The Emerging World of Work

What drives American informality, schedules and the desire to combine fun with business? We interview Allyson Stewart-Allen – a renowned advisor, speaker, non-executive director, educator and author of the best-selling book ‘Working with Americans’ - who offers a deeper understanding of America’s business mindset, diversity and regions so you can confidently navigate this large, complex and profit-making economy. Whether new to working with Americans or an experienced internationalist, her top tips for connecting with US colleagues, clients, customers or consultants reveal what drives American informality, schedules and the desire to combine fun with business. Guest: Allyson Stewart-Allen, author of Working with Americans: How to Build Profitable Business Relationships

Business growth and scale are undeniably interconnected but differ in a few fundamental ways. The latter can’t be realized without the former, but they are also wholly different measures of a business’s development. To explore this topic further, we posed three questions to our panelists – April Seggebruch (COO, Movista), Michal Alter (CEO Visit.org) and Rick Webb (Director, Grit Studios) – each bringing a different perspective based on their industry, experience and stage of business maturity. Guest: ● April Seggebruch – Co-Founder & COO, Movista ● Michal Altar - CEO, Visit.org ● Rick Webb - Grit Studios, Founder and Director

It’s one thing to come up with ideas and test them in the market. How do you find a way to win the resources and support to bring ideas to life? To find out, we interview Jeff Dyer and Nathan Furr, co-authors of the new book “Innovation Capital: How to Compete--and Win--Like the World’s Most Innovative Leaders.” They share insights from their research and conversations with some of the top leaders of our time, like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Marc Benioff, explaining how they compete for and obtain, the resources they need to bring ideas to life. Guests: Jeff Dyer is a professor of strategy at both Wharton and Brigham Young University Nathan Furr is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, where he teaches innovation and technology strategy. Get their book: https://hbr.org/product/innovation-capital-how-to-compete-and-win-like-the-world-s-most-innovative-leaders/10222E-KND-ENG

Creativity is in high demand in the workplace, both among front-line workers and leadership. But do our current ways of working support innovative, imaginative ideas? Johan Roos believes play nurtures the imagination, so you can put it to more productive use. Johan is the co-inventor of LEGO Serious Play, a methodology designed to enhance innovation and business performance through playtime. We ask him how he created the concept, how play helps leaders unlock their capacity to innovate, and why he feels it’s more useful than ever in our current business climate. Guest: Johan Roos – Professor and Chief Academic Officer at the HULT International Business School

Chinese innovators are making their mark globally. What can leaders and entrepreneurs around the world learn from the innovation happening in this country? Authors Mark Greeven, George Yip and Wei Wei join us to discuss their new book, "Pioneers, Hidden Champions, Changemakers, and Underdogs: Lessons from China’s Innovators." They explain the four different type of innovators in China, the successes of Western companies that have tried to move into this market, and the lessons the rest of us can learn from China’s startup culture. Buy "Pioneers, Hidden Champions, Changemakers, and Underdogs" https://bit.ly/2USAoqe Guest: ● Mark J. Greeven Professor of Innovation and Strategy at IMD Business School in Lausanne ● George S. Yip Emeritus Professor of Marketing and Strategy at Imperial College Business School in London ● Wei Wei Founder and CEO of the Shanghai-based consulting firm GSL Innovation

What can science teach us about the qualities of great, innovative leaders? In her new book The New Science of Radical Innovation: The Six Competencies Leaders Need to Win in a Complex World, Dr. Sunnie Giles explains how concepts like neuroscience and quantum mechanics apply to everyday work. She tells us how leaders can leverage these concepts to create the right environment for “radical” innovation within their business. Buy The New Science of Radical Innovation at book.sunniegiles.com. Learn more about Dr. Sunnie’s work at sunniegiles.com Guest: Dr. Sunnie Giles, author of The New Science of Radical innovation

Is it possible to be both constantly creative and constantly productive? In her new book “Hustle and Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work,” Rahaf Harfoush suggests that society’s preoccupation with life hacks, hyper-efficiency and “Inbox Zero” directly harms our creative best interests. She shares advice for leaders who want to help the “Productive Creatives” in their workforce find a healthier balance. Buy “Hustle and Float” at HustleandFloat.com. Learn more about Rahaf’s work at rahafharfoush.com. Guest: Rahaf Harfoush, author of Hustle and Float

What can leaders and entrepreneurs learn from the effort to solve global poverty? Along with Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon are co-authors of The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty. In this interview, Efosa and Karen reveal the paradox at the heart of existing approaches to solving poverty, and propose a better way forward based on entrepreneurship and market-creating innovation. To learn more about their work, visit https://www.christenseninstitute.org/ Get the book: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062851826/the-prosperity-paradox/ Guest: Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon, co-authors of The Prosperity Paradox

A veteran of IT management and delivery, Randy Salley has had the opportunity to peek inside many enterprises and see how they run their IT functions. He now advises tech startups who are looking to get a head start in the retail industry. So, he’s got strong opinions about what works and what doesn’t. We asked him how IT leaders can better manage their teams to deliver the best results, including how to position themselves as servant leaders. Guest: Randy Salley, former SVP of Retail Technology at Walmart, and a veteran of IT management and delivery

Is the higher ed system doing a good enough job preparing our next generation of leaders for the demands of the workplace of the future – and, for that matter, the present? We asked Mary Curnock-Cook, an expert on this topic and the former chief executive at the Universities and College Admissions Service in the United Kingdom. In her 25-year career in education, Mary has gotten a first-hand look at how people move through the higher ed system, and she’s been privy to data insights that inform her own perspectives on the direction this field is moving in. Connect with Mary Curnock-Cook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryCurnockCook Guest: Mary Curnock-Cook, education expert and former chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Guillaume Alvarez is fascinated by the relationship between people and the places they work. He believes leaders can create a physical environment that is conducive to creativity, as well as the personal wellbeing of their employees and the business as a whole. We asked him to explain, and to also explore one project at Steelcase where the IT team’s workspace was redesigned to maximize the effectiveness of an agile transformation. To learn more about that Steelcase Agile IT story, read their case study: https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/topics/agile/agile-case-study/ Guest: Guillaume Alvarez, SVP for EMEA, Steelcase

What do business leaders need to know about the future of AI? And, among all the fear-mongering about what AI will or won’t mean for human jobs, how can those leaders ensure they’re keeping humans at the center of this technological revolution? Felix Hovsepian, an expert in the implications of emerging technologies on business, believes that AI, if used properly, will be of immense benefit to humanity. He also explains why the concept of lifelong learning is the key to human-centered, properly-utilized AI deployment. To keep up with his perspectives on AI, connect with Felix on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixhovsepian/ Guest: Felix Hovsepian, keynote speaker and co-author of “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Responding to the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Business.”

Are entrepreneurs born, or bred? Can you teach someone how to think like an entrepreneur? What are the most useful skills? When are they useful? To find out, we asked two professors of entrepreneurship and innovation, Joseph Pistrui and Dimo Dimov, who are conducting research into the way entrepreneurs think. To learn more about Joseph and Dimo’s Entrepreneurial Styles Assessment research, visit http://www.emergn.com/esa. Guests: Joseph Pistrui, Professor of Entrepreneurial Management at IE Business School in Madrid. Dimo Dimov, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Bath.