HBS Managing the Future of Work

<p>Artificial intelligence. Robotics. The Gig Economy. Globalization. The world is changing at a dizzying pace in ways that will have a profound effect on the economy, jobs and the flow of talent. How will firms cope with the changes ahead and what steps do they need to take today? Each episode features faculty from the world’s leading business school interviewing CEOs, technologists and experts on the bleeding edge discussing how to survive and thrive by managing the future of work.</p>

Wharton’s Peter Cappelli on changing the talent equation

What are the consequences of treating employees as an expense rather than an asset? Cappelli argues that this “penny wise and pound foolish” practice hurts the bottom line by discouraging investments in a skilled workforce and prioritizing downsizing, irrespective of efficiency. How changes in management and reporting can realign incentives. Also, C-suite demographics and the impact of AI.

05-01
42:08

Western Governors University: Pursuing the network effects of competency based education

WGU President Scott Pulsipher returns to the podcast for an update on the online institution’s mission to extend the reach of skill-oriented instruction. The HBS grad argues that the focus on competency rather than credit hours democratizes college access and economic opportunity.

04-17
39:31

Guest Appearance: Joe Fuller on CSU's Spur of the Moment

Managing the Future of Work co-chair Joe Fuller joins Colorado State University's Jocelyn Hittle to discuss his work on the Managing the Future of Work project and the Harvard Project on Workforce and to consider broader workforce trends.

04-11
53:04

IBM CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux on AI and the culture of skills building

As the digital economy pushes companies to prioritize continuous learning, HR strategies need to emphasize customization, flexibility, and support for diverse work-life needs.

04-03
45:31

Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor: How AI can raise the investment IQ

AI's potential is tempered by the need for reliability and consistency in financial intelligence. How is Morningstar adopting the technology, upskilling its 10,000-strong global workforce, and competing for talent? Also, factoring sustainability and workforce strategy in ratings and risk analysis.

03-22
31:53

Cleveland Clinic’s formula for a robust healthcare workforce

Chief Caregiver Officer, Kelly Hancock, on filling key roles when talent is scarce; fostering careers in increasingly stressful occupations; how to make skills-based hiring work; the benefits of diversity; and how AI is altering jobs and HR.

03-06
36:30

Microsoft’s AI perspective: From chatbots to reengineering the organization

AI’s revolutionary potential is best realized incrementally, according to Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President of Modern Work and Business Applications. How the tech giant is experimenting its way from AI assistants to autonomous agents while engaging with stakeholders. Also: the OpenAI connection, responsible AI, and upskilling.

02-21
42:27

ServiceNow’s Amy Regan Morehouse on workforce transformation

Employers are wrestling with how to provide the resources and foster the motivation workers need for continuous learning in an AI-altered economy. Workers of all stripes are looking to acquire the skills to compete. How is the company coordinating with its employees and its training partners?

02-07
31:56

Shopify’s Tia Silas on rewiring HR for a remote-first e-commerce company

How do you re-engineer the people function to support a post-Covid virtual organization? Shopify’s CHRO explains.

01-24
37:18

Transplanting college to the corporate campus to develop talent for good jobs

If schools aren't turning out job-ready grads, can employer-led partnerships reengineer the talent pipeline to meet the demand and provide opportunities for a diverse workforce? J.D. Hickey, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, on his firm's collaboration with East Tennessee State University, the BlueSky Tennessee Institute, a work-based accelerated computer science bachelor's program based at the insurer's corporate campus.

01-10
39:20

Revisiting Upward Mobility: The 2023 American Opportunity Index

In its second iteration, the corporate scorecard draws on a wider range of worker outcomes to rank Fortune 500 employers on how well they boost career prospects. The index is a collaboration of the HBS Managing the Future of Work Project, the Burning Glass Institute, and the Schultz Family Foundation. Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, managing director of the Schultz Family Foundation, join host Bill Kerr.

12-27
39:55

Revelio Labs’ Ben Zweig on creating a universal HR database

Do we need new terms and frameworks to capture important data about fast-changing labor markets? As the volume of workforce data increases, so does the strategic value of market- and firm-level analysis.

12-13
30:01

Why employers need to tune in to worker preferences

Sander van’t Noordende, CEO of HR services giant Randstad, on navigating the new normal of talent scarcity, an aging workforce, and AI.

11-29
38:03

Euan Blair on workforce development: College is broken. Apprenticeships deliver.

Episode 200: The founder and CEO of UK-based unicorn Multiverse makes the case for the earn-and-learn model. Arguing that the college advantage is oversold and overpriced, Blair touts targeted training as a more practical alternative for workers and employers. Can Multiverse expand the practicum in the US?

11-15
39:24

Deloitte's Dan Helfrich on consulting in the post-Covid, AI-inflected new normal

How do a culture of open debate and prioritizing work-life balance help the firm navigate change while advising others on how to do the same?

11-01
36:37

Defining experience: How micro internships build skills and boost productivity

Can short knowledge-work gigs improve the college-to-career transition? Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of intermediary Parker Dewey explains.

10-18
31:58

Workplace transformation: Gallup plumbs the new normal

If there’s no going back to pre-Covid, 9-to-5 workplace routines, what’s the new management playbook? Gallup’s Jim Harter on work-life balance, managing a hybrid organization, and the social and psychological markers of a healthy and productive organization.

10-04
35:35

The EEOC’s Keith Sonderling on job fairness in the age of AI

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has a broad mandate, policing discrimination in all aspects of employment. How does artificial intelligence (AI) change the equation? Commissioner Keith Sonderling discusses the role AI is already playing in employment and what’s next, in terms of policy, technology, and market adoption.

09-20
42:39

Chike Aguh on government innovation in workforce development

How can government boost competitiveness and spur the creation of good jobs while protecting worker rights and promoting equity? The former Chief Innovation Officer in the U.S. Department of Labor discusses the talent implications of U.S. industrial policy, cross-sector collaboration, rethinking the delivery of benefits and services, and more.

09-06
37:41

The case for investing in the apprenticeship model

Achieve Partners' Ryan Craig on expanding the earn-as-you-learn ecosystem to boost workforce skills while increasing upward mobility and equity. He argues that college’s high cost and limited job preparation call for a greater commitment of resources to apprenticeship programs.

08-23
33:17

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