Navigating Grand Challenges:

Management, Policy and Innovation for Sustainable Growth

ISDSI-Global 2026

About the Conference Theme

ISDSI-Global Conference 2026 explores how management and public policy can jointly navigate global grand challenges such as climate change, inequality, technological disruption and institutional fragility, while advancing sustainable prosperity.

The conference invites multi-disciplinary, methodologically diverse work that connects organizations, markets and states to the Sustainable Development Goals and the “people–planet–prosperity” agenda. Contributions may draw on experiences from different regions and long-term development roadmaps such as net zero, inclusive and sustainable growth without being geographically limited.

Sub-themes

Examines how organizations and public policy jointly advance human well being, environmental sustainability and inclusive prosperity, aligned with SDGs and grand-challenges debates.

Indicative Topics
  Net zero and climate-resilient growth strategies (energy, cities, industry)
 Inequality, social protection, labour informality and decent work
 Health, education and human-development interventions and their management
 Corporate sustainability strategies and impact metrics
 Cross-sector coalitions for SDGs (government–business–civil society)

Focuses on how digital technologies, AI, data and innovation policy transform firms, sectors and economies, and how these transformations can be steered toward sustainable, inclusive outcomes.

Indicative Topics
 AI and data-driven decision-making in private and public organizations
 Digital platforms, ecosystems and new business models
 National and regional innovation systems, industrial policy and competitiveness
 Deep-tech, Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing/operations with specific focus on Pharma/IT industry
 Skills, human capital and migration in technology-intensive economies

Investigates how management research and education can be rigorous, relevant and impactful, and how it can inform practice and policy on grand challenges across contexts.

Indicative Topics
 Methodological innovation for grand-challenge and policy-relevant research (experiments, big data, simulations, mixed methods, design science)
 Impact frameworks and metrics (including FT-style and SDG-linked indicators)
 Pathways from research to regulation, corporate practice and societal change
 Co-production and engaged scholarship with governments, firms and communities
 Pedagogical innovation to aid impactful learning

Explores how institutional arrangements, governance mechanisms and incentive systems enable or constrain sustainable and inclusive transformations in markets and societies.

Indicative Topics
 Institutional quality, regulatory architectures and rule of law for sustainable development
 Regulatory innovation and sandboxes for fintech, climate tech, health-tech and digital platforms
 Governance of data, AI, privacy and digital public infrastructure
 Behavioural policy tools, nudges and incentive design in organizations and public policy
 Multi-level governance and coordination (local–national–global) for grand challenges

Addresses how firms, supply chains, public institutions and communities anticipate, absorb and adapt to shocks (climate, health, geopolitical, technological) and how innovation supports resilience.

Indicative Topics
 Climate and disaster risk management in supply chains, infrastructure and cities
 Organizational resilience, crisis leadership and adaptive strategy
 Social protection, health systems and community-level resilience
 Frugal and inclusive innovation under constraints, and scaling resilient solutions
 Global cooperation and multilateral initiatives for systemic risk management
 Geopolitical issues and strategies around it

Examines how human resource management, organizational behavior, and employment systems shape sustainable, inclusive, and resilient organizations and societies.

Indicative Topics
 Future of work, evolving employment relationships, and decent work outcomes
 Human capital development, reskilling, and workforce readiness for digital and green transitions
 Leadership, ethics, and responsible people management in addressing societal grand challenges
 Diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice in organizations and labor markets
 Employee well-being, mental health, and organizational resilience in contexts of uncertainty and change
 HR analytics, AI-enabled people management, and evidence-based decision-making

Examines how innovative financial products & services and technology integration can foster sustainable and inclusive growth.

Indicative Topics
 Regulatory policies, government initiatives, and frameworks driving sustainable finance and green investments
 Green bonds, sustainability-linked derivatives, ESG indices, and other financial market innovations
 Tech solutions for assessing, managing, and mitigating climate-related financial risks
 Fintech solutions enabling financial inclusion, promoting sustainability, and bridging gaps in emerging markets

Explores sustainable marketing, harnessing data, AI, and ethical branding to promote green consumption, combat greenwashing, and build loyalty across diverse demographics. It tackles emerging market challenges by predicting behaviors for targeted, trustworthy campaigns.

Indicative Topics
 Demographics, values, and attitudes towards sustainable consumption
 Marketing sustainable products and services in emerging markets
 Combating greenwashing and building authentic brand trust
 Using AI to understand and predict sustainable consumer behavior
 Industry-specific studies on sustainable marketing