MIT Sloan Management Review

Generic smart phone screen emanating small pixels at random that build up to form a skull and cross bones — With a new scrutiny around technology user data and privacy, we must not forget about the potential dangers of the technology itself.

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Haslina Ali and Rubén Mancha

Today @ MIT SMR

FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP
Why People Believe in Their Leaders — or Not
Need Motivation at Work? Try Giving Advice
The Challenge of Scaling Soft Skills

FROM THE MAGAZINE
The High Cost of the Actions We Don’t Take
A More Profitable Approach to Product Returns
The 2018 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize

Frontiers

Exploring the Digital Future of Management

Management Consulting’s AI-powered Existential Crisis

Megan Beck and Barry Libert

Consulting is vulnerable to technology and market forces that are disrupting services everywhere.

Digital Transformation Opens New Questions — and New Problems to Solve

Hal Gregersen

Viewing technology as a set of solutions misses opportunities to innovate in bigger, bolder ways.

Four Ways Jobs Will Respond to Automation

Scott Latham and Beth Humberd

Automation will affect jobs in four ways. The path jobs take depends on what kind of value they provide — and how.

How AI Can Amplify Human Competencies

Ken Goldberg, interviewed by Frieda Klotz

The future of AI looks much like the present, with machines helping humans to do their jobs better, not replacing them.

The Digital Change Your Company Needs

Omar Abbosh et al.

Companies won’t make a successful digital transition if they don’t meet three key conditions first.

Five Ways to Improve Communication in Virtual Teams

N. Sharon Hill and Kathryn M. Bartol

New research reveals five communication strategies that boost performance in virtual teams.

The 2018 Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy Report

Artificial Intelligence in Business Gets Real

September 17, 2018 | Sam Ransbotham, Philipp Gerbert, Martin Reeves, David Kiron, and Michael Spira

Companies are looking to artificial intelligence to create business value, and as MIT Sloan Management Review’s 2018 Global Executive Study and Research Report on AI shows, Pioneer organizations are pulling ahead of their counterparts. By deepening their commitment to AI and focusing on revenue-generating applications over cost savings, these early implementers are positioning themselves to reap the benefits of AI at scale.

What Problems Will You Solve With Blockchain?

Teppo Felin and Karim Lakhani

Organizations need to focus on how blockchain can be used to support their unique strategies.

Blockchain Is Changing How Media and Entertainment Companies Compete

Andre Dutra et al.

Blockchain is poised to help media and entertainment companies rethink their business models and monetize value.

Preparing for a Blockchain Future

Michael Ferguson

Consider three key questions when determining how to make blockchain a useful part of your business strategy.

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“Customer Service, Turbocharged by AI”

The customer service experience is being augmented by AI-driven tools that enhance the experience for both customers and company agents. The three articles in this collection provide guidance on a new approach to automating services, why a wait-and-see approach could be a costly AI strategy, and five digital retailing mistakes to avoid. (Registration required.)

Articles included:

A New Approach to Automating Services
By Mary C. Lacity and Leslie P. Willcocks

Wait-and-See Could Be a Costly AI Strategy
By Jacques Bughin

Avoid These Five Digital Retailing Mistakes
By Prabuddha De, Yu Jeffrey Hu, and Mohammad S. Rahman

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Free download of this MIT SMR collection is brought to you by Bold360 by LogMeIn.

Strategy Forum

Will Self-Driving Technology Be Uber’s Make or Break?

Each month, the MIT SMR Strategy Forum poses a single question to our panel of experts in the fields of business, economics, and management. This month’s question asks our panel whether ride-sharing platform Uber must develop a self-driving car capability to remain viable in the market.

The Price Problem

Master the Challenges of Multichannel Pricing

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Walter Baker et al.

Retailers have new challenges in getting customers to accept different prices on different channels.

Using Data Science to Avoid Global Pricing Chaos

Andrea Marron

Five steps to make sure your data and analytics efforts pay off in the long term.

The New Frontier of Price Optimization

Frontiers |

David Simchi-Levi

Identifying the optimal prices for products was once a time-consuming process. That’s changing.

Managing Teams

Quadruple Scull Rowing Team Practicing, Blurred Motion

Get Things Done With Smaller Teams

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Chris DeBrusk

By creating smaller, more agile teams, managers can facilitate collaboration and efficiency.

GEN-Tenhiala-Formality-Communication-1200

When Communication Should Be Formal

Antti Tenhiälä and Fabrizio Salvador

Formal communication protocols may seem outdated, but they offer crucial performance advantages.

MAG-Apfelbaum-homogenous-homogeneity-diverse-diversity-team-work-employees-marbles-1200

The Trouble With Homogeneous Teams

Evan Apfelbaum, interviewed by Martha E. Mangelsdorf

Research finds that teams lacking diversity may be more susceptible to making flawed decisions.

“[L}eaders are perceived as competent when they place an emphasis on the future, on organizational outcomes, and on employees, as well as when they take action and launch initiatives, communicate effectively, and gain knowledge and experiences.” — Daniel Han Ming Chng, et al.

Why People Believe in Their Leaders — or Not

August 17, 2018 | Daniel Han Ming Chng, Tae-Yeol Kim, Brad Gilbreath, and Lynne Andersson

“In ... mission-critical contexts, protocols for a communication’s timing, content, and participants ensure clarity, transparency, and accountability.” — Antti Tenhiälä and Fabrizio Salvador

When Communication Should Be Formal

June 29, 2018 | Antti Tenhiälä and Fabrizio Salvador

“Companies that excel in addressing these questions to gain the trust of users will be given the opportunity to offer new products and services to those users. The key ingredient here — and this cannot be stated too often — is trust.” — Bala Iyer, et al.

Humanizing Tech May Be the New Competitive Advantage

Frontiers |

What's Hot

Haslina Ali and Rubén Mancha

Today @ MIT SMR

Megan Beck and Barry Libert

Hal Gregersen

Scott Latham and Beth Humberd

Ken Goldberg, interviewed by Frieda Klotz

Omar Abbosh et al.

N. Sharon Hill and Kathryn M. Bartol

September 17, 2018 | Sam Ransbotham, Philipp Gerbert, Martin Reeves, David Kiron, and Michael Spira

Teppo Felin and Karim Lakhani

Andre Dutra et al.

Michael Ferguson

Download the Collection

Walter Baker et al.

Andrea Marron

David Simchi-Levi

Chris DeBrusk

Antti Tenhiälä and Fabrizio Salvador

Evan Apfelbaum, interviewed by Martha E. Mangelsdorf

August 17, 2018 | Daniel Han Ming Chng, Tae-Yeol Kim, Brad Gilbreath, and Lynne Andersson

June 29, 2018 | Antti Tenhiälä and Fabrizio Salvador

July 10, 2018 | Bala Iyer, Kristen Getchell, and Fritz Fleischmann

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