Strategic Leadership in a Multipolar and AI‑driven World: Integrating Indigenous and Global Contexts

Call for papers

Strategic Leadership in a Multipolar and AI‑driven World: Integrating Indigenous and Global Contexts

Journal
Journal of Strategy and Management

Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing

Submission Deadline
31 May 2026

About this Special Issue
We celebrate strategic leadership in a globalised, AI‑enabled world — but how do leaders manage the hidden complexities of a multipolar and technologically saturated environment? From artificial intelligence and digital platforms to geopolitical volatility and socio‑cultural diversity, strategic leaders must navigate environmental, ethical, and governance challenges that often remain under‑examined in mainstream discourse.

This special issue invites research that critically examines the risks, governance, and sustainability dimensions of strategic leadership as firms move from traditional models to AI‑driven, globally interconnected operations. It seeks to move beyond celebratory narratives of technological progress and leadership excellence, instead fostering rigorous, evidence‑based inquiry into how strategic leaders balance power, ethics, inclusivity, and long‑term resilience across diverse contexts.

We welcome conceptual, empirical, review, and policy‑oriented contributions across diverse settings — especially cross‑country, multi‑level, and emerging‑market perspectives that connect indigenous leadership practices with global management paradigms.

Scope & Theme Areas
Submissions are invited on, but not limited to, the following themes:

• AI‑dependent strategic leadership — How strategic leaders impact organisations in AI‑driven work environments, including decision‑making under uncertainty and algorithmic dependence.

• Stakeholder governance in multipolar markets — Challenges, relationships, and influences of strategic leaders on employees, suppliers, customers, strategic partners, local communities, regulators, governments, and investors in politically and economically diverse environments.

• Geopolitical volatility and leadership behaviour — How changing and unpredictable geopolitical environments shape strategic leadership behaviour in global organisations.

• National interests and macro‑environmental influences — How countries’ strategic interests and dynamic macro environments influence leadership styles, skills, and strategic choices.

• Competencies for AI‑driven leadership — Core leadership competencies and know‑how required for strategic leaders to navigate increasing AI dependence, including tech literacy, ethics, and societal impact.

• Business‑state and national‑interest relationships — Strategic perspectives on the interplay between business objectives, national self‑interests, and the broader strategic leadership environment.

• Cross‑context leadership learning — How strategic leaders learn from effective leadership exemplars operating in different countries or regions of the world.

• Indigenous approaches to strategic leadership — Empirical studies showcasing indigenous leadership practices and their application to navigating AI‑driven transformations and digital disruption.

• Cultural dynamics and leadership practice — How indigenous values and cultural dynamics influence strategic leadership in multipolar and AI‑enabled environments.

• Resilience and adaptability — The role of strategic leadership in fostering organisational resilience, agility, and crisis preparedness in volatile geopolitical and technological landscapes.

• Indigenous ethics and decision‑making — How indigenous knowledge systems and cultural traditions inform ethical decision‑making in strategic leadership.

• AI‑based organisational transformation — The interplay between indigenous strategic leadership practices and AI‑based organisational transformation, including empowerment, delegation, and high‑power‑distance cultures.

• Phenomenon‑driven research in emerging markets — Research in emerging markets that can contribute to the development of universal strategic leadership theories.

• Comparative and critical reviews — Comparative studies and theory development on strategic leadership traits, behaviours, and competencies in indigenous and Western contexts and their global applicability.

Guest Editors

• Professor Krishna Venkitachalam, Professor of Strategic Management, College of Business Administration, Ajman University, Ajman, UAE

• Professor José C. Alves, Dean and Professor of Management, Faculty of Business, City University of Macau

• Professor Thierry Burger‑Helmchen, Professor of Innovation Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, BETA‑CNRS, University of Strasbourg, France

Key Deadlines & Dates

Submission Guidelines

• Manuscripts must be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

• When submitting, select the special issue title “Strategic Leadership in a Multipolar and AI‑driven World: Integrating Indigenous and Global Contexts” from the dropdown menu under “Please select the issue you are submitting to.”

• Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

• Authors should follow the Journal of Strategy and Management author guidelines available on the journal’s Emerald page.

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