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HBR IdeaCast

HBR IdeaCast

By: Harvard Business Review
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A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.Copyright 2026 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Strategy Summit 2026: Why AI Transformation Needs a Human Touch

    Strategy Summit 2026: Why AI Transformation Needs a Human Touch
    Mar 12 2026
    AI needs to be central to any organization's strategy today, but many are still not implementing the technology in the most effective ways. In this four-part special series, we'll share conversations from the recent HBR Strategy Summit to help you get ahead. In this episode, HBR editor in chief Amy Bernstein speaks with Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, a digital transformation company. Vaz explains that many enterprise-wide AI initiatives fail because incentives, talent strategies and a sense of trust aren't considered thoroughly enough. He shares lessons from his front row seat to AI transformations in the last few years, and how he thinks you can create real operational value at scale.
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    31 mins
  • The Hidden Causes of AI Workslop—and How to Fix Them

    The Hidden Causes of AI Workslop—and How to Fix Them
    Mar 10 2026
    As organizations and their employees ramp up their generative AI experimentation, leaders are facing a new problem: the rise of AI-generated "workslop," which seems okay on the surface but doesn't actually pass muster and, when passed on to colleagues, ultimately hurts team efficiency, performance, trust and morale. Kate Niederhoffer, chief scientist at BetterUp, and Jeff Hancock, professor of communication at Stanford, say that while it's tempting to blame individuals for this kind of misuse of ChatGPT and other tools, management is more often that not contributing to the workslop epidemic by putting pressure on employees to produce more and to use AI when possible without offering clear training or guidelines. Niederhoffer and Hancock offer advice on how to stem the tide of workslop. They are coauthors of the HBR articles "AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity" and "Why People Create AI “Workslop”—and How to Stop It."
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    29 mins
  • The New Leadership Structures that Unblock Innovation

    The New Leadership Structures that Unblock Innovation
    Mar 3 2026
    The ability of an organization to innovate over and over again, for the long term, depends on leadership structure, culture, and systems. That's according to Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, who has spent years researching the true drivers of innovation, taking lessons from the world's most successful companies. She explains why today's leaders need to shift from the focus on decision-making and producing to creating the conditions for collaboration, experimentation, and smart decision-making across teams, silos, and wider ecosystems. She shares examples from Mastercard, Pixar, and more and outlines some newly defined ways of looking at leadership roles: as Architects, Bridgers, and Catalysts. Hill's new book is Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation.
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    31 mins
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A casual conversation while thinking about the ideas to improve your life and work. Always very easy actionable advice while linking to other podcasts and further in depth information at your convenience. So relationships and life gets better and simpler less complex.

Empowerment and action steps for rewarding work!

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