Outthinkers

Bruce Vojak, author of 'No-Excuses Innovation,' decodes the minds of serial innovators in this episode. He discusses the definition of innovation, the key characteristics of innovators, and how successful innovators view organization politics. The conversation also explores the different mindsets of executives and serial innovators towards handling politics and the value of 'no excuses innovation' in company survival and growth.

Neuroscientist Min Jung discusses brain networks for creativity, the '3 B's' of innovation, and how organizations can foster creative environments. He explores the role of 'place cells' in shaping our thinking and enabling organizational transformation.

Cathy Hackl is a globally-recognized tech & gaming exec, futurist, & speaker focused on spatial computing, virtual worlds, augmented reality, AI, & gaming platforms strategy. She’s the co-CEO of Spatial Dynamics, a spatial computing and AI solutions company. She is also a top tech voice on LinkedIn, and a fun fact, she was the first person ever to open the NASDAQ market in the metaverse with an avatar. Cathy is a powerful voice on spatial computing and immersive technology, guiding businesses on integrating these into their product portfolios and business models, having worked with companies like Nike, Ralph Lauren, Walmart, & Louis Vuitton. In this conversation, we dive deep into these topics, narrowing in on key insights from her upcoming May 2024 book, SPATIAL COMPUTING: An AI-Driven Business Revolution. In this episode, Cathy shares with us: The definition of spatial computing, and how it’s not just a new emerging technology, but rather an expansion of computing as we have known it  Spatial computing’s interrelation with the metaverse, and the increasingly blurring boundaries between what we knew of as the “virtual world,” and our physical reality How AI is not just an addition to computing, but a convergence that is opening up new possibilities  What areas of their business model leaders need to be thinking of to stay ahead of the curve in light of this new field of technologically that will quickly become the norm _______________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:07—Introducing Cathy + the topic of today’s episode3:58—If you really know me, you know that...4:21—What's your definition of strategy?5:30—Cathy's virtual Nasdaq experience6:40— Clarifying what spatial computing encompasses 10:37—What people often get wrong when envisioning the spatial web  14:29—How people who grow up with digital experiences think about virtual vs. real world  16:58—How does supply and demand work with digital goods? 19:42—The opportunity and market size for digital products and goods 21:41—The role and interrelation of AI within the metaverse and spatial computing 24:09—Overlooked business model opportunities for business leaders 26:05—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources:Personal site: https://www.cathyhackl.com/Book site: Spatial Computing: An AI-Driven Business RevolutionLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathyhackl/Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathyHacklThank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

Amy C. Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor, delves into creating psychological safety for risk-taking and innovation. She discusses the importance of allowing space for experimentation and failure, distinguishing between different types of failure. Learn how to assess risks and avoid hindering your team's pursuit of new ideas by asking specific questions.

John Winsor is a prominent figure in strategic marketing and product innovation, known for his deep understanding of future work trends and open talent strategies. Hisexpertise in collaboration, co-creation, and open innovation has made him a keyinfluencer in innovation, disruption, and storytelling. He founded and chairs OpenAssembly, an organization pioneering the adoption of open talent and freelancing.At Harvard Business School's Laboratory for Innovation Science (LISH), as anexecutive-in-residence, Winsor significantly promotes innovation. He co-authored thenational best-selling book Open Talent: Leveraging a Global Workforce to Solve YourBiggest Challenges with Laboratory for Innovation Sciences at Harvard co-founders Jin Paik, published by Harvard Business Press in January 2024. Additionally, Winsor leads the Open Assembly Community, a global network of 4000 members focused ontransforming workplaces worldwide.In this conversation, we dive deep into concepts from Open Talent: Leveraging a Global Workforce to Solve Your Biggest Challenges, John’s most recent co-authored and national best-selling book with Jin Paik, published by Harvard Business Press in January 2024.  We discuss the intricate layers of the modern workforce, including:The rapid shift of the workforce culture, with the rise of micro-entrepreneurs and freelancers at the core, transforming industries The democratization of talent through digital platforms that provides companies a more varied, diverse workforce while providing individuals more opportunities for work A growing shift away from traditional roles and jobs, towards a focus on tasks and skills to achieve desired outcomes, with an emphasis on speed and momentum given today’s fast-paced momentum How to break through the mental and organizational barriers that impede them from embracing new workforce paradigms to fully take advantage of the modern workforce reality ___________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:04—Introducing John Winsor + the topic of today’s episode3:18—If you really know me, you know that...4:24—What's your definition of strategy?6:56—Using strategy to move things in your favor?11:35—How Open Talent differs from gig work15:44—Is the talent power shift permanent?18:24— How is technology transforming talent acquisition?21:52—Overcoming mental barriers to embrace Open Talent26:14—The economic benefits of variable workforce costs28:01—Why innovation is vital for survival30:08—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources:Personal site: https://johnwinsor.comBook site: Open Talent: Leveraging a Global Workforce to Solve YourBiggest ChallengesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntwinsor/Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtwinsorThank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

Jeanne Liedtka, a business professor, discusses the importance of design thinking in unleashing creativity in business. She shares insights on strategic experimentation versus strategic design, the concept of design thinking, and how it complements strategic thinking. The conversation explores balancing risk aversion and innovation in organizations like UTC and the significance of data-driven experimentation methodologies for scalability.

Exploring the evolution of human intelligence alongside communication technologies, the potential for human intelligence to merge with machine intelligence for future advancements, the intersection of human and machine intelligence, the evolution of language, settlements, and technology over the past 400,000 years, the progression of human-machine communication, and the future of foundational AI models and algorithms.

Tobias Dengel is President of WillowTree, a TELUS International Company. WillowTree designs and builds digital experiences for the world’s largest brands, and they sit at the forefront of this breakthrough. Tobias understands voice technology's profound, wide-ranging implications for every industry, including marketing, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, media, and more. He counsels leaders in all these fields about how their companies must adapt to the coming age of voice. He is the recent author, with co-author Karl Weber, of THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE : The Coming Age of Voice Technology,  a dive deep into the sweeping changes we can expect as voice technology gains traction. Tobias’ insights will really open up your imagination around the future of human-machine communication, particularly around how voice technology, accelerated by recent developments in AI, have the potential to radically alter the way we live and how companies do business.In this podcast, he shares:How voice technology offers a significant advantage in communication efficiency, and will drastically improve productivity across our lives and many sectors  Why this efficiency applies more to humans communicating to machines and not the other way around How our interactions with machines will transition from being uni-modal to multi-modal with machines reacting in real-time to our requests in multiple formats. What individuals can expect will change with everyday tasks and jobs, and for business leaders—where to anticipate opportunities for adoption of voice technology in their company. How this next technological revolution will mirror the smartphone one in many ways—and how it’ll differ __________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:19—Introducing Tobias + the topic of today’s episode3:09—If you really know me, you know that...4:19—What's your definition of strategy?5:21—Why is voice an advantage over other forms of communication?9:25—What has changed about voice recognition software over time, and how does that lead us to today with Gen AI?13:14—Could you talk to us about the various modes of communication, particularly humans vs. technology?15:47—Who do you think will winning or losing across industries as voice tech takes over?15:18—What are the first steps someone should take in pursuing new ideas?18:04—Where should people start to identify where a business might implement voice technology?27:55—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources:Personal site: https://www.tobiasdengel.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiasdengelTwitter: twitter.com/tobiasdengelAll content © 2024 Outthinkers.Thank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Thank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

Sukhinder Sing Cassidy is the leader of the growth and performance of Xero globally. With more than 25 years’ experience in Silicon Valley as a CEO, digital leader and board member, she has experienced building and scaling global companies including Google, Amazon, Yodlee, Joyus and StubHub. She currently serves on the board of publicly traded fintech, Upstart with previous experience serving on the boards of Ericsson, Trip Advisor, Urban Outfitters, Stitchfix and J.Crew. Working across such a diverse, prominent portfolio of companies has given Sukhinder a unique counter-perspective on how leaders and business owners look at risk and reward. Her book, Choose Possibility: Take Risks and Thrive (Even When You Fail) sheds light and dives deep into what she’s learned in her extensive career as a leader in tech, where risk-taking and volatility is the norm.  In this discussion, we journey through the art of risk-taking and decision-making, with its intricate interplay of creating a portfolio of bets, understanding variability, and fostering an environment that embraces ambiguity and iteration.In this episode, she shares:The interrelation between possibility and decision-making, and how it’s too-often wrapped up in the “myth of the single choice,” as she calls it How taking a big risk often starts with building and evaluating a portfolio of small possibilities—and how you build this How, as a leader, you shouldn't force people to give you false precision—which often results in failures, plus three more mistakes leaders make that inhibit risk-taking and the exploring of possibilities How the best risk-takers aren’t successful from an absence of fear, but rather, by learning to master what Sukhinder calls “the universal risk equation.” __________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:14—Introducing Sukhinder + the topic of today’s episode3:06—If you really know me, you know that...4:10—What's your definition of strategy?5:26—Why did you name your book, Choose Possibility?6:53—What is the "risk of the single myth"?10:18—What advice do you have for someone that realizes they're falling into the trap of narrowing on too few ideas?12:00—How do you know if you have too few or too many ideas?15:18—What are the first steps someone should take in pursuing new ideas?16:48—How should leaders create a risk-taking environment?19:36—Could you talk to us about the psychological impact of taking small bets?21:59—What is "the universal risk equation"?25:09—What can a company do at zero to maintain agility as they grow?27:55—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources:choosepossibility.com bookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhindersTwitter: https://twitter.com/sukhindersinghAll content © 2024 Outthinkers.Thank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist at 3M who currently holds 80 patents for a variety of innovations, with several additional pending. Jayshree was appointed 3M’s first ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018 and as is using her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to advance science and communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields to drive innovation. She has a MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York and bachelors of tech in chemical engineering form the prestigious NIIT Trichy in India.  In this discussion, we dive deep into the topic of some of books, especially her latest, The Heart of Science, with material from her upcoming book, Engineering Blueprint  and a fascinating Fast Company article she co-wrote with our good friend Rita McGrath titles, A guide for managing innovation: 4 big mistakes technologists wish their business leaders would stop making.  She has a lifetime of experiencing building bridges between science and business, something 3M is uniquely good at.  _________________________________________________________________________________________In this episode, she shares:How the scientific and technical community embraces ambiguity and failure--and what business leaders can learn from them Tips on how to foster effective, collaborative communication with your technical employees on the frontline, that are in line with both strategic goals with realistic expectations. How to foster and optimize the opportunity for "uncommon connections” —or or fortuitous collision of ideas—to happen. A sneak peek into the culture of empowerment at 3M that makes them a powerhouse of innovation _________________________________________________________________________________________Episode Timeline:00:00—Highlight from today's episode1:46—Introducing Jayshree + The topic of today’s episode4:13—If you really know me, you know that...5:30—What's your definition of strategy?6:36—Do you believe that the field of management is scientific?10:59—Can you lay out the four mistakes leadership make when working with techical people on a high level?11:50—The first mistake: Misdefining ambition14:53—The second mistake: Limiting collaboration19:20—Can you lay out the idea of leveraging vs. learning, and how leadership plays a role in this?25:02—The third mistake: Dismissing technical process23:58—What are your thoughts around the rise in dynamic pricing?27:37—Could you describe some attributes unique to 3M that activate innovation32:19—What are some last thoughts you'd like to share with us?__________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Resources:Fas Company Article: A guide for managing innovation: 4 big mistakes technologists wish their business leaders would stop making.BooksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayshree-seth-6287b45All content © 2024 Outthinkers.Thank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast