From the longer term impact of Covid to the Great Resignation, managers could face a tricky 12 months—here are five management trends impacting the business world in 2022
As we enter 2022, managers across all sectors will face significant hurdles.
Navigating trends like the long-term impacts of Covid, implementing much-needed sustainability measures, and addressing workplace inequality will all create a demanding environment for leaders.
In the BusinessBecause Special Report, Executive MBA Insights: 10 Leadership Challenges For 2022, world class business school professors and leading industry experts reveal the 10 challenges senior leaders will need to overcome in the next 12 months.
Here's a snapshot of five of those trends. Download and read our full Special Report for a breakdown of all 10 challenges, and how an Executive MBA could help you overcome them.
Discover the 10 leadership challenges facing business leaders in 2022, and find out how you can overcome them with an Executive MBA
1. Incorporating sustainability goals
In the wake of COP26, climate change should be high on any manager’s agenda. Current climate policies won’t be enough to keep global temperatures from rising above the 1.5C target proposed in the Paris Agreement. This creates an opportunity for businesses to take responsibility for decarbonizing their own operations.
“This isn’t a risk we can diversify away from as it’s going to affect all kinds of sectors, so represents an existential threat,” comments Jeremy Ghez, academic director of the HEC Paris Center for Geopolitics and scientific director of the school’s MSc Sustainability and Social Innovation program.
2. Tackling workplace inequality
Gender and racial inequality in the workplace persisted through 2021, and businesses are coming under increased scrutiny to ensure fair representation and advancement.
“It’s not only about gender but racial equality and social opportunities, and the role of companies in our society, which is going to become more and more important,” explains Miguel Simoes de Melo, partner at Bain & Company and head of the firm’s EMEA Strategy practice.
More than 38 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021. In the wake of the Covid pandemic, employees are reassessing what they want from work, and whether they can get it from their current employer.
“People sense that we’re going through another tectonic shift in the workplace,” says Risa Mish, professor of practice with a focus on human capital at Cornell University’s SC Johnson Graduate School of Management.
This trend, coined the ‘Great Resignation’, is a major trend for managers to handle—leading to a shortage of talent across sectors, especially in healthcare and tech.
Between the mental health challenges of remote work and handling the ongoing fallout of Covid, employees’ mental health continued to suffer in 2021. That’s why handling mental health issues and burnout will be a critical management trend for 2022.
The problem is particularly acute in healthcare, where intensive workloads have led to widespread staff burnout.
“The challenges facing clinical professionals are intense, especially when hospital admissions increase, the ones that are on the front line and dealing with covid have a different experience to healthcare professionals working in industry," explains Sunita Sah, associate professor of management and organizations and director of academic leadership at Cornell University’s SC Johnson Graduate School of Management.
5. Leveraging tech acceleration
Rapid tech developments in areas like energy, transport, and healthcare can bring about huge innovation and change lives—but they’re not without their challenges.
According to Tim Andrews, VP at Booz Allen Hamilton and co-author of A Brief History of a Perfect Future, data security is one major concern that this kind of innovation brings.
Discover a more in depth overview of the trends and leadership challenges facing business leaders in 2022, and find out how you can overcome them with an Executive MBA by downloading BusinessBecause Executive MBA Insights: 10 Leadership Challenges For 2022.
Cornell University The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Student
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31/10/2023
On Campus
Outstanding facilities
Cornell University is widely renowned for its esteemed reputation. It boasts remarkable educators, well-stocked library resources, and efficient administrative services. The university offers outstanding amenities that cater to the needs of all individuals, with ample computer facilities and study areas. Moreover, students benefit from excellent educational communication and writing support, as well as guidance from highly knowledgeable education professionals.
Stacy
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31/10/2023
On Campus
Gaining knowledge
Cornell is an amazing school with tons of opportunities for future careers. The campus is beautiful, and the professors are awesome. I feel like I'm getting a great education, and it's tough but rewarding. It's pushed me to grow and improve myself, and the competition here is healthy, not cutthroat. I'm learning to work with others and to help them, just like they've helped me. This is the best school I could have chosen.
Student
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19/10/2023
On Campus
LLM Program at Cornell Tech
The LLM program at Cornell Tech offers a transformative educational experience, seamlessly merging law and technology. Its innovative curriculum, exceptional faculty, and proximity to New York's tech hub provide an unparalleled learning environment. Another plus I could think of is the close relationship between programs - as we did our classes in one relatively small complex, so I could easily interact with colleagues from Computer Science or Business programs. Such an experience allows me to gain fresh perspective in many matters.
However, one downside of doing the Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship program is the insufficiency of the curriculum to allow the students to sit for the bar (not that this would matter to people with common law background). But, if taking the bar is your goal, Cornell provides you with the option of taking an additional semester in Ithaca that will fulfil the required courses for NY bar.
All in all, I love my Cornell Tech experience. Would do it all over again 100%!
Student
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3/09/2023
On Campus
Evident
I'm thoroughly impressed with the courses and the people at Cornell. The variety of unique and captivating courses is exceptional, and it's evident that the majority of the staff and faculty are sincerely invested in your success. Additionally, forming friendships with fellow students has been a delightful experience, as they hail from diverse backgrounds and consistently support one another.
Maxwell
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25/08/2023
On Campus
Diversity driven
It's an amazing place to be, populated by a variety of individuals from different origins, all motivated by their interests and goals. You can explore a wide array of subjects, and we're skilled at both working hard and enjoying a lively social life.
Student
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22/08/2023
On Campus
Various fields of study
The university provides a great opportunity to delve into new fields of study, with its wide range of majors and options for pursuing unique career paths. Participating in extracurricular activities and building friendships can help reduce the stress and competitiveness that often come with academics, fostering a more balanced and healthier experience.
Jason
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22/08/2023
On Campus
Social life
It's an incredible location to be in, filled with a diverse range of people from various backgrounds, all driven by their passions and ambitions. You have the opportunity to study virtually anything you can imagine, and we certainly know how to enjoy ourselves. Balancing hard work with an equally vibrant social life is our specialty.
Irene
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20/06/2023
On Campus
Friendly environment
I liked being able to meet so many different people from all over the country and the world, and Cornell has always been welcoming to me since the day I arrived in freshman year. Cornell's community is very supportive; students are encouraged to work together to solve problems and really support one another in every situation, and professors are always willing to assist students in need.
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17/05/2023
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Masters in CS, practical learning program
I studied MS CS at Cornell Tech. It is an intensive 9 months program which focuses on practical learning. The highlight of the program is the studio based curriculum where students learn how to build ventures from scratch.
Student
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10/06/2024
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Open to any kind of view and ideas
I spent time training abroad at Cornell University (Ivy League University), Ithaca, USA, working on a project entitled “Characteristics of Packaging films made from whey proteins”, under an ‘International Student Exchange Program’. Although I was simply enrolled in an undergraduate program, I took a keen interest in undertaking a challenging food science research project, which demonstrated my independent thinking at an early stage. I worked on the feasibility of preparing edible packaging films using whey protein isolates. I demonstrated scientific and analytical skills in carrying out the experimental work, while working in a research laboratory. In a very short time span (6 months), I was able to demonstrate my experimental, interpretation and analysis skills. As a result, my research work was accepted for presentation in the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, Dallas, Texas in the year 2000.I demonstrated intellectual/problem solving/management judgements and good communication skills. It was stated that the work was carried out with “great care, paying particular attention to detail”. Enjoyable campus landscape.
