Academy of Management Scholars’ Predictions for 2026

A man in a business suit and tie holds his hands over a crystal ball, in which he sees skyscrapers. — Source: Shutterstock

Published on: December 3, 2025 at 4:32 pm

As 2025 drew to a close, Academy of Management scholars at universities all over the world made predictions for what is likely to happen related to AI and technology, management and organizations, business news, and workplace trends in the coming year. Here are nine prognostications for 2026:

Leaders Who Don’t Embrace AI Efficiencies Will Become Obsolete
Herman Aguinis of The George Washington University

Human-like AI at Work Will Generate Three Threats
Christian Tröster of Kühne Logistics University

The Key to Success as Human-AI Collaboration Expands
Christopher Myers of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

Traditional DEI Frameworks Will Be Reimagined in 2026
Quinetta Roberson of Michigan State University

Companies that Stuck with DEI Policies Will Reap Benefits in 2026
Carol Kulik of the University of South Australia

Why 2026 Will Be the Year of the Line Manager
Carol Kulik of the University of South Australia

Performance Management Will Be Transformed in 2026
Peter Bamberger of Tel Aviv University

Indigenous Peoples Will Change How We Think about the Purpose of Business
Stephen Cummings of Victoria University of Wellington

Relationships Will Matter More than Ever in 2026
Kris Byron of Georgia State University

Author

Daniel Butcher

Daniel Butcher is a writer and the Managing Editor of AOM Today at the Academy of Management (AOM). Previously, he was a writer and the Finance Editor for Strategic Finance magazine and Management Accounting Quarterly, a scholarly journal, at the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). Prior to that, he worked as a writer/editor at The Financial Times, including daily FT sister publications Ignites and FundFire, as well as Crain Communications’s InvestmentNews and Crain’s Wealth, eFinancialCareers, and Arizent’s Financial Planning, Re:Invent|Wealth, On Wall Street, Bank Investment Consultant, and Money Management Executive. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and his master’s degree from New York University. You can reach him at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.

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