Roundtable 2026

16th Annual Roundtable - Leadership for Systems Change 

Oslo Norway - BI Norwegian Business School - Nov 12-14

In today’s turbulent world, systems change is no longer an option - it is an ongoing requirement. Whether we are addressing integrated healthcare, high impact education, the green transition, social inequalities, or large projects in construction, our most critical challenges are systemic. We need interdependent stakeholders coordinating at multiple levels, from the frontline to local and national policymaking.

The 2026 Roundtable in Oslo invites you to explore this fundamental shift from leading and acting within organizations - to leading and acting within systems. How do we foster the coordinated collective action needed to work together between different perspectives, organizations and sectors?  

We invite Roundtable participants to explore how to enable this transformation.  How can we create structural change to strengthen it where it’s needed most?  How does leadership as a collective, relational process help us to build the shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect necessary for high performance systems?   We do not limit leadership to positions and roles; rather we extend it to change agents throughout the system. 

We welcome your work on this topic at any level of systems change, whether research or practice. Abstracts are due June 12.  See here for abstract requirements and key dates.  

Join the Dialogue in Oslo

Hosted at BI Norwegian Business School, this Roundtable offers a unique "third space" where global researchers and change leaders converge. Oslo provides a symbolic backdrop for our discussions; as a city embedded in a society characterized by low hierarchical distance and high social trust, it serves as a living laboratory for collaborative innovation.

We invite you to help us shape the future of system leadership by exploring how we move from "power over" to "power with." In an era when social policy and environmental urgency intersect, we must discuss how to build a truly sustainable society through integrative solutions. This requires leadership that transcends organizational boundaries to foster shared agency and collective impact.

By joining us in Oslo or virtually, you will engage in a dialogue deeply rooted in the Nordic approach to systemic challenges:

• The Power of Flat Structures: Exploring how psychological safety and reduced hierarchy enable relational coordination across all levels of a system.
• Trust-Based Governance: Discussing how relational trust can serve as a more effective coordinator than traditional command-and-control mechanisms.
• Navigating Welfare Complexity: Learning from the ongoing efforts to coordinate between national, municipal, and private actors to solve "wicked" societal problems.

Join us to explore how these relational dynamics can act as the cornerstone for the systemic transformations our world requires.

Event Overview

Roundtable 2026 will start Thursday afternoon with Welcoming Activities, followed by a Welcoming Reception.   Friday and Saturday are filled with interactive workshops, presentations and keynotes offered by researchers, leaders and consultants like yourself.   

Visit here for travel, hotels, and more

 

Register for the Roundtable