Published Online:June 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Effective Executive
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJEE030626
DOI:10.71329/EffectiveExecutive/2026.29.2.48-84
Author Name:Colin Coulson-Thomas
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:48-84
Innovation priorities, views of what represents excellence, and the attention and priorities of corporate boards can influence each other and the future of work. They interact in a global context that is uncertain, unpredictable, insecure and fraught. Uncertainty extends to multiple factors affecting the quantity, nature and quality of future work, and how and where it is undertaken and by whom, or what, the technological and other support that is available, and how various activities and requirements of people are to be met and funded. Boards must accommodate and balance the interests of their people along with those of other stakeholders. There are economic, environmental, geopolitical and technological issues as well as social and work-related ones for boards and governments to address. The extent to which directors and boards adopt a holistic and systems perspective, understand the interrelationship of innovation adoption, what represents excellence and the nature of future work, and act collaboratively, and in a way that is environmentally and socially responsible, is also uncertain. Flexibility, adaptive leadership and resilience are likely to be required.
Uncertainty is the defining theme of the World Economic Forum’s 2026 global risks outlook (WEF, 2026). It affects the path of innovation and many issues on the agendas of corporate