Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) Global Masterclass made a successful debut in Singapore on May 19.

Yang Bin, vice chancellor of the Tsinghua University Council and professor of leadership and organization management at Tsinghua SEM, delivered a speech titled "Organization and Leadership: AI-Powered Transformation." Addressing Tsinghua's global alumni and business leaders, he thoroughly analyzed the core challenges and solutions for organizational transformation in the AI era, as well as the fundamentals and key priorities of corporate AI adoption.

Hosted by Tsinghua SEM EMBA Programs and strongly supported by Temasek, a member of the School's Advisory Board, the event was held at Temasek Shophouse. It drew over 80 participants, including senior corporate executives, entrepreneurs and academic scholars from home and abroad, presenting a remarkable intellectual feast centered on AI, organizational development and future leadership.

The session was moderated by Ms. Miranda Chen, an alumna of Tsinghua-INSEAD EMBA Class of 2019.

Yang Bin delivers a speech at the Global Masterclass lecture series in Singapore.

Yang Bin opened by stating that corporate transformation in the AI era represents an AI-powered transformation, namely a fundamental restructuring of organizations. It calls for systematic upgrades across strategy, corporate culture, talent development and governance.

From the perspective of two models, he pointed out that enterprises are currently confronted with a prominent conflict: large language models iterate rapidly on the external side, while internal mental models remain inflexible and stagnant. To realize true AI transformation, enterprises must break away from long-standing cognitive inertia and path dependence. Drawing on industry realities and innovation principles, Yang Bin put forward solutions for innovation and transformation in the AI era. He emphasized that modern organizations need to dismantle entrenched structures to fuel innovation, recognize the value of specialized talents, and revamp talent evaluation criteria. Dynamic growth can be achieved through agile innovation units. Managers must adapt to structural changes brought by AI and shift their role from controllers to collaborators. Meanwhile, enterprises should learn to unlearn, break rigid mental models and embrace lifelong learning to sustain the innovation vitality of both individuals and the organization as a whole.

During the Q&A session, Yang Bin addressed a series of hot topics including organizational restructuring, role transformation of frontline managers, responsibilities of business leaders, retirement systems and lifelong learning.

Drawing on profound academic expertise and rich practical insights, Yang Bin presented a systematic framework for organizational transformation and leadership advancement in the AI era at this Tsinghua SEM Global Master Class. Going forward, the lecture series will continue to bring together top-tier ideas and practical wisdom from around the world. It will serve as a platform for academic and professional exchanges for the School's alumni and global business leaders. It promotes dialogue, idea sharing and mutual progress between China and the world, as we jointly pursue new opportunities in the evolving era.

Participants pose for a group photo.

Source: EMBA Programs

Editor: Ren Zhongxi