The Future of Work area examines how technological, economic, and demographic changes are reshaping employment and professional life, analyzing new work models, skills development, and the impact of automation and artificial intelligence. It places emphasis on human-centered approaches to work, addressing issues such as productivity, work-life balance, purpose, and dignity, with the aim of fostering fair, inclusive, and sustainable labor systems.
Marta Elvira, Professor of Strategic Management & Managing People in Organizations and Chair of Family-Owned Business has received the grant in support of the project “Family-firm Governance vis-à-vis Employee and Environment Orientation.” She will be aided in her research by IESE Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Jeroen Neckebrouck, and by post-doctoral researcher Sumeet Malik. The project will encompass two studies: ‘Family Firms and Employees’; and ‘Family Firms and Environment’, that aim to increase current understanding about family firms’ care for nonfamily stakeholders by investigating specifically family firms’ orientation towards employees and the environment. This research will inform managers regarding crisis management and policymakers about the particular family firm characteristics that lead to better outcomes.
Social Trends Institute and IESE Business School convened leading scholars, executives, and policymakers in Barcelona on April 27–28, 2026, for the conference Building Bridges in a Fragmented World Economy. The event explored how companies and business leaders can help address global fragmentation and foster greater cooperation, trust, and inclusive growth in an increasingly divided world.
This article synthesizes the key insights from the international conference “From Polarization to Understanding: Bridging Divides in Business and Society,” jointly organized by IESE Business School and the Social Trends Institute. Through interdisciplinary dialogue among leading scholars, the event examined the psychological, institutional, and organizational drivers of polarization and explored frameworks for rebuilding trust and social cohesion.
