Leadership

Future Work & Leadership Insights

Thought leadership and learning points on future work

In our work advising leaders, coaching teams and researching how today’s workplace is evolving, Forum partners have new and useful perspectives to share. These Insights present our thinking, drawn from our interactions with business leaders. We gather together written summaries, articles and video discussions into an “Insight” and feature these on our Linkedin page to promote discussion with others.

Middle Managers and Stakeholders

Ultimately, middle managers add value by aligning the interests of key stakeholders. By improving collaboration across departments, developing employees and...

Working Relationships for Future Middle Managers

This year’s Future Work Forum research into middle management reminded us that middle managers play a vital role in maintaining...

Middle Managers as Architects of Collaboration

The future middle manager is no longer simply a coordinator of tasks or a transmitter of instructions. They are becoming...

Developing Future-Fit Middle Managers

If we want extraordinary performance, we must start by investing in the people who quietly hold it all together, the...

From Hierarchical Translator to Hybrid Conductor

While organisational structures and roles are transforming, the need for coordination, communication, and relational leadership remains vital. The middle manager’s...

Beyond the Ladder – Redefining Careers without Middle Management

For decades, careers were built on a single, linear narrative: move up or move out. But as middle management disappears,...

Middle Management Isn’t Dying. It’s Being Born Again

Organizations that thrive in this new world won't be the ones that flattened their middle layer. They'll be the ones...

From Manager to Sense-Maker

Middle managers occupy one of the most critical, and often misunderstood, roles in organisations. They sit at the intersection of...

Future of Middle Management

Although middle management has often been declared dead, it will remain indispensable in the future. In an era of AI,...

The Industrial Age Paradigm is Crumbling

The Industrial Age paradigm — built on limitless growth, hierarchical control, and profit-first models — is crumbling. But that's not...

The Middle Manager Myth Dissected

Caught between strategy and execution, control and empowerment—Middle Managers are key players in shaping the future of work. It’s time...

Aware Don’t Care – Addressing toxic behaviours

This Insight explores the practical application of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to encourage behaviour change at work. While MI has its...

‘Jazz thinking’ for team motivation? Music to any team’s ears.

Many of the qualities that players of jazz and similar ensembles need to deliver a successful result together are the...

Human-centred Leadership Revisited. Has the world moved on?

Are the views of the Future Work Forum about Human-Centred Leadership still valid in today's business and political environment? Has...

Generative AI, Advanced Technologies and Leadership

In an era where generative AI is rapidly transforming workplace dynamics, leaders are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Our latest...

Shadows of the Past: How Trauma, Power and AI are Reshaping Leadership

Shadows of the Past: How Trauma, Power & AI Are Reshaping Leadership By: Samreen McGregor May 2025 What shapes a...

Bold Leadership, Lasting Impact