罗兰贝格：2026新领导力战略要务：颠覆时代下化工行业引领之道研究报告

Thenewleadershipimperative:

Leadingthechemicalsindustryinaneraofdisruption

Apracticalguide

March,2026

RolandBerger|2

BeingaleaderinEurope'schemicalindustryhasbecomemoredifficult-Not

becauseleadersareweakerbutbecausethecontexthasfundamentallychanged

Fivedynamicsreshapingleadershipinthechemicalindustry

1

Permanentuncertainty

•Shiftfromepisodicchangeto

continuousvolatility

•Intersectingpressures:geopolitics,energy,supplychains,sustainability

•Decisionsmadewithincompleteinformationandconstantcoursecorrection

•Agilityandresiliencearenowbaselineexpectations

2

Speedvs.Structure

•Urgentneedforfasterdecisions

•Slowedbygovernance,

processlayers,andregulation

•Uncleardecisionrightsdriveescalation

•Empowermentisdesired,butinconsistentlyrealized

3

Digitaloverwhelm(notresistance)

•LeadersareopentodigitalandAI

•Butfaceuncertaintyaroundsecurity,compliance,and

application

•Digitalliteracyaffectscredibility,notjustcapability

•Confidencemattersmorethantools

4

Thetalentparadox

•Highcompetitionfortalent,yetskillgapspersist

•Technicalexpertisealoneisinsufficient

•Risingexpectationsaroundadaptability,judgment,andpeopleleadership

•Leadershipstandardsarerisingfasterthansupply

5

Leadershipfatigue

•Sustainedpressureandemotionalload

•Leadersexpectedtoabsorbstressandstabilizeothers

•Resilienceisnolongeradifferentiator—it’saprerequisite

•Supportstructureslagbehindexpectations

RolandBerger|3

Futureleadershipskillsfallintofourdimensions:Leadingothers,Leadingmyself,

BusinessorientationandInnovationmanagement

Leadershipskillsthatwillshapethenextdecade

Leadingmyself

Leadingothers

Demonstratingagilityandflexibility:Quicklyadaptingtochangingconditionswhileembracingnewideas

Showingresilience:Navigatingandlearningfromchallenges,whilesustainingapositivemindsetandworkatmosphereBeingempathic:Recognizingandunderstanding

others'emotionsandvalues,fosteringstrongrelationshipsthroughcompassion

Empoweringemployees:Creatingenvironmentswherepeoplefeelvalued,fosteringautonomyanddecision-making

Communicatingwithimpact:Sharingideasinaclearandcompellingwayandusingstoriestomakemessages

memorable

Leadingwithpurpose:Definingaclearmissionandvalueswhilealsoinspiringothers

Modern

Showingdigitalliteracy:Effectivelyleveragingdigital

toolsandAItomakedecisions,strengthenleadershipandimproveproductivity

Adaptingtochangingregulations:Proactivelyanticipateandadapttoevolvingregulatorylandscapes

Drivingbusinessmodelinnovation:Identifyingandimplementingnovelapproachestocreatevalueandstayahead

Leadership

skills

Drivingcustomerexperience:Enablingsolutionsthat

effectivelyaddresscustomerneeds,enhancesatisfactionandstrengthenlong-termloyalty

Beingastrategicthinker:Shapingaclearlong-termvision

andproactivelyanticipatingfuturemarket

trendswhilemitigatingrisks

Enablingexecutionmanagement:Ensuringplansandprojectsareeffectivelyimplementedthroughstructuredprocessesand

continuousimprovement

Innovationmanagement

Businessorientation

RolandBerger|4

Leadershipdemandisshiftingtowardpeopleactivationanddigitalcapabilities-

Expectationsareoutpacingorganizationalreadinessandcurrentcapabilities

Expectedchangeintheimportanceandreadinessofleadershipskills

Currentcapability

Capabilitythreshold

STABLEIMPORTANCEURGENTPRIORITIES

DigitalCustomerliteracy

experience

Strategic

thinking

Adaptingtochangingregulations

AgilityResilience

Executionmgmt.

Empathy

EmpoweringCommunication

CAPABILITIES

AHEADOFDEMAND

Business

model

innovation

Importancethreshold

STRENGTHSTOLEVERAGE

Leading

with

Purpose

GrowingFutureImportance

RolandBerger|5

Organizationsmustfocusontwomainareas:Upskillingtheirleadersand

adaptingtheiroperatingmodels

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

Adapttheoperatingmodel

Upskill

yourleaders

Establishpeerlearningforums

Shiftincentivestructures

1

2

Nextsteps

forchemicalcompanies

Fosteremployeeengagement

Redesigngovernanceto

enableautonomy

Developpersonalizedcoachingprograms

LeverageAI-enableddevelopmenttools

Embeddigitaltoolsandprocesses

Buildacontinuouslearningculture

RolandBerger|6

Upskillyourorganization'sleaders:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

1

Upskill

yourleaders

Establishpeerlearningforums

Fosteremployeeengagement

Developpersonalizedcoachingprograms

LeverageAI-enableddevelopmenttools

Buildacontinuouslearningculture

•Establishpeerlearningforums(e.g.,quarterlyindustryroundtables,

facilitatedconferencebreakouts,andformalmentor–mentee

pairings)whereleaderssharerealchallenges,decisions,andlessonslearned—notonlybestpracticesintheory

•Launchcross-industryexchangeprograms(e.g.,short-term

shadowing,jointworkshops,orrotationallearninglabs)thatexposeleaderstohowothersectorsapproachadaptability,innovation,anddecision-makingunderuncertainty

•Designcohort-basedleadershipjourneys(e.g.,fixedgroupsmeetingregularlyover6–12months)thatnormalizesharedchallenges,

reduceleadershipisolation,andaccelerateproblem-solvingthroughcollectivereflectionandaccountability

RolandBerger|7

Upskillyourorganization'sleaders:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

1

Upskill

yourleaders

Establishpeerlearningforums

Fosteremployeeengagement

Developpersonalizedcoachingprograms

LeverageAI-enableddevelopmenttools

Buildacontinuouslearningculture

•Createstructuredchannelsforleaderstoactivelyseekfeedback

acrossalllevels(e.g.,skip-levelmeetings,frontlinelisteningtours,

quarterlypulsesurveyswithopen-textcomments,digitalfeedbackplatforms)

•Increasedecisionautonomybyclarifyingdecisionrightsand

ownership(e.g.,decisionmatricesthatdefineteamvs.leadershipdecisions,empoweredprojectowners,reducedapprovallayersforroutineoperationalcalls)

•Reinforceaculturewhereideasanddissentingviewsarevalued(e.g.,explicitmeetingnormsthatinvitealternativeperspectives,and

leadershiprole-modelingofconstructivechallenge)

RolandBerger|8

Upskillyourorganization'sleaders:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

1

Upskill

yourleaders

Establishpeerlearningforums

Fosteremployeeengagement

Developpersonalizedcoachingprograms

LeverageAI-enableddevelopmenttools

Buildacontinuouslearningculture

•Implementtailoredcoachingprogramsalignedtofuturecapability

needs(e.g.,individualleadershipdiagnosticsthatmapstrengthsandgapsagainstupcomingstrategic,digital,andoperating

requirements)

•Focuscoachingoncriticalleadershipskills(e.g.,buildingdigital

fluency,empoweringemployees,demonstratingagilityandflexibility,anddrivingcustomerexperience)

•Anchorcoachingtoensureimpact(e.g.,self-assessments,and

selectedbusinessperformanceindicatorstiedtotheleader’srole)

RolandBerger|9

Upskillyourorganization'sleaders:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

1

Upskill

yourleaders

Establishpeerlearningforums

Fosteremployeeengagement

Developpersonalizedcoachingprograms

LeverageAI-enableddevelopmenttools

Buildacontinuouslearningculture

•LeverageAI-enabledtoolstoanalyzeleadershipstylesandbehavioralpatternsatscale(e.g.,analysisofcommunicationdata,decisionlogs,andcollaborationpatternstoidentifystrengths,biases,andrisk

areas)

•Providepersonalizedfeedbackandadaptivelearningpathsbasedonrealdecision-makingscenarios(e.g.,role-specificcasesimulations,AI-curatednudgesafterkeydecisions,andtailoredlearningmoduleslinkedtoobservedbehaviors)

•Usescenario-basedsimulationstopracticechallengingemployee

interactions,changeconversations,andhigh-stakescommunication(e.g.,virtualrole-playsforperformanceconversations,restructuringdiscussions,andcrisiscommunications)

RolandBerger|10

Upskillyourorganization'sleaders:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

1

Upskill

yourleaders

Establishpeerlearningforums

Fosteremployeeengagement

Developpersonalizedcoachingprograms

LeverageAI-enableddevelopmenttools

Buildacontinuouslearningculture

•Provideongoingaccesstocuratedcourses,webinars,andindustry-specificresources(e.g.,personalizedlearninglibraries,role-focusedmodules,andAI-recommendedmicrolearningcontent)

•Embedlearningintodailyleadershiproutinesratherthanrelyingonepisodictraininginterventions(e.g.,workflow-integratedprompts,habit-formingnudges,andreal-timecoachingmoments)

•Establishcontinuousfeedbackloopsfrompeers,teams,and

managerstoreinforcelearningandcourse-correctbehavior(e.g.,360°feedbackanalytics,performancecheck-ins,andAI-curatedactionableinsights)

RolandBerger|11

Adapttheoperatingmodel:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

2

Adaptthe

operatingmodel

Shiftincentivestructures

Redesigngovernancetoenableautonomy

Embeddigitaltoolsandprocesses

•Shiftincentivestructurestosupportleadersforenablingteam

autonomyandownership—notonlyfordeliveringhardKPIs(e.g.,rewardsforeffectivedelegation,bringingincustomerviewsintoteams,andempoweringteamdecision-making)

•Balanceoutcomemetricswithbehavioralindicatorssuchasdecisiondelegation,talentdevelopment,andengagementoutcomes(e.g.,

measuringcoachingeffectiveness,teamgrowth,andemployeeengagementalongsidebusinessresults)

•Useshorterperformancecyclesandalignmentframeworks(e.g.,

OKRs)toreinforcefocus,adaptability,andsharedaccountability(e.g.,iterativegoalreviews,milestone-basedfeedback,andcross-

functionalalignmentcheck-ins)

RolandBerger|12

Adapttheoperatingmodel:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

2

Adaptthe

operatingmodel

Shiftincentivestructures

Redesigngovernancetoenableautonomy

Embeddigitaltoolsandprocesses

•Clarifydecisionrightsandaccountabilitytoreduceunnecessaryescalationandbottlenecks(e.g.,definingclearownership,

streamliningapprovalauthority,andmappingescalationpaths)

•Simplifyapprovalprocessesandgovernancelayersthatslow

executionandundermineempowerment(e.g.,removingredundantsign-offs,consolidatingcommittees,andenablingfasterdecision

flows)

•Ensurepoliciesandriskframeworkssupporteffectivedelegation

ratherthanreinforcingcontrol-orientedleadershipbehaviors(e.g.,embeddingguardrailsthatenableautonomy,aligningriskguidelineswithempowerment,andcreatingaccountabilitywithout

micromanagement)

RolandBerger|13

Adapttheoperatingmodel:Gettingstarted

Apracticalguideonnextsteps

2

Adaptthe

operatingmodel

Shiftincentivestructures

Redesigngovernancetoenableautonomy

Embeddigitaltoolsandprocesses

•Integratedigitaltoolsdirectlyintodailyleadershipworkflowstomovedigitalliteracyfromtheorytopractice(e.g.,embeddingcollaborationplatforms,workflowautomations,andreal-timeanalyticsintoroutinetasks)

•Embedadvancedtechnologies(e.g.,agenticAI,analyticsplatforms,automationtools)intodecision-makingandcollaborationprocesses(e.g.,AI-driveninsightsforstrategy,automatedreportingforteams,andpredictiveanalyticsforresourceallocation)

•Ensureleadersbuildconfidencethroughhands-onuse,notstandalonetraining,enablingcontinuouscapabilitydevelopment(e.g.,interactivesimulations,real-worldproblem-solvingexercises,anditerative

technologyadoptionpractices)

RolandBerger|14

Fiveactionablestepstowardbecomingamoreeffectiveleaderinthenextweek

3

5

1

Digestlearningnuggets:

Committolearningone

newideaorconceptdailyfromLinkedIn,YouTube,

orotherplatforms.

Reflectonhowitappliestoyourwork

Givestructured

feedback:Provideclear,actionable

feedbacktoatleastoneteammember

eachweek.Focusonstrengths,areasforimprovement,and

Understandthecustomer

perspective:Spendtime

exploringyourCRM

dashboardorothercustomerdatatogaininsights.Think

deeplyaboutthecustomerexperienceandidentify

Itstartswithyou

opportunitiestoaddvalue

ne