge Führungsnachwuchs mehr von Unternehmen. Viele halten es für angebracht, soziale Medien zu verpflichten, Fake News und Hassbotschaften zu zensieren und die Plattformen für Inhalte zur Verantwortung zu ziehen. Opt-In bei der Nutzung von persönlichen Daten sollte der Standard sein, sodass die Anwender die Hoheit über ihre Daten behalten.

Klare Kritik an neuen Technologien, die unsere Entscheidungsfreiheit einschränken

In neuen Technologien sehen die jungen Top-Talente viele Vorteile, aber auch klare Schattenseiten. Fast zwei Drittel (65 Prozent) beklagen, dass ihr Smartphone ihre Konzentrationsfähigkeit untergräbt und ähnlich viele (62 Prozent) finden, dass ihr Smartphone ihnen zu viel ihrer eigenen Zeit raubt. Ebenfalls etwa zwei Drittel fühlen sich durch Algorithmen, die Online-Inhalte filtern, in ihrer Informations- und Entscheidungsfreiheit eingeschränkt. Die Nutzung ausgeklügelter technischer Voreinstellungen zur Beeinflussung einer individuellen Entscheidung – sogenanntes «Nudging» oder auch «Choice Architecture» –  betrachten sogar drei Viertel der Leaders of Tomorrow als «unfairen» bis «nicht tolerierbaren» Eingriff in ihre eigene Entscheidungsfreiheit.

Die Delegation von Entscheidungen an künstliche Intelligenz (KI) hängt stark von der Art der Aufgabe ab

Dies bedeutet aber nicht, dass die Nachwuchskräfte die Nutzung künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) in Entscheidungsprozessen grundsätzlich ablehnen. Vielmehr erwarten sie bei verschiedenen Aufgaben in Unternehmen bessere Entscheidungen durch eine Einbindung von KI in Entscheidungsprozesse. Rund die Hälfte der Befragten hält den Einsatz von KI sogar bei sensiblen Themen wie Personalentscheidungen für sinnvoll und drei Viertel sehen durch den Einsatz von KI klare Vorteile in der Produktentwicklung. Die meisten wollen aber, dass der Mensch trotzdem das letzte Wort bei der Entscheidung hat.

«Den Leaders of Tomorrow ist es bei aller Offenheit für neue Technologien ein sehr wichtiges Anliegen, die menschliche Entscheidungsfreiheit gegen den wachsenden Einfluss von künstlicher Intelligenz und kommerziellen Interessen zu verteidigen», kommentiert Dr. Andreas Neus, Geschäftsführer des Nürnberg Institut für Marktentscheidungen, eines der zentralen Studienergebnisse. «Die Frage, wie wir als Menschen in einer zunehmend von KI mitgestalteten Welt eine sinnvolle Kontrolle über unsere Entscheidungen behalten, ist bisher nicht wirklich geklärt. Als Gesellschaft müssen wir sie aber dringend lösen.»

Zur Studie

An der Studie «Leaders of Tomorrow 2020» nahmen im Februar 2020 insgesamt 898 junge Führungskräfte, junge Start-up-Gründerinnen und -Gründer und Studierende aus mehr als 90 Ländern teil. Die Teilnehmenden der Studie rekrutieren sich aus dem weltumspannenden Netzwerk des St. Gallen Symposiums (Top-Talente sind nicht repräsentativ für die Gesamtbevölkerung). Der Studienbericht ist als Download auf der Website des Nürnberg Instituts für Marktentscheidungen verfügbar.

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]]> https://symposium.org/neue-studie-voices-of-the-leaders-of-tomorrow/feed/ 0 The Next Generation of Leaders Demands Respect https://symposium.org/the-next-generation-of-leaders-demands-respect/ https://symposium.org/the-next-generation-of-leaders-demands-respect/#respond Mon, 15 Nov 2021 14:06:34 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=2638 Global Perspective Barometer 2015 The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2015” reveals how leaders of the digital generation think. There are many myths about the generation of “digital natives” that apparently cannot live without the internet. But do these myths hold true for the next generation of leaders? The study “Global Perspectives Barometer 2015” asked more than 1,000 […]

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]]> Global Perspective Barometer 2015

The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2015” reveals how leaders of the digital generation think.

There are many myths about the generation of “digital natives” that apparently cannot live without the internet. But do these myths hold true for the next generation of leaders? The study “Global Perspectives Barometer 2015” asked more than 1,000 top talents about their ideas and wishes about work in general – and also about their opinions on today’s executives.

  • Myth 1: Social media is a basic need
  • Myth 2: Hierarchy is obsolete
  • Myth 3: Values are more important than a company car or fringe benefits
  • Myth 4: The traditional top executive career has lost its attraction
  • Myth 5: Passion for an idea is more important than experience  

Whether these myths actually hold true for the top talents of this generation – the Global Perspectives report will give the answers.

You can find the full report and the press release below.

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2015 Full report – Global Perspectives Barometer

Since 2010, our global study “Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow” (formerly called the “Global Perspectives Barometer”) – a cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – empowers the voices of students and young professionals worldwide. It is a study on the opinions and thoughts of top talents, the next generation of leaders. The results of this study are published and discussed each year not only at the smyposium but also through media coverage.

The post The Next Generation of Leaders Demands Respect appeared first on St. Gallen Symposium.

]]> https://symposium.org/the-next-generation-of-leaders-demands-respect/feed/ 0 Experience Does Not Prevent Decision Failures https://symposium.org/experience-does-not-prevent-decision-failures/ https://symposium.org/experience-does-not-prevent-decision-failures/#respond Mon, 15 Nov 2021 13:59:57 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=2634 Global Perspective Barometer 2016 The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2016” shows what is important to future managers. When it comes to good decision-making, experience from the pre-digital era is much less valuable in the eyes of the Leaders of Tomorrow than openness to new ideas and the ability to manage the flood of digital information. In […]

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]]> Global Perspective Barometer 2016

The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2016” shows what is important to future managers.

When it comes to good decision-making, experience from the pre-digital era is much less valuable in the eyes of the Leaders of Tomorrow than openness to new ideas and the ability to manage the flood of digital information. In order to keep their best employees, companies must involve them more closely than before in the decision-making process and delegate more decisions. This was revealed by the study “Global Perspectives Barometer 2016: Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow.” In conducting the study, the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions and the St. Gallen Symposium surveyed around 800 future leaders from more than 70 countries.

You can find the full report and the press release below.

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2016 Full report – Global Perspectives Barometer

2016 Press Release – Global Perspective Barometer

Since 2010, our global study “Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow” (formerly called the “Global Perspectives Barometer”) – a cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – empowers the voices of students and young professionals worldwide. It is a study on the opinions and thoughts of top talents, the next generation of leaders. The results of this study are published and discussed each year not only at the smyposium but also through media coverage.

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]]> https://symposium.org/experience-does-not-prevent-decision-failures/feed/ 0 Do Today’s Companies Have to be Completely Transparent? https://symposium.org/do-todays-companies-have-to-be-completely-transparent/ https://symposium.org/do-todays-companies-have-to-be-completely-transparent/#respond Mon, 15 Nov 2021 13:55:23 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=2629 Global Perspective Barometer 2017 The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2017” shows that the Leaders of Tomorrow, part of the young top talent, live and expect a lifestyle of controlled transparency. The Leaders of Tomorrow live a lifestyle of controlled transparency. This means they are not calling for full transparency, but weigh what sort of information is […]

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]]> Global Perspective Barometer 2017

The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2017” shows that the Leaders of Tomorrow, part of the young top talent, live and expect a lifestyle of controlled transparency.

The Leaders of Tomorrow live a lifestyle of controlled transparency. This means they are not calling for full transparency, but weigh what sort of information is useful to share. When it comes to their own profiles, they are careful about what they disclose online to cultivate a professional identity for self-marketing. They are driving the power shift from employers to employees by sharing experiences as employees online and by relying on such employee-generated information in case of a job decision. Moreover the Leaders of Tomorrow believe that companies with a culture in which information can flow freely and where secrecy is the exception will be more successful in the long run. They are ready to contribute to transparency by opening up information about themselves and their teams that is necessary for collaboration. In case of questionable practices in the companies they work for, they are ready to raise such issues publicly but would first give companies a chance to deal with them internally.  

These are some of results the study “Global Perspectives Barometer 2017 – Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow”. For the study, the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions and the St. Gallen Symposium surveyed over 1,000 top talented young people from more than 80 countries.

You can find the full report and the press release below.

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2017 Overview and Key Insights – Global Perspectives Barometer

2017 Full report – Global Perspectives Barometer

2017 Press Release – Global Perspective Barometer

Since 2010, our global study “Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow” (formerly called the “Global Perspectives Barometer”) – a cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – empowers the voices of students and young professionals worldwide. It is a study on the opinions and thoughts of top talents, the next generation of leaders. The results of this study are published and discussed each year not only at the smyposium but also through media coverage.

The post Do Today’s Companies Have to be Completely Transparent? appeared first on St. Gallen Symposium.

]]> https://symposium.org/do-todays-companies-have-to-be-completely-transparent/feed/ 0 Owning the Future of Work https://symposium.org/owning-the-future-of-work/ https://symposium.org/owning-the-future-of-work/#respond Sat, 13 Nov 2021 13:51:12 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=2518 Global Perspective Barometer 2018 The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2018 – Owning the Future of Work” shows that young top talents see positive effects through new technologies, such as automation and artificial intelligence Young top talents are optimistic about their careers. They assume that new technologies will bring new industries and opportunities. Nine out of ten […]

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]]> Global Perspective Barometer 2018

The “Global Perspectives Barometer 2018 – Owning the Future of Work” shows that young top talents see positive effects through new technologies, such as automation and artificial intelligence

Young top talents are optimistic about their careers. They assume that new technologies will bring new industries and opportunities. Nine out of ten expect positive effects through automation and artificial intelligence (AI) – and almost all consider the use of intelligent systems for (selected) management tasks as beneficial. This is shown by the results of the “Global Perspectives Barometer 2018 – Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow”; for which the GfK Verein and the St. Gallen Symposium interviewed over 1,400 top talents from more than 90 countries.

You can find the full report and the press release below.

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2018 Overview and Key Insights – Global Perspectives Barometer

2018 Full report – Global Perspectives Barometer

2018 Press Release – Global Perspective Barometer

2018 Graphic Collaboration with AI in management 300dpi

Since 2010, our global study “Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow” (formerly called the “Global Perspectives Barometer”) – a cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – empowers the voices of students and young professionals worldwide. It is a study on the opinions and thoughts of top talents, the next generation of leaders. The results of this study are published and discussed each year not only at the smyposium but also through media coverage.

The post Owning the Future of Work appeared first on St. Gallen Symposium.

]]> https://symposium.org/owning-the-future-of-work/feed/ 0 Purpose Beyond Profit? https://symposium.org/purpose-beyond-profit/ https://symposium.org/purpose-beyond-profit/#respond Wed, 10 Nov 2021 14:41:08 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=2174 Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2019 The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow report 2019 gives a voice to a specially selected group of future’s top talent: the Leaders of Tomorrow from the network of the St. Gallen Symposium. More than 1,000 Leaders of Tomorrow from all over the world followed this year’s […]

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]]> Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2019

The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow report 2019 gives a voice to a specially selected group of future’s top talent: the Leaders of Tomorrow from the network of the St. Gallen Symposium. More than 1,000 Leaders of Tomorrow from all over the world followed this year’s invitation to share their opinions about the role of companies in society and about their expectations and ideas for purpose beyond profit as part of doing business.

INSIGHTS: Focusing solely on profits can shrink a company’s talent pool

Most Leaders of Tomorrow believe that businesses should consider employees, society and the environment above profits and they also see work life as an instrument for positive impact. Pursuing a purpose beyond profit may be a decisive factor in the “war for talent”. The Leaders of Tomorrow look for values they can share and an engaging purpose in a job and they seem to “walk the talk”. The Leaders of Tomorrow screen companies for the purposes they pursue. If the company does not fit their values, they may refrain from applying for job openings, turn down interesting job offers from companies, and pick more purposeful jobs at other companies – even at the cost of a lower payment.

You can find the full report and the press release below.

Read more

2019 Report Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow

2019 Report Leaders of Tomorrow Key Insights

Since 2010, our global study “Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow” (formerly called the “Global Perspectives Barometer”) – a cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – empowers the voices of students and young professionals worldwide. It is a study on the opinions and thoughts of top talents, the next generation of leaders. The results of this study are published and discussed each year not only at the smyposium but also through media coverage.

The post Purpose Beyond Profit? appeared first on St. Gallen Symposium.

]]> https://symposium.org/purpose-beyond-profit/feed/ 0 Challenges for Human Trust in a Connected and Technology-Driven World https://symposium.org/challenges-for-human-trust-in-a-connected-and-technology-driven-world/ https://symposium.org/challenges-for-human-trust-in-a-connected-and-technology-driven-world/#respond Sat, 06 Nov 2021 15:42:45 +0000 https://symposium.org/?p=1437 The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2021 gives voice to a specially selected group of future top talent: the Leaders of Tomorrow from the network of the St. Gallen Symposium. Our annual flagship study, the Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2021 – a collaboration of the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) and […]

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]]> The Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2021 gives voice to a specially selected group of future top talent: the Leaders of Tomorrow from the network of the St. Gallen Symposium.

Our annual flagship study, the Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow Report 2021 – a collaboration of the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) and the St. Gallen Symposium – has been released. Read and download the full report here.

This year’s version of the annual flagship study explores how the next generation of leaders view the role of – and ways to strengthen – trust in politics, media, business and technology. The report explores what trust means to young top talents (n=620), particularly in light of an increasingly connected and technology-driven world – giving voice to the St. Gallen Symposium’s Leaders of Tomorrow (LoT) community.

Seven Key Insights:
  • There is a severe lack of trust in the older generation of leaders regarding their decisions in the interests of younger generations. 15% of the Leaders of tomorrow think that the political leaders of today are both competent and willing to prioritise and to decide in the best interest of the younger generation, while 26% of them trust business leaders in both respects.
  • COVID-19 is a massive trust disruptor; trust in governments, social media, press – and even in fellow citizens has been lost. 48% of the Leaders of Tomorrow report that trust in their fellow citizens decreased during the pandemic; just 25% state that it increased.
  • Corrosion of shared reality: Facts are increasingly drowned by opinions and outright lies, and social media is seen as the main culprit. 76% of the Leaders of Tomorrow consider it a pressing problem that the line between objective facts and subjective opinion is getting more and more blurred in the media. 90% report that fake news frequently circulate in social media.
  • Companies are expected to do more to flag and prevent fake reviews and ratings online. 78% of the Leaders of Tomorrow agree with the statement “Most online companies and platform providers do not do enough to flag and prevent fake reviews.”
  • To enhance trust in technologies, more transparency on how personal data is used and better education on the benefits and risks of emerging technologies are essential. 82% of the Leaders of Tomorrow consider easy access to information about how one’s data is used as an urgent or at least necessary means to increase trust in tech.
  • To reduce negative effects of new technologies on society, the Leaders of Tomorrow call on their own generation to do more. 75% of the Leaders of Tomorrow criticise their own generation for not doing enough to combat the effects of fake facts amplified by new technologies.
  • Trust in AI varies dramatically depending on the task: Confidence is high in automated driving and rule enforcement but low in domains requiring expert intuition or empathy. 61% of the Leader of Tomorrow would rather rely on a self-driving car than on a human driver, while just 7% would rather rely on AI than on a human psychotherapist.
Read more

2021 Full Report – Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow 2021

Since 2010, our annual flagship study “Voices of the Leaders of Tomorrow” (formerly called the “Global Perspectives Barometer”) – a cooperation with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions – empowers the voices of students and young professionals worldwide. It is a study on the opinions and thoughts of top talents, the next generation of leaders. Find our past reports here.

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