How do you program ethics into robots? Can you trust machines with moral decisions? How do you codify compassion or mercy? In hospitals, APACHE medical systems help determine the best treatments for patients in intensive care units, often those who are on the edge of death. While the doctor may seem to have autonomy, it…
There are 1.7 million truckers in America, and another 1.7 million drivers of taxis, buses and delivery vehicles. This middle-class career that does not require a college degree is at risk. Robots’ march into vehicles, factories, stores, and offices could also profoundly deepen inequality. Research has shown that artificial intelligence helps erase jobs that require…
Kronos is a company that tries to improve every year to be “a great place to work (GPTW).” There is no status quo – this year there are changes to benefits, moving to a new building, etc., to keep everyone engaged. Their HR collects immense data for insights, culminating in their Manager Effectiveness Index. They…
There are many good companies; yet, I was surprised to see the differences in market capitalization when comparing technology stocks with old companies: · Amazon’s valuation of $464B is 2X Wal-Mart’s · Tesla’s market cap is $47 billion…Ford’s is $45 billion The question is why? Have the markets over-reacted? Or is it…
Manufacturers did not display agility when global competition disrupted supply chains. Of the top 20 global chemical companies in 1990, 17 had disappeared by 2010. Dow survived by being able to pivot on a global scale. State-owned enterprises have a different business model – to employ people. They receive subsidized capital, labor, and energy. If…
The code of ethics assumes we can choose between right and wrong. Free will, known as “moral liberty,” is the capacity to discern and pursue the good…instead of merely being compelled by appetites and desires. When we see differences in how individuals respect this moral liberty, what influences this? Genetics, similar to IQ? Environment? If…
Alibaba’s Jack Ma said B2C (Business to Consumer) is becoming C2B (Consumer to Business). What customers value is changing. Customers have more access to products/services, more insight into companies, and more options on who to buy from. This results in requesting “free” goods and services, personalization, and a variety of options. Gillette, a long time…
Agile Talent, Outsourced, On Demand, Free Agent, Human Cloud, Freelancer, Contractor… …All describing today’s “Gig Economy.” There is an expanding dependence on external resources who are highly trained experts. Between 20-30% of US and Europe working age population (162 million) are independent workers. They report being happier and more satisfied professionally than those in traditional…
Adam Grant, Give and Take author, has some key points: Generosity in the workplace continues to be more effective than selfishness. Getting work done is working with, for and through other people. Takers = kissing up/kicking down…good fakers when dealing with powerful people…talk about “I” and “me”…place blame externally…will “reset” to a different group easily….
A key aspect of innovation is understanding what your customers like…and hate about your products. However, we tend to only focus on what they like. In 1970’s, Campbell’s soup did a study about what people did not like about their soup. The answer was that the meat pieces were too small. Based on this customer…
