Take on tomorrow
PwC leaders on the dilemmas, challenges, and opportunities facing business in 2021 and the long term.
Issue 102, Spring 2021
Cover story
In this issue
CEO voices from the pandemic, and beyond
How leaders are planning and strategizing for an uncertain future.Superhuman resources: How HR leaders have redefined their C-suite role
The trials of 2020 have thrust human resources into the spotlight. The HR leaders who have shined know how to help their companies thrive.- GMO
How India can live up to its full potential
By eliminating frictions, the world’s largest democracy can generate higher and more inclusive growth.
Leading Ideas
- Workforce
Case for change: Ensuring equal opportunity digital access for global youth
It’s in the interest of business leaders to help. - Leadership
How board directors can advance racial justice
Three commitments to help companies promote diversity, equity, and inclusion — and resist the status quo. - Thought leaders
Stop trusting your gut
Annie Duke, a world-class poker player turned strategy consultant, wants to help company leaders make better decisions. - Leadership
Five opportunities for CMOs in a pandemic-impacted world
Marketing was already at a defining moment, but COVID-19 has hastened the need for transformation. - Strategy
Lazy leaders and heroic managers
Strategic transformation failures are often blamed on middle managers, but the real culprit is executives not delivering on three key issues.
Essays
- Consumer & retail
How to deliver great customer experience at scale
The most effective customer strategies are grounded in active engagement, setting clear expectations and empowering users with options that suit their needs. - Tech & innovation
Meet modern compliance: Using AI and data to manage business risk better
The combination of data analytics and artificial intelligence can give organizations a competitive advantage and mitigate risk along the value chain. - s+b BlogsWorkforce
Why you should apply design thinking to the employee experience
COVID-19 has forced changes in the way people work — and created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to increase engagement and productivity.
Books in Brief
No, we can’t
In her new book, Can’t Even, Anne Helen Petersen lays out the immense challenges millennials face in gaining a foothold in the economy.Is the gig up?
In her new book, Boston College professor Juliet Schor reports on the ways that the sharing economy has — and has not — lived up to its initial promise.Survival of the fittest
In his new book, John Hudson, a survival instructor for the British military, offers lessons on how to get through the most challenging ordeals.What people like you like
In his new book, MIT Sloan School research fellow Michael Schrage explores the powerful effects of recommendation engines and where they might lead.
Inside the Mind of the CEO
Pfizer’s vaccine machine
CEO Albert Bourla discusses how a company founded in the 19th century is taking on the biggest health challenges of the 21st century.
Endpage: Recent Research
- s+b Blogs
Boycotts unsettle boards
A director’s beliefs can prompt his or her departure when the company finds itself targeted by the public.
Trending articles
- 1.Rethinking total reward strategiesPay, incentives, and benefits haven’t significantly changed for decades, but people’s preferences have. Employee compensation needs a rethink if companies are to attract and retain talent.
- 2.Managing with the Brain in MindNeuroscience research is revealing the social nature of the high-performance workplace.
- 3.How fearless organizations succeedAmy Edmondson describes three steps leaders can take to create psychological safety, the prerequisite for greater innovation and growth.
- 4.Using neuroscience to make feedback work and feel betterResearch shows that using feedback is how organisms — and organizations — stay alive. Here’s how leaders can make the most of the anxiety-producing process.
- 5.How to prepare for anything
When the paint shop leadership team for carmaker Audi initiated a change process, they decided to trust the power of questions.
©2025 PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details. Strategy+business is published by certain member firms of the PwC network. Articles published in strategy+business do not necessarily represent the views of the member firms of the PwC network. Reviews and mentions of publications, products, or services do not constitute endorsement or recommendation for purchase. Mentions of Strategy& refer to the global team of practical strategists that is integrated within the PwC network of firms. For more about Strategy&, see www.strategyand.pwc.com. No reproduction is permitted in whole or part without written permission of PwC. “Strategy+business” is a trademark of PwC.