The Executive Edge (Q3 2025): Workplace Culture, Regenerative Thinking, and Engaging Culture as a Brand Strategy

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Trends Impacting Workplace Culture

• Axios: CEOs tighten grip on workplace culture, dialing back flexibility
• Economic Times HR World: How India is redefining workplace culture, careers and purpose for Gen Z
• Forbes: Flexible Working Policies Alone Don’t Change Workplace Culture, Study Shows
• HR Dive: The human-machine era is here, but work culture may not be ready for it
• Inc. Com: Why Your Company’s Reputation Matters More than Ever to Jobseekers
• London School of Economics: The always-on work culture and its consequences
• University of Exeter: Competitive work culture fuels impostor feelings, studies find
   

Headline Highlights: Workplace culture is shifting in ways that challenge long-held assumptions about flexibility and employee expectations. CEOs are taking a more active role in shaping culture—sometimes by pulling back on flexibility—while younger generations are redefining what meaningful work looks like. New research suggests that “always-on” norms continue to blur boundaries and fuel burnout, and competitive environments may intensify impostor feelings. And as human-machine collaboration accelerates, many organizations are struggling to keep their culture evolving at the same pace.

Expert Perspective from Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, Professor of Management and Organizations, Michigan Ross:

How can leaders maintain a strong sense of connection and shared purpose when teams are spread across different locations, time zones, and working arrangements?

One of the most important challenges leaders face in today’s post-COVID world is restoring the sense of belonging that binds people together when they’re not physically together. What we know from research is that connection doesn’t happen automatically; it has to be designed. The strongest cultures are intentional about creating what I call “immensely human interactions”—moments that weave empathy, curiosity, and humility into the fabric of daily work.

These moments might look like a manager taking the time to check in one-on-one without an agenda, or teams using a few minutes of meeting time to share personal stories (of joy or struggles) or express gratitude. Even seemingly simple gestures—asking follow-up questions, paying attention to meaningful objects in someone’s Zoom background, or creating space for informal conversations—signal that people matter beyond their output. When people feel seen and valued in these ways, shared purpose naturally strengthens. It’s through these everyday human moments that culture is lived, not through slogans on a wall.
 

In a time when CEOs are tightening control over flexibility, how can leaders maintain trust and autonomy without losing cohesion?

It’s a real tension. Culture can’t be engineered through policies alone; it’s reflected in the everyday social dynamics that shape how people experience their work. And when organizations pull back on flexibility, employees often interpret that through an emotional lens, asking, “Do they still trust me?” Moreover, many are keenly aware that many CEOs not only work remotely, but they also don’t even live in the city or state of the organization. The hypocrisy does not go unnoticed. 

What helps maintain cohesion is transparency about why decisions are being made, coupled with humility and openness about what’s still being learned. There are several hypotheses about what will be gained when people are in the office together; everyone should be open to revising those hunches in light of ongoing experiences. Leaders who invite feedback and share that sense of learning in real time can send a powerful message that culture isn’t about control; it’s about shared ownership. In practice, that means giving people clarity on purpose and priorities, while allowing teams to adapt the “how” in ways that fit their realities. When trust and autonomy coexist, employees don’t need constant oversight to stay aligned; they stay aligned because they care about the mission and feel respected in how they contribute to it.
 

What distinguishes workplace cultures that can thrive amid disruption—whether driven by technology or market forces—from those that fracture under it?

Cultures that thrive in disruption make room for both the rational and emotional sides of change. They normalize the idea that uncertainty brings discomfort and see those emotions as part of progress rather than as problems to suppress. Leaders who acknowledge what people are feeling—fatigue, frustration, even fear—help maintain connection and motivation through honesty and empathy.

Equally important, these cultures channel that emotional awareness into curiosity and experimentation. I often encourage leaders to model this through what we call humility huddles: spaces where ideas can be shared before they’re polished. When people see leaders invite feedback on incomplete thoughts, it signals that learning and co-creation are valued over perfection. These practices strengthen social capital, build trust, and make organizations more adaptive. Technology may redefine how we work, but it’s our capacity for empathy, curiosity, and humility that will determine how well we adapt.

 

Regenerative Thinking for Business

• Fast Company: Regenerative thinking will help businesses prosper
• Food Navigator: Unilever and PepsiCo among companies in new regenerative agriculture initiative
• Forbes: Harmless Harvest Leads Regenerative Shift In Thai Coconut Agriculture
• McDonald's Corporation: McDonald’s USA Makes Company’s Largest-Ever Investment in Regenerative Agriculture through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Partnership
• The Economist: Beyond sustainability: businesses embrace “regenerative” systems thinking
   

Headline Highlights: Business leaders are shifting from a “sustainability” mindset to a more comprehensive “regenerative” approach—moving from minimizing harm to actively restoring ecosystems, communities, and value. This emerging approach treats enterprises as part of living systems rather than extractive engines, and suggests that companies that embed regeneration will be better positioned for long-term prosperity.

Expert Perspective from STU Hart, Professor in Residence, Erb Institute, university of michigan:

Many organizations have made strong sustainability commitments—but “regenerative” thinking takes it a step further. How would you explain the difference, and why is that shift important for the future of business?

“Sustainability” for business focuses on both reducing the negative impacts associated with current products and processes (being less bad) and innovating tomorrow’s inherently clean and sustainable technologies and serving the underserved (being more good). “Regenerative” strategy elevates thinking to the system level (e.g., economic, energy, food, climate) to ensure that company activities are not extractive, but rather facilitative of long-term health and resilience.
 

You’ve long emphasized the need for businesses to create value for both people and the planet. What steps can leaders take to move from incremental improvements to real systems change?

Business action for real systems change means understanding the larger picture—what systems and networks the firm is embedded in—and recognizing that investment is needed beyond the “four walls” of the firm, and even the value chain of the company. Regenerative strategy often means addressing larger systemic issues that are material to the business, such as deforestation, living wage, climate change, inequality, or agricultural regeneration; it means building partnerships and coalitions to transform the larger policy and institutional landscape.  Ultimately, I believe it also means taking responsibility to help transform the “rules of the game” of capitalism itself so as to escape from the current grip of short-termism and shareholder primacy that are wreaking havoc on society.
 

Are there any examples of organizations you’ve seen successfully apply regenerative thinking—whether in their products, supply chains, or partnerships—and what can others learn from their approach?

Regenerative thinking can be applied to any industry or sector, but the food and agriculture space has been the place where perhaps the most immediate attention has been directed to “regeneration.” It makes sense given the need for soils, watersheds, and fisheries to be regenerated if we are to support 8 billion plus humans into the future without killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Companies like Mars have made significant headway in supporting regenerative practices in their supply chain, including working directly with poor, smallholder farming communities to build soils—and livelihoods—at the same time. Griffith Foods is a company I have personally worked with that has tied its corporate purpose and strategy to three key aspirations: 1. Partnering to create sustainable food systems networks; 2. Developing a nutritious and sustainable portfolio, and 3. Creating new markets and serving the underserved.

 

Engaging Culture as a Brand Strategy

• AdAge: How brands are embracing book culture to build real-life ties to consumers
• Creativebrief: Tapping into festival culture: food is the new rock and roll
• Marketing Brew: Brands were all-in on the Coldplay concert couple. Should they have been?
• Marketing Dive: CMOs share what brands get wrong when marketing to Gen Z
• NPR: Brands are loving Taylor Swift's engagement. Do they need to calm down?
• The Harris Poll: Boomers Are Buying Into Nostalgia, Utility & Cultural Crossover – And Top Brands Are Responding
   

Headline Highlights: Marketers are leaning deeper into cultural moments to build real-world connections—from book and festival trends to high-visibility pop culture events. But as brand involvement intensifies, questions are emerging about when cultural alignment feels meaningful versus performative. New research shows generational differences in what audiences actually value, with younger consumers expecting authenticity and older consumers gravitating toward nostalgia and practicality. Together, these shifts are reshaping how brands show up and what resonates.

Expert Perspective from Marcus Collins, Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing, Michigan Ross:

We’ve reached a point where nearly every cultural event sparks a wave of brand posts within hours. How has this constant cycle shaped how audiences perceive brands—and what other consequences do you see?

The rapid response opportunities that today’s technologies afford us enable brands to jump into the discourse of the cultural zeitgeist and express their personality. Is the brand witty, earnest, adventurous, or heartwarming? The personality of the brand allows it to anthropomorphize itself to mean more than just its value propositions. In doing so, brands benefit from perceived relevance (this brand is for me) because the brand’s voice is congruent with the consumer’s sense of self.

Not to mention, there is the potential for additional pass-along that comes from people sharing the brand's contribution to the conversation as a consumer identity project. Super! Engaging the potential of cultural events helps brands garner some goodwill with the customer and maybe even some additional media. The challenge, however, is that if your contribution to the conversation misses the mark, if it’s out of sync with the consumer’s POV, you risk rejection and the social passalong that people engage in to tell their social networks what to avoid. The knife cut both ways.
 

Many brands want to “show up” in cultural conversations, but not every moment is meant for every brand. How can marketers tell when a cultural moment truly aligns with their brand’s identity and when it’s better to stay quiet?

Showing up in cultural moments should only be initiated when the brand has something meaningful to contribute to the discourse. By that I mean, does the brand have a POV on the topic based on the way it sees the world? If you do, by all means, show up. If you don’t, please don’t. It’s like any other conversation; if you don’t have anything to contribute to the topic, you’re better off just keeping quiet than potentially making a fool of yourself. And therein lies the challenge: far too many brands don’t have a point of view about the world beyond their products and their value propositions, so they don’t have anything worth saying. However, they can’t resist the urge to jump because they’ve heard so much about “moving at the speed of culture,” so they think they must. So, they do, with nothing meaningful to say because the meanings of their brands don’t go much further than category, I’m afraid.
 

For organizational leaders trying to infuse culture into their strategy, where should they begin?

First, you must identify in which culture you engage because there are many, many, many, many cultures. Are you going after F1 fans? Sneakerheads? Gearheads? Disney Adults? Runners? Which one(s)? Once you've identified who you need to engage, you must then identify their social facts—their beliefs, artifacts, behaviors, language, and productions. What are their dynamics? What matters to them? Identifying this requires a ton of intimacy. Lastly, you must identify how the brand can utilize its resources to contribute to these conventions and help them based on the brand’s POV of the world. What resources can you provide? What hurdles can you move? If identifying their social facts is a matter of intimacy, then identifying opportunities to contribute is a matter of empathy. 
 

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