For over 20 years, Thinkers50 has been identifying, ranking, and sharing the very best in management thinking.
Published every two years, the Thinkers50 Ranking is the definitive list of the most influential management thinkers in the world and answers one simple question: who is the world’s most influential living management thinker?
Nominations for the Thinkers50 Ranking are open from May to July in the years that the ranking takes place (odd-numbered years). The public is invited to participate in the online nomination process by submitting the names and qualifications of thinkers they wish to put forward for consideration. Nominations are accepted and encouraged from individuals and organisations across the globe.
All nominations for the Thinkers50 Ranking are considered by the Thinkers50 Panel of Advisors. Each new ranking is announced at the Thinkers50 Awards Gala held in November every other year, culminating in a countdown of the top 10.
The Thinkers50 Ranking uses a proprietary methodology for evaluating management thinking. Thinkers50 founders Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove lead the process, with input and review from the Thinkers50 advisors. The criteria are evaluated on a weighted basis taking account of the thinker’s performance over the long term, as well as over the two years since the previous ranking.
The methodology is organised by two broad concepts: Viability – the quality and relevance of ideas; and Visibility – the influence and impact of ideas in the world. These concepts are quantified using 10 criteria.
VIABILITY (THE 4RS):
VISIBILITY (IMPACT):
Nominations are accepted between 1 May and 30 June in odd-numbered years.
Pioneer and champion of psychological safety, studies people, projects and organizations to uncover the secrets of successful teaming.
Edmondson’s work on psychological safety has been groundbreaking. Her blueprint on creating a fear-free culture is essential, she argues, for organizations to be able to thrive in today’s knowledge economy in which new ideas and critical thought are essential to success. She has also explored the concept of teaming in dynamic work environments, and demonstrated how cross-organizational teaming can impact the building of smart cities.
Grant studies how we can find motivation and meaning and lead more generous and creative lives. He has identified three groups of people …
Proving that organizational and personal success need not be at the expense of the world…
Best-selling author and quantitative futurist researching emerging technology, business and society…
Inventors of the ground-breaking “blue ocean strategy”, paving the way for organizations to break out of …
Leading expert on choice, studying the factors that influence the choices we make and how choice and meaning are intertwined…
Globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship; champion of harnessing disruptive influences for competitive advantage.
Osterwalder and Pigneur created the Business Model Canvas, an innovative strategy management …
Leading adviser on innovation and champion of “dual transformation” strategy, helping businesses to turn disruption into advantage.
Answers the question of how leaders can scale their organizations by developing and implementing global and digital strategies…
Top influencer in customer experience, digital transformation, business model innovation, and the future of work…
Launched into the thought leadership stratosphere in 2014 with The Second Machine Age, their work continues to provide a road-map for success in a digital economy…
International authority in people analytics, talent management, leadership development, and the Human-AI interface.
One of China’s premier thinkers on innovation and pioneer of holistic innovation…
Self-reinvention and branding expert, showing others how to take control of their professional lives and make an impact on the world…
Award-winning psychologist who applies her knowledge of emotions, human motivation, and change to individuals and organizations…
Connecting the dots for leaders as they seek to break team silos, drive exponential growth and innovate through teamwork…
Leadership isn’t about you, it is about the people you work with…
Neuroscience-based talent strategist – teaching us the science of human performance, motivation, and decision-making…
Psychologist, with a unique focus on organizational change, and the movement of business from a competitive to a more collaborative work space…
Ecosystem specialist and Mandarin-speaking authority on innovation in China…
Catalytic questioner and global innovator, exploring how asking the right questions builds leadership and innovation, and drives purposeful change…
Distinguished authority on leadership and career development, advocating the importance of strategic networks, and the value of collaboration…
Champion of business ecosystems and digital platforms, collaboration and partnership; specialist on corporate turnarounds and organizational transformation…
Expert on the powers of disruption, and the ways to grasp the opportunities of change, starting with the personal.
Helping leaders put purpose to work and unleash human magic.
International branding expert, who has led deep research into the minds of buyers, applying insights from neuroscience to develop the concept of “buyology”…
Martin’s influence on business strategy and thinking has been immense. He championed the idea of integrative thinking, arguing that …
Prominent thought leader and strategist on the future of work in the social era, advocating for people in a technology-driven workspace…
Specialist on cross-cultural management, her evaluation of different cultures has resulted in a strategic framework for organizations seeking international success…
Making business sense of human behaviour and the decisions we make…
Founder of Shared Sisterhood™, Tina explores the connections between diversity, inclusion, and equity …
Expert on leadership and learning in the workplace, notably leadership in the age of “nomadic professionalism”, and broadening and strengthening…
How we can expand our awareness and tap into abundant inner resources — love, ingenuity, wisdom — to direct human evolution towards a healthier…
Explorer of the theory, practice and importance of speaking truth to power…
Making workplaces fairer…
The world’s leading champion of project management; creator of concepts including the Project Economy and the Hierarchy of Purpose.
Educator and executive coach, passionate about helping champions grow, adapt, and give back so they can keep on winning…
Leadership visionary with the intent to change how business leaders think, act, and operate, to create environments in which people work at their natural best…
A leading voice on the case for good jobs, Zeynep explores how companies can satisfy their customers, employees, and investors simultaneously.
Best-selling author, proponent of talent development through leadership, advocates the power of harnessing collective intelligence…
A future-ready strategist, Howard specialises in technological innovation, strategic transformation, and change management.
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited has updated its Privacy Policy on 28 March 2024 with several amendments and additions to the previous version, to fully incorporate to the text information required by current applicable date protection regulation. Processing of the personal data of Thinkers50’s customers, potential customers and other stakeholders has not been changed essentially, but the texts have been clarified and amended to give more detailed information of the processing activities.
