The great transformation in business and society : Reflections on current culture and extrapolation for the future

Purpose – The purpose of this is to trace the current changes in business and society and identify the forces that shape the new landscape. It is argued that any attempt to continue business as usual is doomed to fail. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the change of paradigms that is taking place, and calls for respective alignment of business and political leaders. It further proposes that failure to perceive the changes or to take action, will lead to catastrophic consequences for people, organizations and society. Findings – The paper concludes that there is a great need to change the fundamental principles of society away from dominance towards partnership and care; to change the fundamental paradigms which have stimulated the economy for centuries away from growth, towards transformation; to change the fundamental values underlying business from financial gain towards balanced values. The impact on economy and business would be far‐reaching, shifting their roles to focus on the real needs of people and society. Originality/value – This paper proposes a roadmap to managing in tomorrow's landscape and is a wake‐up call to all people concerned with the future of our planet – political and business leaders, and scholars who conduct cross‐cultural research. Social responsibility needs to be taken seriously, and investment made in the future. Business and political leaders need to take the helm in this endeavor, and the role of the scholarly community is to provoke them to act.