A New Area of A.I. Booms, Even Amid the Tech Gloom

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, International Business, Management, Strategy.

Description: An investment frenzy over “generative artificial intelligence” has gripped Silicon Valley, as tools that generate text, images and sounds in response to short prompts seize the imagination.

Source: NYTimes.com

Date: Jan 07, 2023

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/technology/generative-ai-chatgpt-investments.html?

Questions for discussion:

  • Why is there so much excitement about this latest development in AI technology?
  • What are some of the potential product applications?
  • Can some of these become disruptors in an industry?

Why Amazon Web Services Is Making the Leap Into Supply Chain Management

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, International Business, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy.

Description: AWS is betting that business owners’ supply chain woes are here to stay–for now.

Source: INC.com

Date: Dec 09, 2022

Link: https://www.inc.com/ali-donaldson/why-amazon-web-services-is-making-the-leap-into-supply-chain-management.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Explain Amazon’s unique presence in supply management?
  • How can machine learning improve efficacy in supply management and why is this so important to business management and operations?
  • How critical is data collection in this effort to improve operations?

SPOS #856 – Dr. Gabriella Rosen Kellerman On Developing Your Tomorrowmind

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior, Strategy.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #856. How can you truly think about your life but in the future? The book, Tomorrowmind – Thriving at Work – Now and in an Uncertain Future (co-authored with famed thinker, Professor Martin Seligman) – has some of the better (and science-backed) answers. The book will be out in January 2023, but here is a taste of the genius via Dr. Gabriella Rosen Kellerman. She is an author, entrepreneur, start-up executive, and Harvard-trained physician with expertise in behavioral and organizational, change, digital health, wellbeing, and AI. Gabriella has served as Chief Product Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at BetterUp, a transformation platform for global professionals, and as Head of BetterUp Labs, BetterUp’s research arm, which studies whole person development in partnership with labs at Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, and many more. Jumping from a career in psychiatry to tech startup, she is the founding CEO of the healthcare technology company LifeLink, former Director of Health and Quality Products at Castlight Health, and a serial executive at, and advisor to, healthcare, coaching, and behavior change technology companies. In Tomorrowmind, the authors tackle the challenges of thriving in our modern world of work with a 70,000 year-old brain. How can we not only survive but flourish amidst the never-ending cycles of change and unprecedented uncertainty that threatens to drown us daily? Drawing from their original research, they outline five key skills that today’s professionals need to develop to achieve their potential. It also offers guidance for organizational leaders looking to arm their workforce with the capabilities that will future-proof their firm’s success. Enjoy the conversation…

Source: SixPixels.com – podcast

Date: Dec 04, 2022

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-856-gabriella-rosen-kellerman-on-developing-your-tomorrowmind/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the top ideas presented that you believe are important for managers and employees to know.
  • Overall, what do you think of this approach?

The 7 Secrets of Truly Successful Personal Brands

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Management, Strategy.

Description: Creating a solid brand is essential to your success in whatever field you enter. These seven tips will help you build the perfect personal brand.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

Date: Dec 03, 2022

Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/7-secrets-of-truly-successful-personal-brands/439146

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key points presented and the most important one, in your opinion.
  • Do you agree with this orientation?
  • What else would you present to entrepreneurs?

Workers have high hopes for pay hikes next year — perhaps too high

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Employers are gaining back some leverage as jobs market shifts

Source: FinanciaPost.com/Bloomberg.com – video report

Date: Dec 08, 2022

Link: https://financialpost.com/fp-work/workers-high-hopes-pay-hikes-next-year-perhaps-too-high

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key findings about changes taking place in the labor market?
  • How do you think this will affect employee-employer relations?
  • Do you think employers should modify the way they deal with employees in any way, as a result of these trends?

Will U.S. Holiday Shoppers Reward Companies for Doing Good?

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Strategy.

Description: The recent Bentley-Gallup Force for Good study found that most Americans are willing to pay a premium for products from companies that have a reputation for doing good. Specifically, majorities of at least 60% said they would be willing to pay extra for a simple consumer good — a T-shirt — if the company that made it was known for making a positive difference in four specific areas.

Source: Gallup.com

Date: Dec 07, 2022

Link: https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/405794/shoppers-reward-companies-doing-good.aspx

Questions for discussion:

  • What does the research say about consumer decisions and management strategies?
  • How should companies use this information, in your opinion, to advance the firm’s brand?

Tim Cook says Apple will use chips built in the U.S. at Arizona factory

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, International Business, Leadership, Management, Strategy.

Description: CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Apple will buy U.S.-made microchips at an event in Arizona on Tuesday, where President Joe Biden also spoke.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Dec 06, 2022

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/06/tim-cook-says-apple-will-use-chips-built-in-the-us-at-arizona-factory.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail

Questions for discussion:

  • Why is Apple doing this?
  • What are the implications for future global supply channels?
  • What does this decision signal to other industries, in your opinion?

Job cuts rise in November, causing employees to shift focus to ‘career cushioning’ 

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: The rate of job cut announcements at U.S. employers in November was more than five times greater than a year ago, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Overall, U.S.-based firms announced 76,835 job cuts in November, led by the technology sector. So far this year, tech companies have announced nearly 81,000 cuts.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Dec 01, 2022

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/01/employees-to-shift-focus-to-career-cushioning-as-job-cuts-rise.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What is happening in the job market and how are employers and employees adjusting?
  • What comment and advice would add to this discussion?

These Are the 4 Most Toxic People You’ll Find in the Workplace — And How To Handle Them

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: An NYU psychologist offers critical guidance for dealing with a jerk at work.

Source: Entrpreneur.com

Date: Nov 30, 2022

Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/the-4-most-toxic-people-at-workand-how-to-handle-them/440083

Questions for discussion:

  • Who are these co-workers and the recommended means to handle them?
  • Do you agree with the analysis and recommendations?
  • What else would you advise employees and management do to deal with these sorts of toxic co-workers?

SPOS #853 – Dr. Heidi K. Gardner On Smarter Collaboration At Work

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #853. If you’re studying the current (and future) state of work, there is no doubt that when we talk about “back to office,” the main reason to do this is for better collaboration. But what does that mean… and is that true? Well, let’s ask the expert on smarter collaboration, Dr. Heidi K. Gardner. Heidi is an advisor, keynote speaker, and facilitator for organizations. Named by Thinkers50 as a Next Generation Business Guru, she is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and former professor at Harvard Business School. She is currently the faculty chair and instructor in multiple executive education programs at both institutions. She has authored (or co-authored) more than 100 books, chapters, case studies, and articles. This includes the Washington Post best-selling book, Smart Collaboration – How Professionals and Their Firms Succeed by Breaking Down Silos and the newly published, Smarter Collaboration – A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work. Her research has received the Academy of Management’s prize for Outstanding Practical Implications for Management and has been selected multiple times for Harvard Business Review’s “best of” collections. If you’re trying to figure out how to make the work flow better in your work, please take a listen. Enjoy the conversation…

Source: SixPixels.com – podcast

Date: Nov 13, 2022

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-853-heidi-k-gardner-on-smarter-collaboration-at-work/

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key points about collaboration and the office environment.
  • Do you agree with this analysis?