Extropy on AIR: Finance Transformation, AP Automation & AI in Finance

Extropy Advisors
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Welcome to Extropy on Air — the official podcast of Extropy Advisors, where finance transformation meets real-world possibility. Join us for candid conversations with CFOs, AP leaders, shared services executives, and technology innovators who are redefining how finance teams operate in the digital age. Each episode explores the topics that matter most to modern finance leaders: AI in finance operations — practical use cases, not hypeAccounts payable automation and procure-to-pay transformationShared services optimization and center-of-excellence strategyFinance digital transformation — from strategy to implementationChange management for finance teams adopting new technology Whether you're a CFO building a digital finance roadmap, an AP Director evaluating automation platforms, or a finance transformation leader navigating organizational change — this show was made for you. Extropy Advisors is a Basware Partner of the Year and a leading North American consulting firm specializing in AP automation and finance process transformation. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and join the community of finance leaders who are building the future of finance operations.

  1. May 28

    The Execution Gap: Why Great Strategies Fall Apart Before They Begin

    Most strategies don't fail because they're wrong. They fail because organizations can't execute them. In this episode, Mike Jasper sits down with Extropy Project Manager Cecile Brown-Smith to unpack the systematic forces behind that gap. They explore why entropy quietly erodes even the best-laid plans, how ambiguity stalls teams and kills momentum, and why the people closest to the work are often left out of the rooms where decisions get made. From tribal knowledge to missing legal sign-off, the execution gap is rarely dramatic. It's dozens of small breakdowns that pile up until the project is already off course. Tune in for a practical conversation on what it actually takes to convert strategic intent into daily behavior, and why structure, clarity, and the right people in the room make all the difference.

    21 min

  2. May 14

    The Speed Trap: How Growth Without Structure Accelerates Decay

    Growth is supposed to be a good thing, so why does it make everything harder? In this episode, Kevin Zirkle and Mike Jasper unpack the tension between speed and structure, and why scaling faster than your systems can support is one of the fastest paths to corporate entropy. They break down what "scaling before stabilizing" really looks like, why speed is a multiplier for both good and bad, and what it actually takes to design for sustainable velocity. If your organization is growing but things feel increasingly chaotic, this one is for you.

    16 min

  3. May 7

    Why AP Is the Hidden Risk in Your SAP Migration (with Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware)

    Most SAP Cloud ERP migrations treat Accounts Payable as an afterthought. That's a mistake that costs organizations years of lost value, compliance fines, and a core that's anything but clean. In this episode of Extropy On AIr, host Ravit Gutman sits down with Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware, to break down why the calls you make about AP during your migration window will shape how your finance function performs for the next decade. They get into the real reasons nearly 60% of SAP migrations run over budget or behind schedule, why a specialist AP layer actually protects your clean core instead of adding complexity, how Basware's AI is built on 2.5 billion processed invoices and what that means for touchless processing, what compliance-as-a-service looks like when over 100 global mandates are actively shifting, and why "we'll deal with AP later" is the phrase finance leaders come to regret most. If you're a CFO, CIO, Controller, or transformation lead anywhere near an SAP program right now, this one is worth your full attention.

    43 min

  4. Apr 29

    Fragmentation, Silos, and Drift: Where Entropy Comes From

    In this episode, Kevin Zirkle sits down with Steve Ramirez, a senior manager at Extropy who lived these challenges firsthand on the client side before joining the team. Together, they dig into something most transformation conversations skip: where entropy actually originates. Not from bad leadership or poor execution, but from silos that started as solutions, incentives that were never aligned across functions, and slow drift that happens between the moments of intentional change. If your organization feels like everything is getting harder without one clear reason why, this one's for you.

    14 min

  5. Apr 21

    Is Your System Breaking Down? 5 Signals You Can't Afford to Miss

    Most organizations don't know their systems are failing until something very visible and very costly goes wrong. In this episode of Extropy On AIr, Kevin Zirkle and Mike Jasper break down the five telltale signals of organizational entropy: exception dependency, shadow systems, decision escalation, metric conflict, and hero dependency. The uncomfortable truth? These don't look like problems. They look like people doing their jobs. That's exactly what makes them so dangerous. If you're a leader trying to get ahead of dysfunction before it becomes a crisis, this episode gives you a practical lens for seeing what's hiding in plain sight, and a simple place to start this week.

    19 min

  6. Apr 16

    The Extropy Think Tank: Where Finance Leaders Talk Honestly

    In this preview episode, Ravit Gutman and Mike Jasper introduce the Extropy Think Tank, a members-only community built for finance transformation practitioners who are tired of vendor pitches and ready for real conversation. No software providers. No marketing fluff. Just honest peer dialogue about what's actually working (and what isn't) as organizations navigate AI adoption, process automation, and the human side of change. Topics are driven by the community, conversations stay in the room, and the goal is simple: connect the people who are living these challenges so they can learn from each other. Stay tuned for more exciting news from Extropy!

    12 min

  7. Season 2, Episode 8 Trailer

    Extropy Think Tank Teaser: What We're Building and Why

    Before the official launch, Ravit Gutman and Mike Jasper sit down to pull back the curtain on the Extropy Think Tank, what it is, why Extropy is the right place to host it, and what finance leaders can expect. This isn't another product demo or vendor pitch. It's an honest, people-first space for finance transformation conversations that actually matter. Subscribe so you don't miss what's coming!

    7 min

  8. Apr 9

    The Digital Transformation Myth: Why Technology Is the Least Important Part

    Most enterprises believe digital transformation is a technology problem. They're wrong, and it's costing them millions. In this episode of Extropy on AIr, Kevin Zirkle sits down with Mike Jasper, Vice President at Extropy Advisors, to dismantle one of the most expensive myths in business today: that buying better platforms leads to better outcomes. They dig into why organizations invest heavily in automation, AI, and analytics — and still end up with teams working overtime, shadow processes, and dashboards full of green lights that mask real dysfunction. Sound familiar? In this episode, you'll learn: Why technology is the amplifier, not the driver, and what happens when what you're amplifying lacks coherenceThe concept of "visible progress with invisible stagnation" and how executive reporting can reinforce the illusionThe three most common failure patterns in digital transformation (including "fragmentation through success" — where every team wins but the company loses)Why the Structure → System → Technology sequence matters, and what goes wrong when organizations invert itFour concrete actions leaders can take right now if their transformation feels harder than it should Building on earlier episodes, Kevin and Mike connect the dots between corporate entropy, the concept of extropy, and the deliberate design of organizational coherence — the real center of any lasting transformation. Next episode: How entropy shows up inside finance operating models: AP, AR, procurement, and treasury. Where it hides, how it manifests, and how to start diagnosing it. 🔗 Learn more at getextropy.com

    17 min
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About

Welcome to Extropy on Air — the official podcast of Extropy Advisors, where finance transformation meets real-world possibility. Join us for candid conversations with CFOs, AP leaders, shared services executives, and technology innovators who are redefining how finance teams operate in the digital age. Each episode explores the topics that matter most to modern finance leaders: AI in finance operations — practical use cases, not hypeAccounts payable automation and procure-to-pay transformationShared services optimization and center-of-excellence strategyFinance digital transformation — from strategy to implementationChange management for finance teams adopting new technology Whether you're a CFO building a digital finance roadmap, an AP Director evaluating automation platforms, or a finance transformation leader navigating organizational change — this show was made for you. Extropy Advisors is a Basware Partner of the Year and a leading North American consulting firm specializing in AP automation and finance process transformation. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and join the community of finance leaders who are building the future of finance operations.

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