Patrick George/Ikon Images Creative workforces, accelerated business growth, and leaders who have learned how to harness their team’s diversity are all expected outcomes of well-executed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Hiring to develop a more diverse workforce, however, doesn’t mean that these synergies will automatically accrue. Inclusive leaders need to understand that implementing DEI…
Alexis Franklin Is the shift to a four-day workweek a real movement, a post-pandemic fad, or a pipe dream? In her new book, Four Days a Week: The Life-Changing Solution for Reducing Employee Stress, Improving Well-Being, and Working Smarter (Harper Business, June 2025), Juliet B. Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College, sheds light…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Hackathons are a valuable tool for spurring innovative solutions to challenging problems, but they can fail badly. This can be particularly disheartening considering the substantial time, money, and other resources invested in preparation, organization, and execution. So, what causes them to go wrong? In my research, I observed 48…
Rob Dobi/theispot.com Geopolitical tensions between the West and China are deepening. As a result, Western governments, especially in the U.S. and Europe, are hardening their rules toward Chinese companies. Although many Western executives see these policies as moving in a common direction — toward an economic decoupling — this view is too limiting. Instead, by…
Artificial intelligence is making CEOs who have always thirsted for innovation even thirstier. Using AI tools, teams can rewrite some old rules about speed and cost to increase their productivity and shorten time to market. Just as enticingly, teams can innovate quickly to respond to customer desires, improving customer satisfaction and retention. Thinking even bigger,…
Alice Mollon/Ikon Images Companies routinely retune their supply chains in response to market changes, but the gyrations caused by the Trump administration’s on/off tariff regime are far from routine. How do supply chain planners address the immediate challenges, and what are the long-term implications they should consider? Many larger companies can cope with the new…
Ethics isn’t the only philosophical issue that organizations need to grapple with when developing and deploying AI. In fact, ethics and “responsible AI” are only a small part of the philosophical perspectives informing and guiding AI’s production, utility, and use. In this insightful video, MIT Sloan’s Michael Schrage and MIT Sloan Management Review’s David Kiron…
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images As generative AI emerges as an easy way to perform computer-generated research, writing, and editing all in one fell swoop, it’s tempting to marvel at how it might improve one of the harder parts of leadership: creating convincing presentations to sell ideas to various constituencies. We’re entering a new…
The suggestions and support offered by AI are helpful only if they’re relevant. On today’s episode, Walter Sun, senior vice president and global head of artificial intelligence at SAP, joins hosts Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh to share how his organization is helping employees get smarter about artificial intelligence through the company’s AI Days. Additionally,…
Jon Krause/theispot.com The Research The researchers conducted multiple studies — with diverse samples of working professionals — to understand how people use their time, what is important to them in life, and what factors lead people to live more fulfilling and satisfying lives. Their samples included over 2,000 Harvard Business School alumni, from fresh graduates…