Capitalism 2.0: implications for management 2.0

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce a collection of articles representing the best papers and invited contributions from attendees at the 4th Annual Global Drucker Forum, an international conference focused on future challenges facing management. Design/methodology/approach - The recent financial crisis has presented twin challenges confronting the next generation of management: a transformation toward a new environment in which market‐driven efficiency and the concern for a functioning society are better aligned, and the nature of management practice that successfully addresses this alignment. Dimensions of these challenges are discussed in five articles in this special issue. This summary of the articles and underlying themes is provided by a professor whose teaching and research focus on strategy and entrepreneurship in free markets. Findings - The articles in this issue discuss the need in organizations for adaptive flexibility, new ways of thinking, leadership behaviour at the individual and system level, and systems thinking to overcome short termism. Themes underlying these challenges include the challenges of managing in the present for the future, the need to create a learning organization, and the complexity of managing holistically. Research limitations/implications - The paper suggests themes that might benefit from future management research. Originality/value - This paper summarizes cutting‐edge issues for management that were discussed at a recent international conference, and synthesizes six authors' research contributions that address dimensions of these issues.