Building Bridges in a Fragmented World Economy: The Role of Companies and Business Leaders - An IESE and STI Conference
IESE Barcelona - April 27-28, 2026
In a world increasingly marked by polarization and geopolitical tensions, both overt and subtle, this conference aspires to unite thought leaders—from both scholarship and business practice—in international business, international relations, cross-cultural management, global economics, and political science. Together, we aim to generate transformative insights on how we can connect— and reconnect—across the many divides that characterize our global society.
The Social Trends Institute and IESE Business School are organizing a multi-disciplinary experts meeting and convening a small group of scholars and experts (around 40 people) to work on some interrelated objectives:
1) What forces—geopolitical, economic, technological, cultural, and psychological—are driving today’s unprecedented levels of global fragmentation, and how do they interact to reshape the world order?
2) What lessons from history, diverse regions, and varied cultural perspectives can help us better navigate today’s geopolitical tensions and societal divides?
3) What innovative pathways, policies, and organizational practices can mitigate the critical challenges confronting globalization?
4) How can social, business, and political leaders reduce the harms of fragmentation, foster proximity and common purpose across boundaries, and mobilize collective action on society’s grand challenges? What contributions can academia make in developing evidence-based insights that shape practice and policy?
5) How can we re-envision a form of globalization that builds bridges rather than barriers—one that is inclusive, sustainable, and capable of bringing people, organizations, and nations closer together?
This is an interdisciplinary meeting that seeks to generate an open debate among scholars, policy makers and business leaders with a deep understanding of these issues, across different academic disciplines.
Our goal is to create an intellectually stimulating environment where participants feel challenged, stretched, and inspired. Through deep dialogue, we aim to co-create innovative research agendas—individually or collaboratively—across disciplines. These agendas will seek to address the profound complexities of our times and lay the groundwork for meaningful, impactful scholarship.
The Conference consists of a panel session with policy makers and executives, as well as nine sessions, each with a scholar presenting their ideas followed by a collective reflection and moderated discussion. There will be six sessions on the first day and four on the second day.
We expect to have around 40 engaged participants, including speakers, moderators, and the audience.
Monday, April 27, 2026
8:45 to 9:15 Arrival and registration
9:15 Conference Opening by the Dean and the conference organizers
9:30 Session 1
Finding Beauty in a Fractured World
- Nancy Adler, McGill University
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Session 2
Global Business Leadership in an Age of Rising Populism
- Klaus Meyer, Ivey Business School
Session 3
Rethinking Paradigms in International Business
- Tatiana Kostova, University of South Carolina
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Session 4
Teaming Across Boundaries: Lessons from Research in Organizations
- Pamela Hinds, Stanford University
Session 5
Changemaking in Business and Politics Through Mining the Collective Past
- Michael Morris, Columbia University
16:00 Coffee Break
16:30 Session 6
Rethinking International Business Leadership
Panel discussion with:
- Janne Matlary, University of Oslo
- Francisco Reynés, Chairman and CEO of Naturgy
- José Viñals, Former Group Chairman of Standard Chartered PLC
17:30 Red Thread Review
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
8:30 Reflection and projection
9:00 Session 7
State Capitalism and Firm Strategy
- Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, Northeastern University
Session 8
Industrial Policy for Regional Development in the Age of Geopolitics
- Sarianna Lundan, Aalto University School of Business
11:00 Coffee Break
11:30 Session 9
Challenging Uncertainty in Global Labour Markets
- David Collings, Trinity College Dublin
Session 10
Yin-Yang Thinking in International Business
- Tony Fang, Stockholm University
13:30 Lunch
14:45 Integration and Conclusion
Contact Information
IESE Business School Barcelona