HBS Managing the Future of Work
Business & Economics Podcasts
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.
Location:
United States
Description:
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.
Language:
English
Episodes
Executive recruiting: Tom Monahan on algorithmic power brokers and adaptability
2/25/2026
Corner office churn is up as demands multiply. Heidrick & Struggles' CEO explains what CVs leave out and why flexibility and organizational fit matter more as AI and global volatility undercut the predictive power of past performance. Also, AI-enhanced recruiting and lifelong learning.
Duration:00:34:38
Bank of America's Josh Bronstein on hiring for the long-term
2/11/2026
The bank's head of global talent, an HBS grad, explains the value of cultivating careers, keeping churn low, hiring from within, and focusing on local markets and communities. Also, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, the pivotal role of managers, and training leaders to navigate turbulence.
Duration:00:31:44
HBS Project on Managing the Future of Work 2025 Year in Review, 2026 Preview
1/29/2026
Managing the Future of Work co-chairs and podcast co-hosts, Joe Fuller and Bill Kerr, share highlights and insights from 2025 and look ahead to 2026. Top podcasts, research, trends, and a forthcoming book on managing the future of work.
Duration:00:51:16
HBS Skydeck: Can tech solve health care’s workforce crisis?
1/21/2026
Presenting an episode of the HBS Skydeck alumni podcast highlighting the work of Lissy Hu (MD/MBA). How AI tools and training can help address labor shortages and skills gaps.
Duration:00:17:27
How HubSpot sells and supports its own AI transformation
12/17/2025
The CRM vendor's Helen Russell and Jon Dick unpack the organizational and process changes, HR and skills strategy, and cultural shift. Mandates backed by tools, training, and engagement.
Duration:00:37:48
Fiverr's Micha Kaufman on the post-AI gig economy
12/3/2025
The talent platform's co-founder and CEO returns to the MFW podcast with an update on the market for contingent work as AI changes supply and demand and raises the stakes for skills development.
Duration:00:30:06
Wells Fargo's Bei Ling on culture change and learning agility
11/19/2025
The bank's head of HR lays out the talent strategy underpinning its post-regulatory growth push and AI adoption.
Duration:00:36:01
Guest Episode: Joseph Fuller on the TechWolf podcast
10/29/2025
The Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host examines AI's implications for HR, spells out the competitive stakes in early adoption, and unpacks the technology's disruptive potential for jobs, organizations, and markets. Also, the rise of the CHRO, skills-based hiring, and more.
Duration:01:03:48
Reading and riding the AI wave: John Winsor on the value of flexibility
10/15/2025
As data center investments, stock prices, and vanishing entry-level jobs grab headlines, businesses are grappling with AI use cases and workforce strategy. The veteran serial entrepreneur and Harvard Business School executive fellow assesses the organizational and talent implications.
Duration:00:31:36
How web data is fueling the robot revolution
10/1/2025
Bright Data's Or Lenchner on the evolving ground rules for harnessing the web's data. Charting the boundaries of fair use in training AI systems and robots. Also, the data gathering and analytics workforce.
Duration:00:33:14
EY's Dan Diasio on consulting's AI challenge
9/17/2025
How to get past AI fatigue and anxiety to a more expansive view of the technology's potential—bolstering knowledge work vs commoditizing expertise. As it guides organizations through the experimentation phase and into redesigning business processes, the professional services giant is undergoing an internal transformation.
Duration:00:34:39
JFF's Maria Flynn on getting to good jobs
9/4/2025
What will it take to increase opportunity amid mounting economic uncertainty? The prominent nonprofit's multipronged approach to boosting job quality and promoting equity.
Duration:00:35:13
Redefining success: Harrison Keller on the Texas higher-ed model
8/13/2025
The Lone Star State’s experiment in outcomes–based funding rewards schools that produce “credentials of value.” Can focusing the curriculum on workforce development give Texas an economic advantage and distribute resources equitably?
Duration:00:43:23
BuildOps' Alok Chanani on rewiring commercial contracting
7/30/2025
Admin and logistics can be weak links in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical firms. This can limit growth and squander skilled technical labor, to the detriment of employers and workers alike. The BuildOps co-founder and CEO unpacks the benefits of integrated operations apps and the potential of AI-boosted platforms to improve prospects for skilled workers.
Duration:00:37:48
Cisco's alignment strategy: Coordinating workforce and operations
7/16/2025
The benefits of cross-function collaboration, with Francine Katsoudas, executive vice president and chief people, policy, and purpose officer, and Jeetu Patel, president and chief product officer. How better integration within the corporate stack improves flexibility.
Duration:00:36:13
Designing Equitable Workplaces
7/2/2025
The Harvard Kennedy School's Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi on the logic behind a systems-level approach to workplace fairness. How A-B testing and targeted interventions—incorporated in day-to-day workflow—can help organizations tap more of the talent pool.
Duration:00:43:08
ETS’s Amit Sevak makes the case for continuous assessment
6/18/2025
The flagship firm is pushing the boundaries of testing, from K-12 through career. What are the implications for the workforce and society? And how does AI change the future of benchmarking?
Duration:00:37:09
Vanguard's skills strategy for tech transformation
6/4/2025
Can the shareholder-owned discount brokerage giant parlay its investments in enterprise and cloud infrastructure into an AI-enabled expansion into new markets while improving productivity and service delivery? CIO Nitin Tandon explains the global workforce strategy underpinning the effort.
Duration:00:30:17
Shake Shack’s test kitchen: Developing a good jobs and automation combo
5/21/2025
Shake Shack Chief Growth Officer Steph So and HBS professor Chris Stanton join Bill Kerr to discuss the fast-casual chain’s digital strategy and how technology is changing the dining experience and restaurant work, from frontline to back office.
Duration:00:39:36
Upwork’s Hayden Brown on bridging volatility with contingency
5/8/2025
"Freelance by choice" can sound like a rationalization—or putting on a brave face—but has the contract labor market improved for white-collar workers, as more, particularly younger professionals, opt in? A look at the benefits for both sides of the bargain and how AI changes the calculus.
Duration:00:29:05