The Drift Trap: Why Uncertainty is Supercharging Organisation Drift and How Leaders Can Stop It

The session

Most organisations don’t suddenly fail. They quietly decay through strategic drift - the gradual accumulation of small slippages, misalignments, and mistakes. This drift occurs in all firms to some extent – it’s what naturally happens when activity isn't tightly controlled by targets, plans, and processes. Decisions can be delayed, priorities diverge, and standards soften.

In high-performing businesses, it’s mostly kept in check. But now, two shifts in the business environment - sustained economic uncertainty and AI-driven organisational restructuring - are together radically altering the drift equation. Because they are simultaneously supercharging strategic drift whilst also significantly reducing firms' ability to identify and contain it.

For years, organisations and their leaders have been told they need to pivot faster and be more agile. And adaptability will always be important. But the real challenge today is how you create durability by resisting strategic drift. In this workshop, I’ll describe the research…