What it actually takes to future-proof your organization

Hint: It’s about people, not technology.

Over the past decade, I’ve watched leaders chase digital transformation like it was the only game in town. Faster systems, leaner processes, and smarter automation have been the goals. And yet, the organizations that are genuinely thriving in the “Imagination Era”—this moment defined by AI, volatility, and the premium on creative thinking—aren’t winning on technology alone. They’re winning on people. The question is: Do they actually know why?

I recently spoke with Angela Jackson, Harvard University lecturer, founder of Future Forward Strategies, and author of The Win-Win Workplace, whose research across more than 1,700 companies offers a data-backed answer. Her most striking finding? Most organizations still can’t measure what makes their people uniquely valuable—and that blind spot is becoming catastrophically expensive.

“If you don’t understand how humans are uniquely adding value, it’s really difficult to optimize for that,” said Jackson, who has a doctorate in education leadership from........

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