INSEAD Knowledge Podcast

Supply chain disruptions have become commonplace in recent years due to the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war and various forms of geopolitical tension. In an increasingly volatile business environment, organisations that are used to operating in structured environments can look to the humanitarian sector for insights on navigating this new reality.In this podcast, INSEAD Knowledge speaks to Luk Van Wassenhove, Emeritus Professor of Technology and Operations Management and academic director of the INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group (HRG). He is not only well-known in the field of operations management, but also recognised as one of the pioneers in humanitarian operations.In the past, humanitarian organisations have benefited from adapting best practices from the commercial sector, but businesses can also gain insights from how humanitarian organisations operate in extreme conditions. How do they overcome uncertainty, time pressure, challenging physical conditions and the lack of resources and information?Van Wassenhove’s serendipitous engagement with the humanitarian world – including the Red Cross in Geneva and the UN World Food Programme for the UN Joint Logistics Centre – 25 years ago made him realise that operations management professionals have much to learn from humanitarian organisations. In fact, learning can be a two-way process. This is where the INSEAD HRG has a role in bridging knowledge between the two seemingly unrelated sectors. Companies need to look beyond their current and immediate boundaries and be open to learning from others. They should also learn to work with diverse stakeholders, be agile in dealing with unexpected situations, decentralise and localise where possible and empower employees to increase responsiveness. Moreover, principles of humanitarian work are increasingly relevant in a world with a growing divide. If companies follow the example of humanitarian organisations by embracing the principle to “do no harm” and take responsibility for the impact of their business, society and the environment will benefit greatly from this change.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, many companies have harnessed the language model and similar generative AI tools for a variety of business functions, including writing marketing copy, coding and plugging gaps in medical imaging data. But before leaders jump on the generative AI bandwagon, they should consider how it fits into their existing technological infrastructure and wider digital transformation strategy. The technology also poses a myriad of risks, both internally and externally, that companies must mitigate.In this podcast, INSEAD Affiliate Professor of Strategy Chengyi Lin explains all the buzz around generative AI, outlines the implications of the technology across various sectors and offers key strategies to help CEOs, managers and entrepreneurs implement it more successfully across their organisations.

How do world-renowned leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists and creatives achieve success? For some 20 years, Nathan Furr, an Associate Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, has been interviewing such individuals, culminating in a book with 42 practical tools to overcome uncertainty. In this INSEAD Knowledge podcast, we speak to Nathan Furr and Susannah Furr, his co-author of the book The Upside of Uncertainty: A Guide to Finding Possibility in the Unknown. In this conversation, they share how they developed this framework and how they consistently use the tools to navigate uncertainty in their lives. Amid the current socio-political and economic uncertainty, their tool kit demonstrates how to practice robust emotional hygiene to preserve mental well-being in difficult times.If we frame uncertainty in a different way, we might embrace the possibility it brings instead of fearing it.

Despite their best efforts and desire to “do good”, firms are often primarily focused on financial returns and rarely give stakeholders a seat at the table. This is because firms often lack a genuine understanding of the values that diverse stakeholders can bring and the unique needs and interests they seek.In this INSEAD Knowledge podcast, Lite Nartey, a Visiting Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, discusses how firms can identify key stakeholders based on their power and the legitimacy and urgency of their claims. She reveals the most effective ways to manage vast stakeholder networks and how to effectively engage with important players to create joint value.

What does it take to transform the idyllic Greek island of Tilos into the first zero-waste island? Can this circular model be extended to other islands and even other parts of the world? These are questions the INSEAD Sustainable Business Initiative seeks to answer in its first research collaboration with Polygreen – a network of companies that offers integrated and innovative circular economy solutions worldwide.INSEAD Knowledge speaks to Atalay Atasu, Professor of Technology and Management and academic director of the Sustainable Business Initiative at INSEAD and Imran Gill, CEO for the Middle East at Polygreen. Our guests speak about the Just Go Zero Tilos initiative and how Tilos could well be the role model to help organisations take sustainable and circular systems from inspiration to execution.

Love them or loathe them, Chinese tech giants such as ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have become global household names in e-commerce, digital payments, social media and gaming in a few short years. Relatively little is known about these firms, but a new book may just change that.Written by INSEAD Professor of Strategy Guoli Chen and Jianggan Li, founder and chief executive of venture capital firm Momentum Works, Seeing the Unseen: Behind Chinese Tech Giants' Global Venturing shines a light on the success – and failure – of the likes of TikTok, Shein and WeChat beyond their home market of China.Make sure to visit INSEAD Knowledge for the latest in impactful research and cutting edge thought leadership from INSEAD, the Business School for the World.

From the challenges of hybrid working to the quiet quitting trend, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a seismic impact on the workplace, leaving many companies struggling to understand how best to understand and meet employees' needs and motivations. In this INSEAD Knowledge podcast, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour Mark Mortensen proposes a more holistic approach to understanding employees’ needs, while offering practical solutions to ensure that they remain fully invested in their organisation and its goals.This conversation is based on research Mark co-authored with Amy C Edmondson and first published in the January 2023 HBR Magazine article Rethink Your Employee Value Proposition. Listeners can access the free survey tool discussed in the podcast here: Integratedevp.org.Make sure to visit INSEAD Knowledge for the latest in impactful research and cutting edge thought leadership from INSEAD, the Business School for the World.

The engine a multinational uses to create novel ideas is often an "innovation outpost". In this INSEAD Knowledge podcast, INSEAD Professor Felipe Monteiro shares his research on these outposts and the ways that multinationals manage to integrate innovation.

Does taking photos during an experience helps us enjoy it more, or not? Alixandra Barasch, INSEAD Visitor Professor of Marketing, joins us to discuss the interplay between immersion in an experience and common fears of being judged on social media. Barasch also shares advice on the type of photos we should share online if we want observers to feel more connected to us. In addition, tech can influence our well-being through reinforcing the repetition of good behaviour. For instance, when apps draw our attention to streaks, it increases the odds of us continuing. But, as Barasch’s research shows, it can be a double-edged sword.

Why is it so hard to lose weight and keep it off? Is it because willpower is a scarce resource? Or could there perhaps be a biological component? Hilke Plassmann, Octapharma Chaired Professor of Decision Neuroscience at INSEAD, joins us to discuss how newly discovered connections between the gut and the brain are making scientists rethink the issue of food choice. As researchers like Plassmann discover more about this complicated system, we may be edging closer to developing ways to hack it. And this would give us far more powerful weapons than mere willpower in controlling junk-food cravings and temptations. It may also help societies conquer the spreading obesity epidemic and ease the burdens of its current sufferers.