
IESE Business School Insight magazine No. 170
Navigating Geopolitics
REPORT
Today’s geopolitics hold important implications for business in terms of Strategy, Operations, Talent and Stakeholder Management. Dive into our full report here. Or click on each article below.
Strategy | Rethinking corporate strategy in the age of geoeconomics
From tariffs to tech wars, yesterday’s stable-world strategies are gone. Find the opportunity by renewing your strategic thinking.
Prepare for a new age of conflict, warns Spain’s defense chief
As the rules-based world order crumbles, resilience and deterrence are the new rules of the game.
International strategy in a time of global disruptions
Here is what boards of directors and top management teams need to consider to move on from a past that no longer exists.
Operations | Balance operational efficiency with resilience to weather geopolitical storms
Use supply-chain mapping and risk-modeling to find the weakest links, and redesign your operations for a more fractured world.
Talent | These are the competencies for geostrategic advantage. Does your team have what it takes?
Geopolitical rivalry has reached the labor market. With the talent war on, here’s how your business can build the workforce you need.
Stakeholders | Leading with purpose when stakeholder management gets geopolitical
If navigating the geopolitical world requires a compass, then purpose is your true north. Use it to stay true to your values when stakeholders pull you in different directions.
Mapping the geopolitical hot spots
The degree to which a specific company or organization is impacted by today’s geopolitics depends partially on where in the world it is operating and the part of the global economy in which it is involved. These are the regions to watch.
4 things that companies can do to deal with the current geopolitical situation
Get over it and move on! Mike Rosenberg suggests practical steps to be prepared for whatever comes next.
CASE STUDY
TSMC: lessons in strategy and operational excellence from the world’s chipmaker
By Mihalis G. Markakis
For leaders navigating uncertainty, TSMC’s story highlights shared challenges — and points the way to staying on top.
THE INTERVIEW
“Stop doing dumb stuff!” Patty McCord on reinventing the rules of work at Netflix
Patty McCord says she’s tired of being “the goddess of HR.” In this no-nonsense interview with Yih-Teen Lee, she challenges managers to throw out the rulebook and radically rethink so-called “best practices.”
KNOW
From stress to success: a diagnostic for navigating identity and change at work
By Mailys George
Here’s what every company can do to check in with employees during times of change, managing transitions in ways that lower threat levels while boosting wellbeing.
From acquisition to advantage: the power of tech licensing
By Thomas Klueter, Solon Moreira and Clinton Ofoedu
Acquiring technology is only the beginning. Here are the keys to deciding whether to license it out, retain it or divest. Whatever you do, keep the value tethered to your firm.
What Europe must do to boost its competitiveness and productivity
Mireia Giné in conversation with Vitor Constancio
With Europe at a crossroads, these are the barriers to a truly integrated capital market and how to build a more perfect union.
The case for nature-based solutions, and how to finance them
By Diane-Laure Arjaliès
From biodiversity credits to conservation impact bonds, new financial models can reward regeneration over extraction. We just need to change the way we think about financial assets.
How destroying wetlands raises borrowing costs for local governments
By Claudio Rizzi
The financial world is slow to appreciate natural capital. But waiting until disaster strikes results in lost wealth for municipal bondholders.
How HQ crises disrupt global retail operations
Research by Govert Vroom, on what goes wrong for subsidiaries when shocks are felt at headquarters, uncovers keys to resilience for multinational firms.
FULL STOP
Lessons in perseverance and creative leadership, inspired by Mamma Mia!
The story of how Judy Craymer turned a no into a yes is a case study in the use of entrepreneurial thinking to build a dream team and global success.