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Journal of the American Management Association and Management Centre Europe
MCE Quarterly
Leadership Edition 2026
Leadership is no longer defined by authority alone. As organizations navigate AI, economic uncertainty, and increasingly complex ways of working, leaders are expected to influence across functions, drive transformation, and develop people – often with limited support.
Drawing on AMA’s/MCE’s latest research, this article explores the widening gap between leadership expectations and organizational readiness, and outlines five strategic actions organizations can take to build sustainable leadership capacity for the future.
EDITOR’S PICK
When Expectations Outpace Support
Organizations have never expected more from their leaders. Whether they’ve provided the support to match is another question.
We often think of leadership as if it’s a personal challenge. Develop the right skills, build resilience, and improve communication. But AMA’s latest leadership research points to a different reality. Even the most capable leaders struggle when the systems around them aren’t designed to support success. Work has changed. The walls between roles have come down, cross-functional collaboration is essential, and leaders are expected to navigate complexity, drive transformation, develop talent, and embrace new technologies—and often all at once. One theme surfaced repeatedly as we assembled this issue: Organizations continue to raise expectations while underestimating the support leaders need to meet them. The gap between expectations and support may be one of the defining leadership challenges of our time. Across this issue, you’ll find insights on leadership, organizational alignment, and AI-driven innovation. While the topics vary, a common question runs through them: How do organizations create the conditions for people to perform at their best in an increasingly unpredictable world? AMA’s research suggests the answer comes down to investment: in leadership development, coaching, role clarity, and support systems that help leaders succeed. Build that foundation and you build the capacity to meet whatever comes next. The work ahead is growing more complex, but AMA’s mission remains the same: equipping leaders to grow, teams to perform, and organizations to exceed expectations.
AMA/MCE RESEARCH :
Rethinking Leadership for the Reality of Work
As leaders take on work beyond their formal roles while navigating technological disruption and uncertainty, organizational expectations outpace support systems.
New findings point to five strategic actions organizations can take to strengthen leadership capacity and reduce role overload while building alignment in a continuously transforming workplace.
OTHER ARTICLES
THE EVOLVING ROLE OF LEADERSHIP
- From High Performer to Leader: The Self-Awareness Shift That Defines Great Managers
The habits that drive personal success can become leadership blind spots when responsibility expands beyond individual performance. By Jill Macauley - Managing in the Age of Complexity
When disruption becomes routine, managers are the ones responsible for turning uncertainty into action. By Alan Zucker - Leading Without Authority: Influence Is the New Currency
As organizations become flatter and more interconnected, influence increasingly determines who can create alignment and drive results. By JM Ryerson
ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND ALIGNMENT
- Driving Alignment in Complex Organizations
Work now moves across functions and competing priorities. Alignment depends on leaders who can connect people to a shared outcome. By Janice Kapner - Why Engagement Surveys Miss the Real Story
Employee engagement cannot be fully understood through survey data. The conversations and behaviors between measurement cycles often reveal far more. By Summer Alexander - What Is the ‘New Deal’ in the Workplace?
Employees and employers are renegotiating expectations around trust, flexibility, well-being and performance. The results are reshaping the modern workplace. By Angela Rixon
AI, INNOVATION, AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
- How to Move AI from Pilot to Production
Most AI initiatives never reach production or generate measurable business value. The challenge lies less in the technology than in organizational readiness. By Martin Bittner - When AI Makes Everyone Sound Smart, Who Stands Out?
Artificial intelligence can generate polished language, but credibility still depends on judgment and the ability to communicate with genuine authority. By Graham David
MCE Recommends
Today’s leadership challenges demand more than awareness—they require new skills, new behaviours, and new ways of leading. If the challenges explored in this article resonate with you or your organization, the programmes below will help you build the capabilities needed to lead with greater confidence, resilience, and impact.
Leading People in Uncertain Times
Build the confidence and resilience to lead teams through continuous change.
- 3 Days In Person
- 6 Sessions Online
- Available In Company
Getting Results Without Authority
Develop the influence skills needed to lead across functions and matrix organizations.
- 3 Days In Person
- 4 Sessions Online
- Available In Company
Strategic Leadership in an Uncertain Future
Strengthen strategic decision-making and align people around changing priorities.
- 3 Days In Person
- 6 Sessions Online
- Available In Company
Not sure which one fits your situation?
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Management Centre Europe
Management Centre Europe (MCE) is the leading provider of International Management Development in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Founded in 1961, MCE is part of the American Management Association’s (AMA) Global Network. We inspire more than 1,000 organizations and over 10,000 managers and leaders through our Open Enrolment Training Programmes and our Customized Learning Solutions each year. We have been in the EMEA region for more than 58 years and our team of Learning and Development professionals can support you to achieve the impact you need at individual, team and organizational levels.