Muscat: The Royal Academy of Management (RAM), in collaboration with Thinkers50, the world's leading management thinking organisation, has announced the debut of the Future Readiness Award, which will recognise leaders who demonstrate excellence in preparing for future problems and opportunities, supporting national visions, and promoting innovation and resilience across institutions.
This award is launched as part of RAM's strategic objective of strengthening Oman's future readiness and empowering individuals, organizations, and nations to anticipate new changes and navigate complexity with agility, while promoting prosperity in the face of quick change and transformational social and technology dynamics. Future preparedness has multiple aspects, the most important of which are cultivating a culture of innovation and creativity, building strategic foresight abilities to anticipate the future, and fostering an adaptable and resilient attitude to ensure long-term success.
Dr. Ali Qassim Al Lawati, President of RAM, remarked on the occasion: "Preparing future leaders is more than just adapting to change; it requires the ability to anticipate it, direct its direction, and lead successfully through it. " He verified that the Royal Academy of Management, as part of its strategic objectives, places particular attention on developing this sort of leadership by fostering structured communication, examining global trends, and converting enlightened ideas into practical solutions with measurable effect.
Al Lawati emphasized: "This award validates our common conviction with Thinkers50 that ambitious ideas, when rooted in reality, have the power to revolutionize how institutions prepare and lead the future. "
Des Dearlove, cofounder of Thinkers50, stressed the necessity for leaders at all levels to take a strategic approach that focuses on developing organizational resilience in order to effectively handle fast and unexpected changes, as well as the ability to anticipate future events and apply anticipatory innovation by forecasting change and generating innovative solutions to assure continuous growth and institutional success.
Submissions will be evaluated using five important criteria: Rigor, which assesses the strength of the evidence base and the credibility of sources; Reach, which examines the work's applicability across industries and geographies; Resonance, which measures its ability to influence decisionmakers and institutions in meaningful ways; Responsiveness, which assesses how the ideas address changing challenges through innovation; and Relevance, which determines whether the research offers timely and significant solutions to the most pressing issues of 2025 and beyond.
Submissions will be reviewed by an expert Assessment Committee made up of people chosen using standards such as global standing in the area of future preparedness, geographical diversity, and varied expertise from the public and private sectors, as well as academia. The Royal Academy of Management and Thinkers50 collaborated to form the committee.
Thinkers50, founded in 2001, is a global leader in ranking and disseminating management ideas and intellectual contributions. It has formed a vast network of international thought leaders and experts from a variety of disciplines and sectors. Every two years, the organisation publishes the worldwide Thinkers50 list and hosts a famous award ceremony in London to recognise the most remarkable contributions to management thought and practice. Thinkers50, often referred to as "the Oscars of management thinking," has become a global benchmark for excellence in leadership and innovation.
It is worth noting that the establishment of the Future Readiness Award represents a watershed moment for the Royal Academy of Management in terms of fostering a culture of preparedness and celebrating extraordinary achievements in this area both locally and globally. It also seeks to promote the idea of future preparedness as a strategic asset for leaders and organizations in collaboration with Thinkers50, a globally reputable organization, giving RAM international significance and high-level impact.
