HBR IdeaCast

Harvard Business Review
  • 4.2 (26)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Supercharging Innovation with "Flash Teams"

    Across industries, organizations are struggling to move as quickly as they need to on key priorities and new initiatives. The solution for many, says Stanford's Melissa Valentine, might be "flash teams" -- project groups that can be instantly, efficiently, and cost-effectively brought together and organized via online labor markets and AI and other digital tools to solve any problem. She explains why companies and leaders should embrace this new type of collaboration, how flash teams work in practice, and the pitfalls to look out for. Valentine is coauthor along with Michael Bernstein of the book Flash Teams: Leading the Future of AI-Enhanced, On-Demand Work.

    31 min

  2. 9 SEPT

    When Fake News Targets Your Company

    A fast-moving lie can do more damage to a company’s reputation than a slow, careful truth can fix. Executives who think fake news is just a political problem are underestimating its reach and cost. Patrick Haack, professor of strategy and responsible management at HEC Lausanne, explains why traditional responses like silence or fact-checking aren’t enough. He outlines what companies should be doing instead: building credibility in advance, monitoring for signs of virality, and enlisting outside allies to push back. It’s a playbook designed not just to correct the record but to protect trust before it erodes. Haack is coauthor of the HBR article “How to Counter Fake News.”

    19 min

  3. 2 SEPT

    Why It’s So Hard to Delegate — and How to Improve

    At every stage of leadership, it's important to hand some tasks and even decisions off to team members to foster their development and free up your time for higher level work. But even seasoned bosses often have trouble effectively delegating. Elsbeth Johnson, senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, explains the four main reasons why we struggle -- both internal and external -- and outlines strategies for overcoming them to level up your delegation game. Johnson wrote the HBR article "Why Aren’t I Better at Delegating?"

    31 min

  4. 26 AUG

    The Kinds of Humor That Help Leaders Build Trust

    Leading an organization is a serious job, but Adam Christing argues that humor is a shortcut to building trust at an organization - and without it, you might be missing out on an important leadership tool. Christing is a comedian, speaker and author and he walks through five main kinds of humor that are most effective at work. It's not about knock-knock jokes, he says, but finding a style that's authentic to you. Christing is author of the book The Laughter Factor: The 5 Humor Tactics to Link, Lift, and Lead.

    30 min

  5. 19 AUG

    How to Bring More Rigor to Your Long-Term Thinking

    Amid great economic, political, and technological change, it can feel impossible to predict what might happen next. Nick Foster, a futurist and designer who has worked at Google X, Sony, and elsewhere, says that most of us struggle because we tend to fall into one pattern of thinking about the future. A better approach -- for leaders, teams, and entire organizations -- is to consider the long-term view through multiple lenses, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each. He explains how more deep and rigorous thinking and discussion on these issues can yield better outcomes for businesses of all kinds. Foster is the author of the book Could, Should, Might, Don't: How We Think About the Future.

    32 min

  6. 12 AUG

    Are You Considering Chinese AI In Your Strategy?

    AI ecosystems are moving fast, and smart leaders are considering all options when it comes to staying competitive. Amit Joshi is a professor at IMD Business School, and he argues that leaders should be looking to Chinese technology as a possible way to power up their strategies and growth. The adoption comes with some risks that leaders must be aware of, Joshi explains, but a careful combination of multiple AI tools could be the answer. He also explains just how far Chinese AI platforms have come since the arrival of DeepSeek, what makes them different, and examples of how companies are integrating them into their tech stacks the right way. Joshi is coauthor of the HBR article "How Savvy Companies are Using Chinese AI."

    31 min

  7. 5 AUG

    Are You Optimizing Your Virtual Communication Practices?

    Whether your organization encourages working from home or the office, much of your business is no doubt conducted virtually — over email, on Slack, or via Zoom meetings. But few of us think very carefully about how to most effectively use these tools or which to employ when. And few teams and companies have established best practices for virtual communication, which can hurt collaboration, sales, engagement, and performance. Andrew Brodsky, a professor at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin who has researched these issues, outlines practical ways to be more conscientious and intentional about our communication choices and patterns. Brodsky wrote the book Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication.

    36 min

  8. 29 JUL

    What We Know About Leading with Intuition

    It might seem risky to base decisions as a leader on your gut feeling or intuition. But Laura Huang's research has found that intuition isn't just an arbitrary thought or emotion; that it’s the culmination of years of data and observation, and that it is worth listening to. The Northeastern University professor shares what she's learned about intuition, how we can recognize it and tap into it, and why it is a strength for business leaders. She's the author of the book You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Your Intuition. She also wrote the HBR article "How CEOs Hone and Harness Their Intuition."

    35 min
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4.2
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About

A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.

Information

  • Channel
    Harvard Business Review
  • Creator
    Harvard Business Review
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2025
  • Episodes
    649
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    HBR IdeaCast

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