Reshaping Supply Chains for a Post-Pandemic World

Civilization depends on supply chains to convert the planet’s bounty into the products we need and to deliver those products to 7.8 billion human beings at a price they can afford. COVID-19 has upended supply chains around the world and has cast into doubt the future of the operations landscape. This is a presentation and conversation with MIT professor...

2h

Why Chief Data Officers Must Assume Leadership for Data Success

In their efforts to become data-driven, Fortune 1000 companies face the common challenge of identifying the right leadership that will enable them to overcome cultural and business roadblocks. For most businesses, cultural issues manifest themselves in a variety of ways — resistance to change, antiquated business processes, a lack of clear coordination...

2h

Enter the Cube Farm

Picture the scene: gridded boxes as far as the eye can see. Rows and rows of similarly arranged desks placed within acoustical-paneled boxes; technology on those desks nearly identical in kind and placement; and, at those desks, mass-produced office chairs, each occupied by a single employee working head-down under the harsh glow of overhead fluorescent...

5d

The Transformational Power of Recommendation

Image courtesy of Paul Giovanopoulos/theispot.com Wikipedia defines recommendation engines (and platforms and systems) as “a subclass of information filtering system that seeks to predict the ‘rating’ or ‘preference’ a user would give to an item.”1 But as a tool, technology, and digital platform, recommendation engines are far more intriguing and...

6d

Out of the Crisis, Into the Unknown

The COVID-19 crisis began in March in the United States and shows no signs of letting up. Globally, some organizations are adapting and holding their own. Some have been hit very, very hard. Most leaders are struggling to prepare for what could come next and to keep their teams engaged and moving forward. Related Reading E.J. McNulty, “Leading...

6d

Changing Culture Is Central to Changing Business Models

Culture is all-encompassing. It radiates through every action taken inside an organization — including deciding what is made and sold, which employees are hired and retained, which customers are serviced and how, what is measured and reported, and where time and money are invested. However, while some leaders strive to create tomorrow’s cultural norms...

1w

The Best of This Week

The New Elements of Digital Transformation In this article, Didier Bonnet of IMD and George Westerman of MIT’s Sloan School revisit their landmark research and address how the competitive advantages offered by digital technology have evolved. In order to be successful in an increasingly complex landscape, companies must cultivate new digital and leadership...

2w

The New Elements of Digital Transformation

Image courtesy of Michael Glenwood Gibbs/theispot.com Since 2014, when our article “The Nine Elements of Digital Transformation” appeared in these pages, executive awareness of the powerful and ever-evolving ways in which digital technology can create competitive advantage has become pervasive.1 But acting on that awareness remains a challenging...

2w

How Large Companies Can Grow Their Data and Analytics Talent

While many companies are hiring data scientists and other types of analytical and artificial intelligence talent, there is little consensus within and across companies about the qualifications for such roles. The term data scientist might mean a job with a heavy emphasis on statistics, open-source coding, or working with executives to solve business...

2w

When Employees Speak Up, Companies Win

Business headlines suggest that employees are speaking up more than ever. Activist employees are calling out their companies over where and with whom they do business, burned-out employees are asking for more and more unique work-life accommodations, and concerned employees are raising questions about hiring practices and promotion decisions in light...

2w