Thought Sparks

Join Terence Mauri, founder of Hack Future Lab and author of "The Upside of Disruption," as he shares insights on thriving amidst chaos. He reflects on a life-changing car accident that reshaped his perspective. The conversation dives into the challenges AI presents versus human truth, and how bureaucracy can stifle innovation. Mauri reveals the DARE Framework for navigating change and discusses leadership transformation towards meaningful engagement. Discover how disruption can lead to innovation and the importance of trust in a digital age.

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Stephan Meier, a Columbia Business School Professor and expert on behavioral strategist. His recent book, “The Employee Advantage”, explains how companies that put their employees first are more profitable, innovative, and appealing to top talent, and how customer-centric tools can be repurposed to support employees. 00:00 Welcome to Thought Sparks: The Employee Advantage Unveiled01:38 What Really Sparked 'The Employee Advantage'? Stephan's Pandemic Revelation04:08 The ROI of Putting People First: Why Employee-Centric Companies Outperform08:05 United's Turnaround Secret: How Oscar Munoz Revolutionized a Struggling Airline09:26 Beyond Cost Centers: Zeynep Ton's Groundbreaking Research on Employee Value10:28 The Science of Motivation: What Truly Engages People Beyond Compensation13:00 The Reading Rebellion: How Stephan's Son Revealed a Universal Truth About Motivation17:06 Netflix for Work Tasks? How AI Matchmaking Creates Perfect Employee Challenges21:08 Permissionless Organizations: Why Hierarchy Is Becoming Obsolete23:04 The Great Economic Transformation: From Mass Production to Information Ecosystems25:04 Movie Crew Capitalism: Why Small Teams Are the New Organizational Building Blocks28:32 The Career Zigzag Advantage: Why Linear Paths Lead to Dead Ends33:27 The NASA Janitor Test: Does Everyone in Your Company Know Their True Purpose?39:47 AI as the Great Democratizer: Augmenting Human Potential Instead of Replacing It49:15 The Co-Leader Revolution: How AI Creates Superior Leadership Conversations52:37 What Sports Teams Know That Businesses Don't: AI's Coaching Superpowers57:05 Tom Friedman's Olympic Athlete Paradox: Training for Unknown Future Skills59:52 Beyond Theory: Implementing the Employee Advantage in Your OrganizationThought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern. Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify.Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTubeFollow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.Connect with Rita on TikTokSign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Anupam Jena, the host of the Freakonomics MD Podcast. Anupam is here to talk about his recent book “Random Acts of Medicine”, which shows how unexpected—but predictable—events profoundly affect our health. What are the hidden forces that sway doctors, impact patients and shape our health? He’s here to explain and help us understand what to do about it. 00:00 Welcome to Thought Sparks with Rita McGrath & Dr. Anupam "Bapu" Jena00:56 "Random Acts of Medicine" - The Surprising Reception to Bapu's Groundbreaking Book01:40 The Paradox: Why Do Patients Do Better When Cardiologists Leave Town?04:17 London Cabbies, Brain Development & Alzheimer's: The Stunning Connection08:50 The 5-Minute Fix: Why Sports Teams Warm Up But Surgeons Don't (And What Happens When They Do)13:37 Trust vs. Errors: The Counterintuitive Research That Changed Everything17:00 "The Machine Saw That": How AI Could Transform Professional Feedback in Medicine & Beyond21:12 America's Healthcare Paradox: Why Spending 20% of Our Income Doesn't Make Us Healthier32:45 "Flooding the System with Humans": How AI Could Democratize Healthcare Access36:28 The 16-Minute Visit: Does Anyone Have Time for Healing?37:53 Your Zip Code Shouldn't Determine Your Health: The Geography of Medical Inequality43:02 From Research to Reality: The Rocky Path from Healthcare Insights to Actual Policy46:31 When Science Meets Values: The Hidden Battle Behind Health Policy Debates53:10 New Zealand's Hard Choice: A Global Lesson in Healthcare Trade-offs54:41 The Orphaned Cures: Why Some Life-Saving Treatments Never Make it to Market57:46 Unintended Consequences: How the Inflation Reduction Act Is Reshaping Medicine's Future59:34 The Unsung Heroes: Why We Thank Doctors But Not the Innovations That Save Us------------------------Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern. Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTubeFollow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.Connect with Rita on TikTokSign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Dean Carignan and JoAnn Garbin about their new book The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft. Together, the three innovation experts discuss the strategies and models that enabled Microsoft to continuously innovate for 50 years, and how other leaders and organizations can apply these strategic lessons. Key Takeaways:✅ The Power of Reinvention – How Microsoft has navigated four major technological shifts, including AI.✅ Culture of Risk & Learning – Why embracing failure fuels innovation rather than stifling it.✅ From Competition to Collaboration – How Satya Nadella’s leadership transformed Microsoft’s work culture.✅ The Hackathon Effect – How company-wide experimentation has driven groundbreaking ideas.✅ Human-Centered AI – How Microsoft approaches responsible AI development.🔗 Order now: https://www.innovationatmicrosoft.com/home#buynow00:00 Welcome Intro01:17 Dean Intro02:08 JoAnn Intro03:23 Brief Book Intro & Proceeds to STEAM05:35 Microsoft’s “Secret Sauce” for Innovation09:45 Boundary Crossers for Innovation @ Microsoft11:23 How to Grow a Business — Innovate with Everyone & Over the Years15:26 Failure and Not Working Out in Innovation19:29 “Failure to Launch” — Trying New Things20:54 Agility & Learning from Failure (Mobile Example)23:03 Hackathons & Rita’s “Brand Takeover” — Expanding Your Thinking27:32 Design Principles — What Good Looks Like31:10 Overshooting What Customers Want — No New Features!34:01 Satya Nadella Transition38:10 Responsible AI & Human-Centered AI45:55 Startups & Where the Money Flows51:23 Is Software Going Away? Agentic AI54:26 “Fifth Industrial Revolution”58:06 Hyper-Localization & Technology Reaching Out to U -------------------Thought Sparks, the brainchild of Rita McGrath, are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern. Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators? Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTubeFollow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.Connect with Rita on TikTokSign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack. Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

Join Matt Beane, a Thinkers 50 Radar nominee and TED Talker, as he shares insights on upskilling in the age of intelligent machines. He emphasizes the critical need for organizations to adapt by preserving essential human skills amidst automation. The conversation covers shadow learning and how informal methods can lead to personal growth. Matt also highlights the impact of robotics on surgical training and the importance of mentorship in remote work. Get ready to explore innovative strategies for workforce transformation!

Sitting down with Susannah Fox, former Chief Information Officer at Health and Human Services and author of “Rebel Health.” Susannah is a true innovator in healthcare, and her work on “Rebel Health” explores how patients, caregivers, and survivors are using digital platforms to unite, advocate, and change the system from within. 💡 From inspiring stories of grassroots health movements to practical insights on shaping healthcare from the ground up, this chat is one you won’t want to miss. Follow me on my social channels to get notified when we start our live discussion.

Rita McGrath joins KFNN

H.R. McMaster's new book "At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House" is an incisive account of his time as National Security Advisor during Trump's presidency. Be sure to tune in this Friday at 11:15 am EST to ask questions, and hear firsthand about the political experience of a lifetime.

Steven Brill is a veteran journalist and author whose previous books include "The Teamsters," "America's Bitter Pill," and "Tailspin." His new book is exactly as terrifying as it sounds. It's called "The Death of Truth: How Social Media and the Internet Gave Snake Oil Salesmen and Demagogues the Weapons They Needed to Destroy Trust and Polarize the World - and What We Can Do About It." Brill outlines in precise detail exactly how our big technology platforms have profited from the weaponization of communication platforms, even as they undermine and starve legitimate news sources. None of this has happened by accident, and Brill leads us through a compelling narrative of the decisions made to maximize profits, hurt the vast majority of us and cloud reality. His efforts to uncover Russian activity even led to him being targeted by Russian operators. He is also the co-founder of NewsGuard, a company that tracks online misinformation. He'll be joining me by the virtual fireside on November 8, and I'm truly looking forward to the conversation and seeing a way forward out of the mess we have gotten ourselves into. Join us live on LinkedIn or catch the recording on my YouTube Channel.

Frederik Pferdt was Google's Chief Innovation Evangelist, building a world-class organization that trained tens of thousands to face the world in a future-ready way. He is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, where he teaches courses called things like "Hacking Your Innovation Mindset." His brand-new book, "Next is Now: How to Live Future Ready" was just published to tremendous acclaim in June. It made the Next Big Idea Club's must-read list for September. I'm delighted that on October 25, Frederik will be joining me to talk about the book, his philosophy of being future-ready and why Optimism, Openness, Curiosity, Experimentation, Empathy and the mysterious "Dimension X" can let you take control of your future. In a world that seems at times to be bleak, his optimistic perspective that we can all shape our futures is most welcome!