Insights that drive leadership

Nearly nine out of ten S&P 500 companies that mentioned AI on earnings calls last year described it in glowing terms, yet most leaders fell back on vague promises of unrealised productivity gains when pressed for specifics. AI pilots are not guaranteed to deliver, employees remain fearful of the technology, and AI projects frequently fail to address how organisations actually work and create value. This HBR article argues that success in the age of generative AI hinges less o

Most forecasts about GenAI's impact rest on a simple premise: if AI can do a task, the person or firm doing that task is at risk. It is a clean logic, but a flawed one. Drawing on 18 months of research with over 300 senior executives and directors conducted with the UK's Institute of Directors and Evolution Ltd, including roundtables, surveys, interviews and NLP analysis of firms' market positioning, this Forbes piece argues that disruption does not start with tasks. It start

In this piece published in Management Today, our Lead Advisor Michael G. Jacobides, drawing on a workshop co-sponsored by Evolution Ltd at London Business School, finds that while GenAI is not about to replace professional services firms or knowledge work, it is set to profoundly redefine them. Rather than displacing all roles, GenAI reshapes what adds value—prompting firms to rethink how they price, staff, train, and deliver. To stay relevant, PSFs must move beyond task auto

This study examines executives’ perceptions of Generative AI’s impact on competitive advantage and their expectations of its disruptive...

We explore the mechanisms underpinning the realization of synergies within multi-business firms. Using unique data from a large GCC retail conglomerate, we distinguish between physical synergies and those drawing on digital features. We also find that corporate value creation stems not from scope per se, but from firms’ ability to mitigate the inherent costs of broader scope while enabling the realization of synergies. Employing configurational theorizing, we show how similar

Large companies currently dominate GenAI adoption, with 46% reporting mid-to-high levels of maturity compared to just 28% of mid-sized firms. But that advantage may be fading. This Fortune piece argues that as GenAI evolves, mid-sized companies are increasingly well placed to catch up and even pull ahead, because the very scale that gave large firms an edge is now working against them. Extensive management layers, entrenched processes and siloed operations cause large enterpr

Two years after Generative AI’s inflection moment, enthusiasm remains strong, yet evidence of impact is elusive. The truth is that GenAI...

This project is the result of a joint effort between PwC Strategy& and Evolution Ltd. This project draws on PwC Strategy&'s deep...

We believe there is still a great deal of hype and misunderstanding over what AI in general, and GenAI specifically, can and cannot do....

AI, especially Generative AI (GenAI), has experienced astonishing uptake due to its usercentric design, surpassing traditional focus on...

Generative AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace, and the excitement is justified. When consultants used AI tools, one study showed quality improvements of up to 42%, a figure that rivals the long-term productivity gains from steam and electricity. Yet the same research revealed a striking blind spot: GenAI performed worse than humans at solving specific business problems with right and wrong answers, and training people in AI tools actually made their outputs worse, not

Will the ongoing transition from Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) disrupt the incumbent automaker...

From Black Swans to Grey Rhinos Last year certainly had its fair share of dramatic news, from the war in Ukraine and rocketing inflation...

Interconnected value chains, digital platforms, and multi-product ecosystems are all becoming increasingly common, raising the question...

For two decades, abundant capital and low interest rates let companies chase growth at almost any cost, with investors willing to fund promise over profitability. That era is over. In this HBR article, Michael Jacobides argues that as inflation rises and capital becomes scarcer, growth can no longer be the overriding priority, yet innovation remains essential. Companies must develop more rigorous, cost-conscious strategies while simultaneously rethinking their business models

Our inductive case study of the mobility industry in Southeast Asia shows how an innovative digital platform entrant, Grab, first tried...

From a strategy vantage point, 2021 saw consumers increasing their shift to digital distribution channels. As habits provoked by COVID...

Industry boundaries are dissolving through the dramatic growth of digitalization, and platforms connecting different actors are...

During a crisis, the immediate reaction is often to default to old habits. That may work for a while – as it did in the financial crash...

The Promises and Pitfalls of Platforms and Digital Ecosystems in Healthcare