HBS Managing the Future of Work

Rick Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, both Harvard Business School faculty, dive into the world of acquiring small businesses. They discuss the advantages of acquisition over traditional startups, emphasizing better risk-return ratios. The conversation highlights their new show inspired by a popular course, aimed at sharing relatable success stories from entrepreneurs. Listeners will learn strategies for business search processes and funding options, making the journey of entrepreneurship through acquisition accessible and engaging.

Trent Henry, the global talent lead at Ernst & Young, dives into how AI is reshaping white-collar careers with a focus on skills building and employee wellness. He discusses the integration of human and synthetic skills to enhance productivity and personalized development. The conversation highlights the evolving role of CHROs in adapting to AI and the importance of maintaining employee health. Trent also reveals innovative tools like MyCareerHub for effective skill management, ensuring organizations stay competitive in a tech-driven world.

Future-of-work trendwatcher, Jacob Morgan, discusses leadership strategies, hybrid work tradeoffs, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, and what makes a good job in the evolving workplace.

Melissa Werneck, EVP and global chief people officer for the multinational food and beverage firm, on reskilling for web marketing and personalization, AI, hybrid work, and collaboration across time zones and cultures. Also, why diversity is good business for consumer packaged goods firms.

The ed-tech executive on shifting the discussion to emphasize the economic benefits of education, harnessing AI, skills-based hiring, employer-educator collaboration, and the public policy landscape.

The president & CEO of Strada Education Foundation on aligning post-secondary education, economic mobility, and labor market demand. How does inclusive workforce development drive economic growth and opportunity? Highlights include research on the effectiveness of state systems, policy options, and the structural challenge of underemployment among graduates.

Propel America CEO Chad Rountree on rethinking the high school-to-career transition to meet the needs of low-income students, colleges, and employers.

Wharton Professor, Peter Cappelli, discusses the consequences of treating employees as an expense rather than an asset in this podcast. He explores the impact of management changes on aligning incentives, C-suite demographics, and the effects of AI in the workforce.

WGU President Scott Pulsipher returns to the podcast for an update on the online institution’s mission to extend the reach of skill-oriented instruction. The HBS grad argues that the focus on competency rather than credit hours democratizes college access and economic opportunity. 

Managing the Future of Work co-chair Joe Fuller joins Colorado State University's Jocelyn Hittle to discuss his work on the Managing the Future of Work project and the Harvard Project on Workforce and to consider broader workforce trends.