Innovation and transformation strategies in an unstable world

In the 2010s, the idea of linear, boundless progress seemed destined to last. Abundant capital, lightweight technologies, dissolved borders: all it took was a good digital idea to “change the world.” It was the age of expansive rhetoric, of unshakable faith in innovation as a universal engine of growth. But today, that cycle has come to an end. The dream of a seamless globalization has shattered against a reality marked by new economic, political, and cultural fractures. Growth is no longer automatic: it is a choice, and as such it requires clarity, responsibility, and a renewed ability to interpret the context.

The second fracture is technological. After the euphoria of “disruption,” a more mature attitude is emerging. Innovation alone is not enough: it has often failed to deliver on its promises while generating new vulnerabilities—from disinformation to the concentration of power. Today, adopting technology also means being able to govern its implications. Some companies limit themselves to a tactical use of digital innovations; others take on systemic challenges—energy, health, logistics—by combining digital tools, infrastructure, and applied science.

From rhetoric to pragmatics,