Using the long-term investor value appropriation to measure performance provides a more accurate representation of shareholder value over time than existing measures such as EBITDA, according to its creators, Phebo Wibbens and Nicolaj Siggelkow. "LIVA provides managers with a metric that can help them ... consider which strategic decisions can allow their firms to flourish in society," they write.

Panasonic and Sony have struggled to change strategies over the past few years, but only Sony has carved a path to growth by finding opportunities with little competition, such as investing in image sensors for smartphone cameras. Panasonic's 2015 decision to join with Tesla to manufacture batteries has not led to expected profits amid production delays and additional competition from China.

Many ESG investing decisions are made by reviewing the data of research firms that create preset parameters for measuring companies, but this can lead to false confidence, Jonathan Shapiro writes. Research from CLSA found that MSCI and FTSE rankings of ESG had "virtually no relationship," he notes.

Organizations that blend human and machine capabilities will become more commonplace in 2020, so upskilling must become a priority, Eveline Oehrlich writes. Technical competency will assume more importance, but it's also necessary to focus on collaboration, negotiation, problem-solving and other soft skills, she notes.

Middle management is where digital transformation succeeds or fails, and the challenges are largely cultural, such as overcoming negative stereotypes about this cohort and successfully unlocking its ability to manage change and connect with workers at all levels, write Carol Stubbings, Darren Homer and John Francis of PwC UK. Communication remains a problem: "In a recent PwC survey of CEOs and HR managers, 55 percent of respondents said they had not taken action to create a clear narrative about the future of their workforce and automation."

Twenty-seven percent of US directorships at S&P 500 companies are held by women, while minorities hold 21.1% of these positions, based on data from a Corporate Board Member census. In 2008, only 16% of these positions were held by women, and 15.3% were held by minorities.