As part of its 10-year birthday celebrations, Working Knowledge - the Harvard Business School publication which provides a first glimpse into cutting-edge research from Harvard faculty - asked several influential management thinkers and faculty, including the new Dean, Nitin Nohria to shed some light on the most significant ideas and developments that have impacted business management in the first decade of the 21st century and also the most productive management research areas in the decade to follow.
Based on responses from the reputed faculty researchers, we take a look at five areas or trends which are emerging as the key influencers of business and management in the 21st century and are also likely to spawn a good share of research in the domain.
Globalization
The melting of barriers among nations and their increasing interconnectedness, accelerated by technology, has led to a change in the world order that has had a profound impact on global business. The emergence of nations such as India and China has replaced the era of unquestioned dominance of the Western countries or any one particular region, paving the way for a flattened business arena where developments in one part of the other are certain to have a spiraling impact. Perhaps the best evidence of this is the recent financial crisis.
A recent 335-page study by the AACSB, the leading accreditation agency for business schools around the world, highlights the implications of this and asserts that rising expectations from business and society for graduates with global competencies, coupled with the increasing complexity and global connectedness of higher education, command the attention of business schools around the world.
Technology
If the current wave of globalization has been the driving force behind the most far-reaching and powerful changes in business, then information technology has indisputably been the facilitator. Drawing