INSEAD Knowledge Podcast

In this era of "permacrisis" and constant disruption, adaptability and resilience are vital traits that require collaboration and an increasing focus on human-centric skills. That’s the messaging to come out of the 2025 Global Talent Competitive Index (GTCI), an annual report that highlights the latest talent trends and offers insights into the current global talent landscape.

For this episode of “The INSEAD Perspective: Spotlight on Asia” podcast series, Sameer Hasija, Dean of Asia at INSEAD, analyses the results and implications of the 11th edition of the GTCI through an APAC lens alongside two of its authors: L. Felipe Monteiro, Academic Director of the GTCI and Senior Affiliate Professor of Strategy, and Paul Evans, Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour.   Perhaps the most notable theme from the 2025 report is the shifting value of human capabilities, where soft human-centric skills are becoming just as vital as hard digital or technical skills. As AI handles increasingly complex technical tasks, Monteiro and Evans suggest that "generalist adaptive skills" – including leadership, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship – will increasingly take centre stage.

Reflecting on the high ranking of certain countries such as Singapore, Switzerland and the Nordic nations, Evans points to the strength of their integrated ecosystems, where government, business, educational institutions and labour organisations work together to solve problems using a forward-looking approach. He warns that without this deep ecosystem collaboration and a long-term vision, even technologically advanced nations may struggle to implement the systemic changes required to thrive in today’s disrupted global economy.

That potential danger is highlighted in a concerning trend identified in the report, where several upper-middle-income countries, such as Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico, appear to have reached a "talent plateau" or “trap". Despite making good headway in the earlier stages of their development, these countries have seen their progress stall as they find themselves squeezed between high-innovating top-tier countries and lower-income countries with cost advantages.   Levels of optimism for the future were mixed among the three speakers.

However, they agreed that greater collaboration, an increased emphasis on lifelong education and the ability of individuals to learn and adjust on the job will be vital if countries and companies hope to successfully navigate the uncertain waters of the next five years – and beyond.

Family-owned enterprises are the cornerstone of Asia’s economy, contributing roughly 70 percent of GDP and employing over 60 percent of the workforce in some markets. Much more than just commercial entities, these firms are deeply embedded into the social fabric and are typically driven by long-term vision and entrepreneurial stewardship.

In this edition of “The INSEAD Perspective: Spotlight on Asia” podcast series, Sameer Hasija, Dean of Asia at INSEAD, asks Bala Vissa, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise, for his thoughts on the status of family businesses in the region, the challenges that are currently reshaping their future and how family offices may be one solution to navigating these complexities. 

From bridging the success gap to tackling the rise of AI and ongoing digital transformation this wide- ranging conversation also explores how INSEAD is playing an important role in tackling this period of disruption and helping family businesses see it as an opportunity. Through workshops and programmes, INSEAD is connecting family firms to private equity and allowing both sides to better understand how they can work together to foster resilient growth and long-term success in today's rapidly changing global environment.

You’ve just been promoted to a manager. Now what? The truth is that new managers hardly receive formal training before taking on their roles. Instead of hitting the ground running, most of them try to figure out how to lead as they go along, says Vibha Gaba, The Berghmans Lhoist Chaired Professor of Entrepreneurial Leadership and Professor of Entrepreneurship at INSEAD.

In this podcast, Gaba takes a deep dive into leading, especially for first-time managers. Being a leader in the contemporary workplace clearly requires new competencies; technical expertise alone is no longer enough. As the director of INSEAD’s “Learning to Lead” executive programme, Gaba has been training executives, complementing their existing technical chops with people management skills –  from how to assign tasks to the right team members to coaching people and managing conflicts.

In this episode, Ben Charoenwong, Associate Professor of Finance at INSEAD and former pod shop veteran, discusses his case on Millennium Partners, and looks at how their adoption of the “pod shop” model has allowed the firm to become one of the most successful hedge funds in the world.

As well as exploring the strengths of this plug-and-play approach, Charoenwong highlights the fact that this model has now been adopted by many hedge funds and is impacting the broader financial services industry. Private banks and asset managers are among those taking a similar structural approach, where independent advisory teams are managed under a large organisational umbrella that handles compliance, technology and other functions.

However, while the model has brought great success, it also carries inherent risks. Charoenwong raises concerns about market fragility due to the consolidation of trading power among a few key players. This concentration can lead to sudden and dramatic market movements, or “blips”, when a major pod is forced to liquidate positions, as observed in a recent event involving the Japanese yen.

Does artificial intelligence enable organisations to do things differently, or to do different things?

In the first episode of the new podcast series “The INSEAD Perspective: Spotlight on Asia”, Sameer Hasija, Dean of Asia at INSEAD, speaks to Hyunjin Kim, INSEAD's Assistant Professor of Strategy,  about arguably the most pressing topic affecting business and society today: The impact of AI on business and entrepreneurship. 

There's a spectrum of views about the impact of AI, but where its effect on entrepreneurship is concerned, few share the vantage point with Kim, whose research covers a cross-section of over 500 start-ups and their interactions with AI.

Despite Asia’s relatively young population and drive, the “Asian Century” hasn’t come to fruition, notes Hasija. Kim remarks that the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face are access to capital and labour. AI can reduce these frictions and help build more capital- and labour-efficient businesses, bringing new opportunities to the region.