- 03 Sep 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
At Booking.com, Innovation Means Constant Failure
Booking.com and other innovative firms embrace a culture where testing, experimentation, and even failure are tried and true. Stefan Thomke explains the necessary ingredients for establishing a culture of innovation.
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- 28 Aug 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
How teaching robots the way the world works changes the world of work
Robots aren’t necessarily primed to take over, but advances in machine learning are readying the mechanical components of the workforce for more complex and autonomous tasks. Startup Osaro specializes in deep reinforcement learning systems, artificial intelligence for industrial robots. CEO Derik Pridmore talks about the adaptive decision-making capabilities working their way into warehouses and factories, and the prospect of machines with a wider, more human range of cognitive capabilities.
- 20 Aug 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Should a Pension Fund Try to Change the World?
Can inclusivity, sustainability, and better governance boost economies? Rebecca Henderson and George Serafeim discuss the impact investing efforts of GPIF, Japan’s government pension fund. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Aug 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Fintech on Main Street: How small businesses are banking on new technology
Technology is changing financial institutions’ relationships with local businesses and sole proprietors, which account for half of America’s workforce. HBS professor and former head of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills sheds light on the ongoing transformation. Will new technologies expand access to credit for sole proprietors and small businesses on Main Street? How will these new technologies affect community banks? And what are the key challenges to smart Fintech regulation?
- 06 Aug 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Super Bowl Ads Sell Products, but Do They Sell Brands?
Super Bowl advertising is increasingly about using storytelling to sell corporate brands rather than products. Shelle Santana discusses why stories win (or fumble) on game day. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Jul 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
The energy industry’s cooperative approach to expanding the talent pipeline
The Center for Energy Workforce Development was created in 2006 to help the industry prepare for a generational wave of retirements and to diversify its workforce. Utilities are the proverbial canary in the coalmine, as U.S. organizations across the board struggle with skills gaps and demographic shifts. Southern Company Executive Vice President and CEWD Chair, Beth Reese, discusses the task of replenishing the talent pipeline from the dual perspective of utility exec and consortium head.
- 17 Jul 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Advanced placement at work: a 21st Century apprenticeship model for the US
CareerWise Colorado is redefining job training and expanding the talent pipeline. The nonprofit apprenticeship program, patterned on the successful Swiss system, places college-track students in businesses from advanced manufacturing to finance. Founder Noel Ginsburg and COO Ashley Carter explain how Careerwise allows students to earn as they learn, become valued employees, and develop career networks and long-term prospects. It’s built to replicate, ramping up in Colorado and expanding nationally.
- 16 Jul 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Juul's Mission: Convince 1 Billion Smokers to Switch Habits
Mike Toffel discusses the controversial rise of Juul vaping products, which have become a cigarette alternative for adult smokers and a growing concern among parents of teens. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 03 Jul 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Expanding access and conveying competencies: How Western Governors' University is rethinking higher education
Western Governors' University was founded in 1997 to expand access to affordable higher education and to offer instruction grounded in the requirements of the job market. WGU President and HBS alum Scott Pulsipher tells Bill about the school’s innovative online model, which delivers a proficiency-based curriculum to working adults and members of underserved groups. With over 115,000 full-time students, WGU plans to reach an even wider audience. Is this a model for the future?
- 03 Jul 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
The Controversial History of United Fruit
Geoffrey Jones discusses the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954 in a US-backed coup supporting United Fruit Company and a key landmark in the history of globalization. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Jun 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
In the Platform Economy, Upwork Searches for Better Matches in the Cloud
Welcome to the Platform Economy, where business strategists must learn a new form of competition. David Yoffie and Michael Cusumano explain choices facing Upwork, which matches jobs with job hunters in the cloud. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Jun 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Fried chicken and fresh starts: fair chance hiring as a talent strategy
More people in the US have criminal records than have graduated from college. Joe DeLoss, founder of restaurant chain Hot Chicken Takeover, argues that people with a range of life experiences that previously kept them out of the workforce, like the formerly incarcerated, homeless, and addicted, defy easy categorization. With appropriate management, including clear expectations, relevant benefits, and frequent feedback, he says they can help create productive, stable, and profitable businesses.
- 18 Jun 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Can Khan Academy Scale to Educate Anyone, Anywhere?
Khan Academy is an online global education nonprofit launched by Sal Khan with the audacious mission to “provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” Professor Bill Sahlman discusses his case study of the company. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Jun 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Investing in innovation: boosting growth beyond superstar cities
Can a Manhattan Project on steroids revitalize languishing US regions and drive balanced economic growth? In their book Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream MIT economists Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson hearken back to the scientific, technical, and economic juggernaut assembled during the Second World War to make the case that public investment in innovation is the key to stimulating growth and reversing rising inequality across the country.
- 04 Jun 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Israel Turns 70: Does it Need a Rebrand?
When market research revealed that many people associated Israel with military and political conflict, the country knew a rebrand was in order. In this podcast, Elie Ofek discusses the campaign's results. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 22 May 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
From gig to gig: Thumbtack’s CEO on the challenges facing contract workers
The phrase “gig worker” often conjures an image of a driver providing a routine service for low pay. But freelancers provide services on a contracted, or “gig,” basis in a wide range of fields from cosmetology to carpentry. In this episode, Joe hosts Thumbtack CEO Marco Zappacosta, whose platform matches hundreds of thousands of professionals with contract jobs across the country. Marco provides a unique view into the shared challenges these varied “pros” face. Will platforms like his provide the solutions?
- 21 May 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
If the Key to Business Success Is Focus, Why Does Amazon Work?
Sunil Gupta explores the infiltration of Amazon into dozens of industries including web services, grocery, and movie production. What’s the big plan? Is the company spread too thin? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 08 May 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
Prediction: How AI will affect business, work, and life
How should we think about improvements in artificial intelligence? Bill speaks with Joshua Gans, co-author of "Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence," which argues that AI advances can be boiled down to making better predictions. As a component of a vast array of activities, enhanced prediction will have ripple effects throughout the economy. What new functions and business models will it create? What difficult questions will it force society to answer?
- 07 May 2019
- Cold Call Podcast
Managers, Are You Prepared to Handle Religion in the Workplace?
Managers face growing challenges related to religion in the workplace as religious discrimination claims and monetary settlements increase. Derek van Bever discusses two examples that made their way to the US Supreme Court. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 Apr 2019
- Managing the Future of Work
How edX is redesigning learning for the future
In a world where jobs are constantly changing, the workforce must be able to continually add skills, and receive credit for them, to remain relevant. In this episode, Joe speaks with Anant Agarwal, MIT professor and CEO of education platform edX, who says “the future of work is the same as the future of learning.” Launched in 2012 as a joint venture of Harvard and MIT, edX has brought to market innovative solutions for today’s learners. But will their approach address the needs of tomorrow's workforce?
At Booking.com, Innovation Means Constant Failure
Booking.com and other innovative firms embrace a culture where testing, experimentation, and even failure are tried and true. Stefan Thomke explains the necessary ingredients for establishing a culture of innovation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.