The Judgment Vacuum

We are entering an era where intelligence is no longer the constraint.

Organizations are becoming faster, more capable, and increasingly augmented by AI. Decisions are supported, workflows are optimized, and performance is improving across every function.

And yet, something critical is quietly deteriorating.

The ability to exercise judgment - contextual, human, accountable judgment - is not scaling at the same pace. This creates a growing gap between what systems can do and what humans are prepared to lead. A gap that is not immediately visible, but already shaping how organizations operate, decide, and fail.

This is the judgment vacuum.

The Judgment Vacuum reframes the challenge facing leaders today: not how to adopt AI, but how to remain capable of leading in a world where intelligence is abundant and judgment is not. Drawing on two decades of leading large-scale transformation from the inside, Martin Kumert traces how the conditions that form business judgment have been systematically removed - and what organizations must design before the vacancy becomes a crisis.

This is not a book about tools. It is a forensic account of what has already happened - and a rigorous argument for what can still be done.