Clarke, founder of the Global Growth Institute (GGI) and one of the coaches for HR in the Boardroom, added that the new trend challenges leaders' inherent "right to be followed".
“From the Arab Spring to the management structure of new tech companies, the trend is causing a re-think about how human systems work best in a new economic climate,” he said.
The move towards a more collaborative partnership model opens the way for human capital to support aims such as social mobility, according to Clarke. He gave the example of recent aid projects in Singapore and Rwanda as examples of the human capital model in action.
"For governments, if focused correctly, it can aid in the social mobility of people and truly help to drive a nation forward; affecting all areas of an economy, from innovation to education," he said.
"To the individual this poses a big challenge and opportunity with respect to how entrepreneurial they can be," he added. "To the organisation it poses the potential of competitive advantage by being able to properly leverage the skills and experiences from the people it's invested in."
Clarke was speaking at at a summit on leadership and human capital at the UN headquarters. Other speakers include Chelsea Clinton and Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN secretary general's envoy on youth.
