Professor Laura Empson

Preparing for the future of work

In HBR, Jennifer Howard-Grenville and I emphasise the importance of collective leadership

Professions' Summit Podcast

Thomson Reuters interviewed me about the key takeaways from the Summit.

Listen

The Professions’ Summit:
Leading through uncertainty to clarity

A report of the event I organized at Bayes Business School.

Are the “big four” too big for their own good?

The Economist’s “Money Talks” podcast featured an extended interview with me.

Listen

Revitalising collegiality

Unlocking the power behind a misunderstood concept.

When everyone and no one is a leader

Understanding your collective leadership ecosystem.

Reinvigorating professionals

Culture and leadership
post-pandemic.

Insecure overachievers

My interview with Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association.

Post-pandemic world of work

I was interviewed for a podcast at The Drucker Forum.

Listen

Can professionalism ever excuse bullying?

How far can leaders push professional standards before they go too far?

Making hybrid working work

The Nowhere Office podcast featured an extended interview with me about professionals in the hybrid world.

Listen

Future of professional firms

Forbes featured an interview with me about the pandemic’s unintended consequences and unexpected opportunities.

On why I became an academic

The CIPD’s Work magazine interviewed me about my research......... ..................................

Cutting through the hype of hybrid working

Through my keynote speeches and advisory consultations, I develop strategic responses to challenges of hybrid working.

Undercover hybrid: my recent article in the FT

I highlight the false narratives that obscure some fundamental truths about working in professional organizations.

Post-pandemic professional firms

Hybrid working challenges foundational principles of professional firms. I outline the future research agenda.

Leading Professional People

In five articles for Legal Business we examine issues raised in the first series of our podcast.

Liminality, culture, and post-pandemic professional work

In my latest HBR article I examine the impact of the pandemic on professionals and the cultures of their firms.

Keynote: Collegiality in the time of Corona

I was honoured to be invited to give the closing (virtual) keynote address at the British Academy of Management's “Conference in the Cloud”.

Watch Now

Webinar: Collective leadership in time of crisis

What can organizations of professionals teach us about leadership in a crisis?

Watch Now

When our individual leaders fail us – try collective leadership

In my most recent academic article I explore how collective leadership can be mobilised to resolve a crisis.

Leadership and instability

I demonstrate how leadership dynamics and power relations in a PSF are inherently unstable.

How to lead your fellow rainmakers

I analyse highly successful (and unsuccessful) leaders and outline five principles for leading professional service firms.

Interview at Oxford Business Book Festival

Stefan Stern interviewed me about my latest book, my career, and how I do my research. Our interview was recorded as a podcast.

Listen

Update: Will the Big Four really eat Big Law’s lunch?

Read two recent interviews with me for American Lawyer and Thomson Reuters. What can Big Law learn from the Big Four and how worried should they be?

Professions at risk

As the traditional professions face new challenges to their status and legitimacy, in this podcast I ask: is it time to rethink what it means to be a professional?

Listen

Insecure overachievers on the record

Senior professionals speak frankly to me on my BBC Radio 4 documentary about insecurity, the ‘drug’ of achievement, the mental health costs, and the way ahead.

Listen

Waiting for the Golden Ticket

Why para professionals can feel 'trapped'. Read my article for Harvard Law School's The Practice.

What does it mean to be a professional?

Should professional service firms ditch their grandiose purpose statements and reconnect with a more profound commitment to what it means to be a professional?