IE Insights

Were the 2026 Winter Olympics the Most Political Ever? | IE Insights The 2026 Winter Olympics have been littered with political controversy, but this is just the latest in a long line of global politics repeatedly shaping sport’s biggest international stage, writes And...

The 2026 Winter Olympics have been littered with political controversy, but this is just the latest in a long line of global politics repeatedly shaping sport’s biggest international stage, writes Andrew Bertoli. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

"Impact cannot be measured only by rankings and citations; it must also include influence on the quality of democratic life."

#HigherEd

The Century of the University | IE Insights As universities face growing skepticism, they must confront perceptions of elitism and reconnect with society to strengthen democratic life, writes Francesco Billari.

"Universities remain one of the few places where dissent can be practiced without turning into mutual delegitimization." --
Bocconi University Rector Francesco Billari. www.ie.edu/insights/art... #HigherEducation

Ethos: Why Credibility Is Hard to Build and Easy to Lose | IE Insights Aristotle’s ethos continues to guide modern leadership, demonstrating how credibility, integrity, and goodwill can quietly persuade audiences over time, writes Javier Bernad.

Three ways to project credibility, inspired by Aristotle’s idea of ethos:

1. Know your material but show the limits of what you know.
2. Memorize a few key facts or figures, precision signals mastery.
3. Think out loud: let people see how you reason.

www.ie.edu/insights/art...

YouTube video by IE Insights Is Cash the Key to Breaking Bad Habits?

Is money alone enough to break bad habits? Several factors help build positive habits, break bad ones, and create lasting behavioral change, explains Jeeva Somasundaram. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIfz...

Intelligence Is Not Wisdom in the Age of AI | IE Insights As AI advances, human wisdom, empathy, and contemplation remain essential for balanced leadership and cultural progress, writes Mario Alonso Puig.

As AI advances, human wisdom, empathy, and contemplation remain essential for balanced leadership and cultural progress, writes Mario Alonso Puig. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How Digitally Mature Are Our Children? | IE Insights Are children ready to navigate today's digital world safely? Konstantina Valogianni breaks down what digital maturity in children really means—and how new index developed by a selection of European un...

Children today don’t just grow up online, they grow up compared. Every scroll on social media exposes them to thousands of lives, opinions, and expectations.

The question is no longer how much time they spend on screens, but how digitally mature they are. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Refugee Stigma and the Power of Images | IE Insights Research shows images can rob refugees of their worth, but what are the visual practices that can help them in the labor market?

Bernadette Bullinger of IE Business School explores how visuals can dehumanize or reframe refugees, arguing that representation influences hiring and public perception. www.ie.edu/insights/es/...

Can We Train Microbes to Eat Pollution? | IE Insights Peer Timmers explores how biological water treatment - and the evolution of pollution-eating microorganisms - offer a sustainable solution to water treatment.

Can We Train Microbes to Eat Pollution? www.ie.edu/insights/vid... As toxic forever chemicals infiltrate our water, scientists are turning to an unexpected ally: microbes. Peer Timmers explores how pollution-eating microorganisms offer a sustainable solution to water treatment.

Equality as Smart Economics: Lessons from Spain | IE Insights Gender equality drives prosperity. Shared childcare and inclusive policies close gaps in work and pay, strengthen families, and support demographic sustainability, writes Daniel Fernández Kranz.

Gender equality drives prosperity. Shared childcare and inclusive policies close gaps in work and pay, strengthen families, and support demographic sustainability, writes Daniel Fernández Kranz. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Holding the Line: International Law and Atrocity Crimes | IE Insights As international law faces fragmentation and fading accountability, a treaty on crimes against humanity matters more than ever, writes Carlos Batallas.

As international law faces fragmentation and fading accountability, @batallas.es argues that a treaty on crimes against humanity matters more than ever. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Interview Script Nobody Explains | IE Insights Hiring conversations reward reading the room, and that can cost candidates and organizations, writes Kelly Nault.

Everyone knows pay matters. It attracts talent and shapes behavior. Yet in interviews, if a job candidate mentions money “too early,” it's treated as a mistake. Why? www.ie.edu/insights/art...

What Motherhood Reveals about Modern Work | IE Insights Workplace norms still demand that the realities of motherhood are hidden, but organizations must accept that careers now unfold differently, writes Taija Turunen.

Motherhood and the workplace are out of step, writes Taija Turunen @aalto.fi. Professional norms reward how well women can conceal their caregiving role rather than actual contribution. The core issue is how competence and commitment are evaluated. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Can We Train Microbes to Eat Pollution? | IE Insights Peer Timmers explores how biological water treatment - and the evolution of pollution-eating microorganisms - offer a sustainable solution to water treatment.

As toxic forever chemicals infiltrate our water, scientists are turning to an unexpected ally: microbes. Peer Timmers explores how biological water treatment – and the evolution of pollution-eating microorganisms – offer a sustainable solution to water treatment. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Ethos: Why Credibility Is Hard to Build and Easy to Lose | IE Insights Aristotle’s ethos continues to guide modern leadership, demonstrating how credibility, integrity, and goodwill can quietly persuade audiences over time, writes Javier Bernad.

Aristotle’s ethos continues to guide modern leadership, demonstrating how credibility, integrity, and goodwill can quietly persuade audiences over time, writes Javier Bernad. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Misquoted and Misunderstood Milton Friedman | IE Insights Milton Friedman’s views on corporate social responsibility are often misinterpreted as advocating unethical behavior, writes Mikko Ketokivi.

Milton Friedman’s views on corporate social responsibility are often misinterpreted as advocating unethical behavior. Mikko Ketokivi revisits Friedman's arguments and clarifies the distortions made to them. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Laura Chinchilla on Leading with Passion, Empathy, and Integrity | IE Insights <div class="x_elementToProof" data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">Laura Chinchilla, former president of Costa Rica, speaks to Amanda and Nathalie about recent events in Venezuela while offering a hopef...

“Power is not a reward. It’s a tool to serve others and improve public life.” -- @laurachinchilla.bsky.social

The former President of Costa Rica joins Power & Purpose to discuss democracy, leadership, and public service, with @nathalietocci.bsky.social and Amanda Sloat. ie.edu/insights/pod...

Wrote it nine months ago but more relevant now

AI is really acting like this magic potion with not so magical qualities. The density of articles on AI bubbles has been the highest in the last quarter than prior ones

some transformation is bound to happen but costs exceed revenue by a long distance

Postcards from the Museum: AI Can Imitate Thought but Cannot Think | IE Insights AI can mimic language convincingly, but without lived experience, intention, or responsibility, it cannot truly think or understand meaning, writes Barry Cooper.

"So, does our use of AI constitute action? Is the exchange of prompt and response an act, a determination of will? Or is it a rejection of responsibility, a way of avoiding the effort to think thoroughly?" www.ie.edu/insights/art...

What It Takes to Make Trust-Based Leadership Work | IE Insights Trust-based leadership succeeds only when organizations build the capabilities to implement empowerment, learning, and adaptability at scale, writes Florian Hoffmann.

As uncertainty rises, many organizations are retreating to control. The problem: control no longer delivers speed, innovation, or resilience. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

From Confidant to Sales Rep: How Advertising Threatens Trust in ChatGPT | IE Insights Introducing advertising into ChatGPT risks turning trusted assistance into a marketplace, breaking the user confidence that chatbots rely on, writes Enrique Dans.

"From confidant to sales rep: how advertising threatens trust in ChatGPT", my article on @ieinsights.bsky.social
www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Art of Friendship: From Deals to the Real Thing | IE Insights Happiness depends on recognizing the purpose of each relationship in our lives and investing the right intention into them, writes Nick van Dam.

Not all friendships play the same role in our lives. Some help us work better, some make life lighter, and a few sustain us through change. Knowing the difference can spare a lot of disappointment -- and deepen the connections that actually matter. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

A 2,000-Year-Old Skill for Leading in the AI Age | IE Insights The greatest risk of AI is flawless logic applied to poorly framed questions that replace human judgment, writes Rubén Montoya González.

"The real danger of AI...is not its output but our credulity in the face of flawless logic. We are fundamentally wired to trust something that is well written, data rich, and authoritative in tone." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Why We Don't Understand Russia | IE Insights Understanding Russia requires moving beyond Putin’s psychology to examine the historical and institutional dynamics that shape its behavior, writes David Flores.

"Thinking about Russia solely through the prism of Putin’s personal history, or through the idea of an unchanging national essence, leads to an analytical dead end." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Why AI Can’t Understand Metaphors or Sarcasm — And How to Fix It | IE Insights Can AI truly understand the soul behind human language? Suzan Awinat explores how poetic techniques like sarcasm and metaphor challenge even the most advanced language models — and what it takes to tr...

Can AI understand the soul behind human language? Suzan Awinat explores how poetic techniques challenge even the most advanced language models - and what it takes to train them differently. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Useful Friction: AI, Breath and the Labor of Writing | IE Insights From breath and voice to screens and algorithms, writing traces the body’s shifting presence - and asks what is lost when friction disappears, writes Niels Bekkema.

The page is a workshop. Outlining, drafting, cutting, expanding, starting over, circling back, and rearranging are among the tools by which language is brought into contact with the world. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Case for Human-Centric Leadership | IE Insights Effective leadership begins with understanding people, helping to create workplaces where humans and performance can thrive, writes Patrycja Riera.

Leadership isn’t getting easier. In a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, and shifting expectations, human-centric leadership isn’t a “soft” alternative -- it’s a performance strategy. Patrycja Riera on what leaders need now: www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Caracas Operation and the Rise of Intelligence-Driven Statecraft | IE Insights The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in contemporary geopolitics, writes Bjorn Beam.

The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in geopolitics, writes @bjornbeam.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Is Theater Dying? The Future of Performing Arts | IE Insights Is theater dying or evolving? Tine Milz sits down with Catalina Tejero to discuss the future of performing arts, digital transformation, and how interdisciplinary approaches are reshaping the stage.

"We’re running behind, especially concerning digital formats. I’m not sure theater works only digitally. You can go to the cinema for that. Theater is a great medium bcse people come together to witness one moment unfolding on stage." Tine Milz in convo w/ Catalina Tejero: www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

The Caracas Operation and the Rise of Intelligence-Driven Statecraft | IE Insights The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in contemporary geopolitics, writes Bjorn Beam.

The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro shows how intelligence-led force is redefining power and alliance dynamics in geopolitics, writes @bjornbeam.bsky.social: www.ie.edu/insights/art...