Every few months, someone declares the career ladder dead. James Root disagrees. Walk into any big firm in Hong Kong, he says, and you will still find job grades and promotion tracks everywhere.

What has changed is who wants to climb.

James is the author of The Archetype Effect and teaches The Secret Life of Organizations in our MBA program. On our Super Connector podcast, he tells Associate Dean Prof. Stephen Shih that people come to work for very different reasons. Some want the next promotion. Some want something new every few years. Some want steady work and a team they trust. Most companies still manage them all the same way.

So the future is not one path. It is ladders for people who want ladders, and more flexible routes for people who don’t.

That raises a question worth asking before your MBA: which one are you? And when you lead a team, which ones are they?

AI will change how work gets done. People still make the final call, and knowing what drives them is how you lead.

Tune in to hear James’s insights on how professionals can stay ahead in an AI-driven landscape.

Listen to the episode now: Apple Podcast / Spotify