Agentic AI and the Future of Leadership: The Emergence of Leadership as a Service

Call for Papers

Agentic AI and the Future of Leadership: The Emergence of Leadership as a Service

Journal: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission Opens: 1 December 2026
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 January 2027

Introduction
The mid-2020s represent a structural inflection point in socio-technical evolution, witnessing a fundamental departure from 'AI as a reactive tool' to 'Agentic AI'—autonomous systems characterized by goal-directed reasoning and iterative planning. This evolution has birthed Leadership as a Service (LaaS), where leadership is reimagined as a modular, scalable, algorithmically-driven service rather than a human prerogative within rigid hierarchies. This Special Issue examines how agentic systems assume autonomous managerial authority, challenging core management theory assumptions and creating governance lags evident in 'Headless Organizations' and 'Super-individuals'.

Guest Editors
Miles M. Yang (miles.yang@mq.edu.au) — Corresponding GE
Richard "Rick" Hunt (rickhunt@vt.edu)
George A. Shinkle (g.shinkle@unsw.edu.au)
Dominic Chalmers (Dominic.Chalmers@glasgow.ac.uk)

List of Topic Areas
Submissions invited on (but not limited to):

• Theoretical frameworks reconstructing organizational theory for agentic AI

• Governance models addressing the Alignment Gap in autonomous leadership

• Multi-agent ecosystems and coordination protocols preventing algorithmic drift

• Hierarchical compression and the middle management crisis

• Algorithmic security, adversarial leadership, and Zero-Trust Leadership frameworks

• Rise of AI-enabled solopreneurs challenging competitive advantage

• Legal legitimacy of organizations with algorithmic strategic sovereignty

• Forecasting LaaS maturation pathways (2025–2035) using Delphi/scenario methods

• Socio-Technical Transition Theory applications to agentic revolutions

• Public value creation through headless organizations and agent swarms

Guest Editors Contact Details

Submission Process & Deadlines
Manuscripts submitted through Editorial Manager at https://www.editorialmanager.com/tfs/default.aspx, selecting "VSI: AI and Leadership".
Opening: 1 December 2026 | Deadline: 31 January 2027
Rigorous double-blind peer review by experts. Original work only; no prior/concurrent submissions.

Submission Guidelines
Submission Portal: https://submit.elsevier.com/TFS
Guide for Authors: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/technological-forecasting-and-social-change/publish/guide-for-authors

About the Journal
Technological Forecasting and Social Change (Impact Factor 13.3, CiteScore 26.3), published by Elsevier, leads research at the intersection of technology, innovation, and societal transformation.

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