As industries consolidate, is being bigger becoming a competitive advantage?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we examine why companies across industries are turning to M&A to build scale — and why the motivations go well beyond simply adding revenue.

From absorbing rising costs and securing labor to managing risk and funding long-term investments in AI and innovation, greater scale can give companies capabilities that are becoming increasingly valuable in today's operating environment.

But for midsize companies, that raises a difficult strategic question: Do you need to get bigger to compete?

We explore what's driving the M&A wave, why the line between offensive and defensive acquisitions is blurring, and the choices leaders face as their industries consolidate.

The second half of 2026 is forcing executives to revisit assumptions they made just months ago.

As leadership teams finalize their 2027 plans, inflation, supply-chain challenges and cost pressures are once again moving up the C-suite agenda. At the same time, companies are looking to AI investments to deliver efficiencies — but the results so far aren't necessarily living up to every expectation.

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we examine what recent surveys of CFOs and CEOs reveal about the changing business outlook, where executives are adjusting their priorities and why resilience may be just as important as predicting what comes next.

Listen for insights into the economic pressures, cost decisions and AI expectations shaping the C-suite's 2027 planning conversations.

Does the organization you have today support the business you're trying to build next?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, Abby White and Geert De Lombaerde explore three places where strategy gets tested in practice: capital allocation, organizational resilience and employee productivity.

They examine why traditional budgeting can make cross-functional priorities harder to fund, how leaders can build organizations capable of adapting as assumptions change, and why productivity challenges may point to a larger issue around clarity and alignment.

Plus, new workforce research offers a revealing look at when employees feel most productive, what gets in their way and how far AI adoption has actually progressed.

Listen for practical insights into building an organization that can fund its priorities, adapt to change and keep its workforce aligned around what matters most. Episode Resources

The Strategy Budget: Turning Capital Allocation Into Competitive Advantage Jess Mand

From Recovery to Growth: How Leaders Can Design Resilient Organizations Jess Mand

Why Employee Productivity Is a Culture Problem, Not Just a Metric Conversation with Geert De Lombaerde and Paul Mattioli

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What does your company's budget reveal about its strategy?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we explore why some organizations are moving beyond traditional department-by-department budgeting and instead investing in capabilities that span the enterprise.

Using Cisco's investment strategy as an example, we look at how capability-based budgeting can help executives connect capital allocation to long-term growth, manage strategic investments as a portfolio of bets and use milestones to determine which initiatives deserve more funding.

We also examine how AI is putting pressure on fixed annual budgets as technology roadmaps accelerate and investment needs change faster than traditional planning cycles can accommodate.

You'll learn:

• Why departmental success doesn't always translate into enterprise success
• How capability-based budgeting changes capital allocation
• Why strategic investments should be managed as a portfolio
• How milestones can balance long-term investment with financial discipline
• Why AI demands greater flexibility in budgeting and planning
• How shared goals can create accountability across functions

The question isn't simply whether every department has enough resources to execute this year's plan. It's whether the company is investing in the capabilities it will need to compete tomorrow. Episode Resources

The Strategy Budget: Turning Capital Allocation Into Competitive Advantage https://bit.ly/4hCOusX

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What if supply chains aren't going back to normal? What if counting AI usage tells you almost nothing about its value? And what if the fastest way to hire the talent you need is to buy the company they already work for?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, Abby White and Geert De Lombaerde unpack three of the month's most-read stories and the difficult decisions they raise for business leaders.

First, they examine why waiting for supply chain volatility to disappear could create its own business risk—and how leaders can think about resilience, flexibility and scenario planning heading into budget season.

Then comes "tokenmaxxing": the practice of encouraging employees to maximize AI usage. It worked—perhaps too well. Abby and Geert discuss what happens when companies measure AI activity instead of business value, and why finance teams may play an increasingly important role in the next phase of AI adoption.

Finally, they explore acquihiring. As specialized talent becomes harder to recruit, buying an established team could give companies faster access to critical capabilities—but only if leaders get the integration right.

• Why waiting for supply chains to "normalize" could be a strategic mistake
• How to think about the cost of resilience and optionality
• What tokenmaxxing teaches us about measuring AI
• Why more AI usage doesn't necessarily mean more productivity
• How leaders can connect AI spending with actual business outcomes
• Why AI agents may need their own version of expense controls
• When buying a company for its talent might make sense
• Why the integration strategy can make or break an acquihire

The common thread? Don't keep forcing the old playbook when the operating environment has changed.

Build flexibility where it matters. Measure outcomes instead of activity. And know what capabilities the business actually needs before deciding how to acquire them.

The Supply Chain Has Been a Mess. Here’s How to Think About It This Budget Season Andrea Zelinski

The Game of Tokenmaxxing: Worth Playing, Dead or Salvageable? Andrea Zelinski

Struggling to Hire Needed Talent? Think About Buying It Geert De Lombaerde

Are manufacturing leaders seeing something the economic data hasn't fully captured yet?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we explore how second-quarter earnings calls, growing order backlogs, and increased capital investment are shaping executive confidence—and what those signals may reveal about the direction of the U.S. economy. Episode Resources

Q2 Vibe Check: The Manufacturing Upturn Looks Like It Has Legs https://www.executive.endeavoredge.com/market-outlook/news/55395828/q2-vibe-check-the-manufacturing-upturn-looks-like-it-has-legs?utm_source=ExcEDGE+NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS260805166&o_eid=&rdx.ident[pull]=omeda|&oly_enc_id=

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What will it take to succeed in 2027?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, economist Lauren Saidel-Baker shares her outlook on inflation, margin pressure, labor markets, consumer spending, and the industries positioned for growth. Learn what executives should consider now as they prepare their organizations for another year of economic uncertainty. Episode Resources

Economist: 2027 Success Predicated on Protecting Margins and Preparing for More Inflation https://www.executive.endeavoredge.com/market-outlook/article/55392103/economist-2027-success-predicated-on-protecting-margins-and-preparing-for-more-inflation?utm_source=ExcEDGE+NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS260722153&o_eid=1789B5875812D4V&rdx.ident[pull]=omeda|1789B5875812D4V&oly_enc_id=1789B5875812D4V

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On this episode of ExecutiveEDGE Podcast, Geert De Lombaerde and Paul Mattioli discuss a recent survey conducted through Endeavor Business Intelligence about how productivity looks from where they sit.

338 professionals participated, and the findings are clear... Tune in to hear a cross-level look at the gap between how productive we feel and how productive we actually are, covering personal performance, organizational strategy, economic pressure, and the real state of AI adoption in the workplace. The results are candid, timely, and built for the leaders who need to do something about it. Get the report: https://intelligence.endeavorb2b.com/pulse-report-world-productivity-day-survey/

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