HBR IdeaCast

Harvard Business Review

4.3 (1.7K)
MANAGEMENT
UPDATED WEEKLY

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

4 DAYS AGO

The Consumer Psychology of Adopting AI

Despite all the ways that artificial intelligence promises to improve our lives, many consumers feel anxious and are averse to AI-powered products and services. For marketers and product managers, it’s vital to understand what is driving that resistance to adoption. Julian De Freitas is an assistant professor in the marketing unit at Harvard Business School. He has identified five main ways people see artificial intelligence negatively: that AI is opaque, emotionless, inflexible, autonomous, and not human enough. Through real-life cases and the latest research, he explains how companies can soothe anxieties and encourage consumer adoption. De Freitas the author of the HBR article "Why People Resist Embracing AI."

27 min
FEB 11

If DEI Programs Aren't Effective, What Is?

Amid the backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the United States and elsewhere, leaders in both the public and private sectors are reevaluating their organizations' policies and goals. While many employers and employees still value and support DEI, a growing chorus argues that such programs run counter to meritocratic ideals. Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi of the Harvard Kennedy School think there's one principle everyone should be able to agree on -- fairness -- and argue for a data-driven approach to measuring it. They share their research on how to make workplace systems more fair and offer cases we can all learn from. They wrote the book Make Work Fair: Data-Driven Design for Real Results.

29 min
FEB 4

What the EV Industry's Challenges Reveal About Innovation and Regulation

Many consumers are buying electric vehicles, thanks to sportscar-like performance, government incentives, and personal motivations to minimize climate change. But the EV industry overall has revved and sputtered in unpredictable ways and offers a case study in managing innovation, regulation, and competition. Mike Colias, deputy bureau chief at The Wall Street Journal, explains the complex landscape that incumbents such as GM and Ford and start-ups like Tesla find themselves in. Through stories of iconic industry executives and bold competitive moves, he shares insights that leaders in every industry can learn from. Colias wrote the new book Inevitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles.

26 min
JAN 28

Employment Is Changing Forever

As organizations and workers face a new wave of technological change, Deborah Perry Piscione argues that we're at a pivot point where old models of employment will be replaced by entirely new ones. Get ready for GenAI-assisted, decentralized, sometimes autonomous workforces, and “jobs” that span gigs, companies, industries, geographies, and the metaverse. Piscione describes this new reality and how mindset shifts and upskilling can help us prepare. She's the coauthor, along with Josh Drean, of the book Employment is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies are Revolutionizing the Way We Work.

30 min
JAN 21

To Fix Broken Work Systems, You Need to Reset

If you've ever tried to change things at work, you know the headwinds you face. Teams and processes are often trapped in longstanding, ineffective patterns that are hard to budge. Dan Heath, senior fellow at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, explains proven techniques to reset. Those include making the problem visible, jolting incremental progress to start gaining traction, and motivating teams into a new direction. He shares real-life examples of how leaders and teams broke through seemingly intractable work situations. Heath is the author of the new book Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working.

31 min
JAN 14

How to Get Better at Saying No

Our families, schools, and workplaces often train us to comply: taking on additional work when asked, agreeing with the group's consensus, and going along to get along with our bosses and colleagues. So, even when we're told to "think different" and "embrace conflict," we often hold ourselves back. But when individuals learn to say no more often, it can have huge benefits for their careers and organizations, says Dr. Sunita Sah. A psychologist and professor at Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business, she shares a research-backed framework for evaluating whether to comply or defy at work and offers advice on how to do both more effectively. Sah is author of the book Defy: The Power of No In a World That Demands Yes.

28 min
JAN 7

Dealing with Perfectionism

High standards, attention to detail, and self-control are invaluable qualities at work. They’re also aspects of perfectionism, something to which many high achievers credit much of their success. But Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, says being your own worst critic can also lead to constant dissatisfaction at work and alienation from coworkers. Her new book is How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists. Drawing on her own research, clinical work, and personal experience as a perfectionist, she explains where perfectionism comes from and how it affects teams. Hendriksen shares how not to be so hard on yourself—while still keeping your high standards.

27 min
12/31/2024

How To Enhance Your Leadership with “Personal Power”

We all know the stereotypes of leaders who use charisma, manipulation, domineering behavior, or their status in the hierarchy to exert control. But there is another type of leader whose power isn’t necessarily related to their position on the org chart. Chris Lipp has spent years studying people who’ve developed this “personal power” that is rooted in their internal values. Lipp is a professor at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, an executive coach, and the author of the new book The Science of Personal Power. He’s investigated where this second type of power comes from, how it can enhance our lives, and how to tap into it using some simple strategies and tools.

26 min

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4.3

out of 5

1,683 Ratings

Congrats on 1,000 episodes!

11/25/2024

DTB19XX

Congrats on 1,000 episodes! I always look forward to Tuesdays to hearing preeminent thinkers on AI, Decision Making and Business Management. Looking forward to the next 1,000!
Missed the boat again

Feb 13

F500 Exec

DEI episode missed the mark. Again. Good intentions don’t translate into results, nor fairness. So frustrating.
Overly academic

Feb 5

Done Trying76

The AI episode represents the fatal flaw of this podcast: it is overly optimistic and academic for the stock market, not the people on the company. We will not get shorter workweeks out of ai -those who don’t adopt will be fired as a headcount reduction and you will be working the same number f hours. This was an arrogant take by a condescending guest.
Impactful

08/14/2024

Mister Roc

I’m the manager of highly functional sales team. Sales is an emotional practice. How my employees feel goes a long way to motivate people to do what they wanna do. So I really appreciate the episode to be able to manage those emotions effectively. This one really spoke to me and has paid off for my team.