CHINA AS AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM
For years, the conversation around China centred on risk—how to manage it and diversify away from it. Today, China has become a global proving ground where products, talent, and capabilities are tested, refined, and increasingly built for the world.
Drawing on his Harvard Business Review work, Zak Dychtwald explores how China’s demanding consumers, fast-moving innovators, and deep technology ecosystem are reshaping global competition. He shares practical insights on understanding China’s innovation engine, competing with ideas developed there, and turning China from a market to manage into a strategic advantage.
This keynote provides leaders with a frontline perspective on China’s evolution and the lessons global organisations can apply to drive innovation, agility, and growth.
THE FIRST GLOBAL GENERATION
For much of modern history, “East” and “West” represented not only geography but different worldviews. Today, those boundaries are shifting. Young workers, leaders, and consumers across cities like Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, and São Paulo are increasingly shaped by shared experiences and global forces.
Drawing on Zak Dychtwald’s decade of fieldwork, Harvard Business Review research, and global youth study with EY, this keynote introduces his Lived Change Index—a framework that explores how generations shaped by different levels of change develop new expectations around work, brands, and leadership.
Zak examines where global generations are converging, where cultural differences still matter, and what these shifts mean for organisations navigating an increasingly interconnected world.
CROSS-CULTURAL LEADERSHIP & COLLABORATION
Zak Dychtwald can deliver this topic as either a keynote or interactive workshop, helping organisations understand how to build stronger collaboration across cultures, generations, and geographies.
As businesses become increasingly global, leaders must navigate differences in communication styles, decision-making approaches, and workplace expectations to create alignment and high-performing teams. Drawing on BridgeWorks Global’s research and Zak’s Lived Change Index framework, he explores how cultural and generational shifts are reshaping the way teams work together.
For the workshop format, participants go deeper through BridgeWorks Global’s signature Friction Mapping methodology, identifying sources of friction, uncovering different perspectives, and developing actionable strategies to improve collaboration. The session equips leaders and teams with practical tools to build trust, strengthen alignment, and turn differences into a strategic advantage.
