For many senior executives, leaving your last C-level position means entering uncharted territory. As he neared the end of a rewarding corporate career that culminated in being chief marketing officer at United Airlines, Tom O’Toole resolved to design the “post-corporate” stage that followed. O’Toole uses the term “portfolio life” to describe the set of activities…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Democracy is in decline across the world. More countries are experiencing erosion of political rights and civil liberties than gains, according to Freedom House. As of 2025, 92 countries, representing 74% of the world’s population, were classified as autocracies by the V-Dem Institute. Democratic backsliding is a primary concern…
In this episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, host Sam Ransbotham talks with Peter Koerte, a member of the managing board and chief strategy and technology officer of Siemens, about how industrial AI is quietly transforming the infrastructure that powers everyday life. While consumer AI grabs headlines, Peter explains how artificial intelligence is…
For the fifth year in a row, MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have assembled an international panel of AI experts that includes academics and practitioners to help us understand how responsible artificial intelligence (RAI) is being implemented across organizations worldwide. In prior years, we examined organizational RAI maturity; third-party, generative, and…
Introducing Insight Unpacked Season 3: Can We Still Build a Green Economy? Insight in your inbox Receive our newsletters to keep up with the latest research and ideas from faculty at the Kellogg School of Management. https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/newsletter/insightful-leader In the last decade, we’ve seen powerful people and organizations take on the issue of climate change—making big…
Who am I? It’s a basic question that people may occasionally ask themselves during moments of self-reflection. But for many multiracial people in an increasingly diverse America, it’s the kind of question that comes up all the time. “As you think about people who have multiracial backgrounds, all sorts of interesting questions arise—about who belongs…
Long before his business and teaching career, Carter Cast received an early lesson in what excellence demands. Before taking on leadership roles at Walmart.com, PepsiCo, and Blue Nile, Cast first chased excellence in a different lane: swimming. In his youth, the clinical professor of strategy at the Kellogg School was an extraordinarily talented swimmer. He…
Mark Shaver/theispot.com Can generative AI serve as an effective adviser for business owners and entrepreneurs? Intuitive chat-based natural language interfaces mean that anyone who can read and write can use GenAI tools for a wide range of tasks, even if they lack technical skills. This has obvious appeal for entrepreneurs and small business owners, many…
Just like the humans who train them, generative AI models can skew a certain way. As a leader, it’s important to understand how those biases can creep in. “If you care about innovation, if you care about being someone who can step outside the box and predict what is next in the industry, use AI…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Wellcome Collection Florence Nightingale may be best remembered as the epitome of a kind, caring nurse, but she was also a force for disruptive innovation in health care. Three distinct elements of her work — communicating data compellingly, publicizing clear and simple instructions, and expanding professionalized training — carry timeless lessons…