We talk a lot about the “future of work,” but few leaders are prepared for just how radically work is changing beneath their feet.

Today, creativity and critical thinking drive results – yet they remain the hardest kinds of work to see, measure, or manage. That’s why modern leaders must rethink traditional management models. Stick with outdated approaches, and you risk slowing innovation, misreading performance, and overlooking standout talent hiding in plain sight.

So where should leaders start?

In this episode of Dialogue with the Dean, Julian Birkinshaw sits down with Rob Austin, Professor of Information Systems and Ivey’s Evolution of Work Chair, for a thought-provoking conversation about what leaders need to understand about modern work. Together, they explore why knowledge work resists measurement, how creative breakthroughs often stem from “productive accidents,” what AI can and can’t replace, and why neuroinclusion is emerging as a powerful catalyst for capability building.

Insightful, candid, and deeply relevant for anyone navigating rapid technological and cultural change, this episode offers clear and compelling insights for building workplaces where people – and ideas – can truly thrive.

In this episode: 

1:20 : Origins of a modern work visionary
 2:07 : What really is knowledge work?
 3:22 : Evaluating the work you can’t see
 8:05 : Human vs. AI: Who’s really doing the thinking?
 12:05 : Things that make you go hmmm
 16:39 : Finding the sweet spot between home and office
 20:07 : Redesigning work for every brain
 27:52 : The power of people who give a damn

To learn more about the research discussed in this episode, please visit: 

How Neuroinclusion Builds Organizational Capabilities
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-neuroinclusion-builds-organizational-capabilities/

Computers as Creative Collaborators for Businesses?
https://cmr.berkeley.edu/2023/09/computers-as-creative-collaborators-for-businesses/ 

The advantages and challenges of neurodiversity employment in organizations
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-management-and-organization/article/advantages-and-challenges-of-neurodiversity-employment-in-organizations/E00D823A30F04CA4EA502014329C1CE9 

Accidental innovation: Supporting valuable unpredictability in the creative process
https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.1110.0681

Performance-based incentives in knowledge work: are agency models relevant?
https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJBPM.2000.66 

Knowledge Work
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/394911987_Knowledge_work