Catalyst

Why this moment mattered for Catalyst and for Europe. Being in London for the d&i Leaders (Diversity and Inclusion Leaders) Forum was a powerful reminder that, even amid rapid change; AI acceleration, economic uncertainty, and political complexity, the core of inclusion work remains deeply human. Across conversations, a clear theme emerged: we may have overcomplicated inclusion. Progress isn’t about adding more frameworks or tools, it’s about returning to fundamentals. Do people feel safe, valued, heard, and able to contribute? There was also honest reflection on how quickly inclusion efforts can be deprioritized when they aren’t fully embedded into leadership accountability, systems, and culture. True progress requires shared ownership and a shift beyond relying on ERGs alone to carry this work forward. Another critical takeaway: inclusion cannot sit on the sidelines of AI transformation. Questions of trust, fairness, accessibility, and adoption gaps must be central to how organisations across Europe shape the future of work. We’re especially grateful to D&I Leaders for convening such an engaged, global community, and proud to have Catalyst represented by Victor Penda, Lucy Kallin, and Dr Eleanor Smith (Ellie) to conversations grounded in evidence and real‑world impact. London was more than a host city. It was a space for reflection, recalibration, and renewed momentum and we’re leaving energized to keep advancing this work across Europe and beyond. #DILeaders #GlobalForum #London #WorkplaceInclusion

Inclusion decisions are under scrutiny. New research from Catalyst and NYU Law’s Meltzer Center, based on 2,000+ respondents, gives leaders clear, research‑backed guidance for making confident, defensible decisions about fairness and inclusion. This isn’t about retreat. It’s about clarity. 👉 Save this post 📖 A New Path to Inclusion #Leadership #FutureOfWork #Inclusion

In 2002, the Oakland A’s couldn’t compete with baseball’s biggest budgets. So they stopped optimizing for superstar talent and redesigned their team around undervalued performance metrics. They went to the playoffs. Bigger-budget teams didn’t. Twenty years later, many organizations are making the same mistake as old‑school baseball. Despite heavy investments in talent, only 30% of workplace teams are high‑performing, according to global research from Dale Carnegie. The issue isn’t intelligence. It’s how teams are designed. Research led by Anita Woolley shows that collective intelligence, not individual IQ, is a stronger predictor of team performance. Teams perform better not because they are smarter, but because they integrate what they know more effectively. As Woolley explains, today’s problems are too complex for any single expert. Innovation has become a social process. Collaboration, psychological safety, cognitive diversity, and trust now matter as much as technical skill. The takeaway is clear: Your advantage won’t come from hiring the smartest people or using the same AI tools as everyone else. It comes from out‑designing how teams work together. 👉 Read The Science of Building Teams in Fieldnotes to explore what actually makes teams perform. Link in bio. What’s one change leaders could make today to unlock stronger collaboration on their teams?

AI adoption across Europe is accelerating; but organisations are still struggling to explain what it’s really delivering. In a recent article, Dr. Ellie Smith, Director of Research, EMEA at Catalyst, drawing on Catalyst & Coqual research, highlights a growing gap: while many organisations track the business impact of AI, far fewer can measure its impact on people. The data is striking. 95% of business leaders say their organisations are not tracking AI’s impact at all. And where measurement does exist, it overwhelmingly prioritises system‑level metrics like innovation or decision‑making over employee outcomes such as engagement, retention, or career progression. This creates a blind spot at precisely the moment AI is reshaping how work is done. In the article for the LSE Business Review, Dr. Smith reframes the challenge clearly: measuring AI is not just a technical or ROI exercise. It’s a leadership and governance issue; one that requires leaders to ask not only “Is it working?” but “For whom is it working, and at what cost?” Without visibility into people outcomes, organisations risk overstating success, missing early warning signs of disengagement, and embedding systems that undermine trust and long‑term performance. #Leadership #ConvergentLeadership

Two days. One community. Catalyst Convene 2026 brought us together in New York; across activations, main stage conversations, and breakout sessions that highlighted real progress in action. Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and virtually.

AI adoption continues to accelerate. And yet many organisations are struggling to translate that investment into sustained performance. A recent article featured in HR Magazine, drawing on Catalyst & Coqual’s Convergent Leadership research, points to why. The issue isn’t a lack of technology. It’s a lack of leadership capability to lead people through AI‑driven change. When leaders don’t model confidence, good judgement, and inclusive decision‑making, trust erodes. Employees turn to informal workarounds. Responsible AI principles exist, but don’t consistently show up in day‑to‑day choices. The research identifies a different leadership profile; the Convergent Leader. Leaders who bring together AI understanding, inclusive behaviours, and human‑centred judgement are far more likely to turn AI adoption into productivity, innovation, and retention. This reframes the challenge: AI performance is not primarily a systems issue. It is a leadership one. 📖 Featured in HR Magazine: “Convergent leadership: AI success is down to people” /content/comment/convergent-leadership-ai-success-is-down-to-people A question for senior leaders and HR: Where is your organisation most exposed today, leadership capability, trust, or decision‑making under uncertainty?

Catalyst Convene 2026 concludes with a powerful takeaway: inclusion isn’t optional, it’s how we drive performance, especially when it’s embedded into how we lead. Across two days, we explored leadership, trust, AI, gender partnership, and the systems needed to sustain progress. We leave you with a quote from our President and CEO, @jennifersmccollum , shared during Convene: “… yes, this is a challenging moment. But it is also a defining one. Because moments like this don’t just test us — they reveal who we are. And what this community has revealed over these last two days is clarity, courage, generosity, and resolve. You showed up. You engaged. And you reminded us that this mission still matters deeply. I believe we’ll look back a year, a decade, a generation from now and know that we did our part — and that it made a difference.”. Thank you to the speakers, award recipients, and community members who made these conversations meaningful. We’re carrying this momentum forward. #Convene26 #Leadership #InclusionThatWorks

Today, we're focusing on applying insight to action—recognizing leaders and organizations driving progress, going deeper on inclusion, trust, and performance, and closing with a shared view of what’s next for work. Looking forward to another day of meaningful conversation and connection. #Convene26 #LeadershipInAction #FutureOfWork

Today’s conversations explored what leaders need now—trust, inclusion, and systems that drive performance in a rapidly changing world. From leadership and culture to AI and gender partnership, the dialogue set a strong foundation.  We closed on this note: "And clarity comes with responsibility — to redesign systems, to share accountability, and to lead differently than we have before. And we’re not done yet. Tomorrow, we’ll dive deeper into what it takes to sustain impact.  See you for Day 2.  #Convene26

Catalyst Convene 2026 is underway in New York.  Today, leaders from across industries are coming together to explore what it takes to build inclusive, high‑performing workplaces—now and in the future.  Over the next two days, we’ll hear from researchers, executives, and inclusion practitioners on leadership, trust, AI, culture, gender partnership, and more.  Follow along for highlights from the conversations shaping what’s next for work.  #Convene26 #InclusiveLeadership #FutureOfWork

This week at Catalyst Convene in New York, we’re creating space for leaders to step back, connect, and engage with the questions shaping what comes next for work. Across two days, conversations will focus on advancing women’s leadership, navigating AI with trust and accountability, strengthening organizational culture, and building leadership pipelines that endure through change. The program brings together voices including Jennifer McCollum, President & CEO of Catalyst; Amanda Nguyen, advocate, astronaut, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee; Abby Phillip, anchor at CNN; and senior leaders from organizations such as Google, Morgan Stanley, BMO, Deloitte, EY, Pfizer, Humana, and more. From mainstage conversations to in‑depth breakouts, Convene is where leaders come to learn from one another, share what’s working, and explore practical ideas they can take back to their organizations. Explore the sessions and conversations taking place at Catalyst Convene New York. #Convene26

Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident. It has to be built with intention. We’re proud to feature Radha MacCulloch, CEO of Specialisterne Canada, whose work centers on closing the gap between hiring neurodivergent talent and truly supporting them—and their managers—from day one. Radha’s perspective reflects a core truth many organizations are still grappling with: inclusion is only meaningful when systems, support, and leadership practices are designed to meet people where they are, not after challenges arise. At Catalyst Convene New York 2026, Radha will join us as part of a 2026 Catalyst Breakout Program Award–winning team, sharing how Specialisterne Canada’s Workplace Support Coaching Program helps organizations turn intention into sustained impact. 📍 Join us on April 22–23 in New York or virtually. 🔗 Learn more and register at https://ow.ly/SBAk50YMJyw #Convene26