HBS Managing the Future of Work
This podcast explores how artificial intelligence, robotics, the gig economy, and globalization are reshaping the economy, jobs, and talent flow. Each episode features Harvard Business School faculty interviewing CEOs, technologists, and experts on strategies to survive and thrive by managing the future of work.
Episodes
Steve Odland on governing AI in an age of uncertainty
The Conference Board's president and CEO sees AI as less a technological challenge than a managerial one, exacerbated by increasing global volatility. Drawing parallels to the introduction of the personal computer, he argues that governance, workflow redesign, and organizational trust matter more than the technology itself.
HBS Skydeck: Boosting Community College Outcomes
We present a recent episode of the HBS SkyDeck alumni podcast featuring Aarti Dhupelia (MBA 2005), CEO of One Million Degrees. The nonprofit supports community college students through career development, paid internships, and financial incentives tied to academic progress. Dhupelia discusses why community colleges are too often viewed as a fallback option despite offering an affordable, career-fo
Darnell Epps on opening career pathways
Demand for skilled-trades workers remains high, yet many graduates of vocational programs struggle to land jobs. The founder and CEO of Thurgood Industries discusses how making skills visible through portfolios of real work can improve matching and expand access to opportunity. He also reflects on his own path—from incarceration to Yale Law School and founding a workforce platform—and how it infor
Sal Khan on retooling workforce development and redesigning college
The Khan Academy founder and HBS grad returns to discuss AI disruption—preparing for The Great Reskilling and challenging the status quo in instruction, assessment, and credentials.
Workforce Competitiveness: Business Roundtable's Kristen Silverberg
BRT's president and COO on policy and planning for multiple AI scenarios, work-based learning, skills-based hiring, and the ROI of employer investments in workforce development. Also, addressing skills gaps and promoting economic mobility.
Siemens' Judith Wiese on engineering a global workforce transformation
The multinational's head of HR and sustainability explains how the firm's investment in continuous skills building positions it to handle AI disruptions, demographic shifts, job redesign, and workflow changes. Also, industrial AI, defining core skills, and co-determination.
Units of work: Riipen's Dana Stephenson on experiential learning
The challenge is orchestrating projects that deliver business, educational, and employment value. The Canadian firm's co-founder and CEO breaks down the process.
Executive recruiting: Tom Monahan on algorithmic power brokers and adaptability
Corner office churn is up as demands multiply. Heidrick & Struggles' CEO explains what CVs leave out and why flexibility and organizational fit matter more as AI and global volatility undercut the predictive power of past performance. Also, AI-enhanced recruiting and lifelong learning.
Bank of America's Josh Bronstein on hiring for the long-term
The bank's head of global talent, an HBS grad, explains the value of cultivating careers, keeping churn low, hiring from within, and focusing on local markets and communities. Also, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, the pivotal role of managers, and training leaders to navigate turbulence.
HBS Project on Managing the Future of Work 2025 Year in Review, 2026 Preview
Managing the Future of Work co-chairs and podcast co-hosts, Joe Fuller and Bill Kerr, share highlights and insights from 2025 and look ahead to 2026. Top podcasts, research, trends, and a forthcoming book on managing the future of work.
HBS Skydeck: Can tech solve health care’s workforce crisis?
Presenting an episode of the HBS Skydeck alumni podcast highlighting the work of Lissy Hu (MD/MBA). How AI tools and training can help address labor shortages and skills gaps.
How HubSpot sells and supports its own AI transformation
The CRM vendor's Helen Russell and Jon Dick unpack the organizational and process changes, HR and skills strategy, and cultural shift. Mandates backed by tools, training, and engagement.
Fiverr's Micha Kaufman on the post-AI gig economy
The talent platform's co-founder and CEO returns to the MFW podcast with an update on the market for contingent work as AI changes supply and demand and raises the stakes for skills development.
Wells Fargo's Bei Ling on culture change and learning agility
The bank's head of HR lays out the talent strategy underpinning its post-regulatory growth push and AI adoption.
Guest Episode: Joseph Fuller on the TechWolf podcast
The Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host examines AI's implications for HR, spells out the competitive stakes in early adoption, and unpacks the technology's disruptive potential for jobs, organizations, and markets. Also, the rise of the CHRO, skills-based hiring, and more.
Reading and riding the AI wave: John Winsor on the value of flexibility
As data center investments, stock prices, and vanishing entry-level jobs grab headlines, businesses are grappling with AI use cases and workforce strategy. The veteran serial entrepreneur and Harvard Business School executive fellow assesses the organizational and talent implications.
How web data is fueling the robot revolution
Bright Data's Or Lenchner on the evolving ground rules for harnessing
the web's data. Charting the boundaries of fair use in training AI systems and
robots. Also, the data gathering and analytics workforce.
EY's Dan Diasio on consulting's AI challenge
How to get past AI fatigue and anxiety to a more expansive view of the technology's potential—bolstering knowledge work vs commoditizing expertise. As it guides organizations through the experimentation phase
and into redesigning business processes, the professional services giant is
undergoing an internal transformation.
JFF's Maria Flynn on getting to good jobs
What will it take to increase opportunity amid mounting economic
uncertainty? The prominent nonprofit's multipronged approach to boosting job quality and promoting equity.
Redefining success: Harrison Keller on the Texas higher-ed model
The Lone Star State’s experiment in outcomes–based funding rewards
schools that produce “credentials of value.” Can focusing the curriculum on
workforce development give Texas an economic advantage and distribute resources equitably?
BuildOps' Alok Chanani on rewiring commercial contracting
Admin and logistics can be weak links in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical firms. This can limit growth and squander skilled technical labor, to the detriment of employers and workers alike. The BuildOps co-founder and CEO unpacks the benefits of integrated operations apps and the potential of AI-boosted platforms to improve prospects for skilled workers.
Cisco's alignment strategy: Coordinating workforce and operations
The benefits of cross-function collaboration, with Francine
Katsoudas, executive vice president and chief people, policy, and purpose
officer, and Jeetu Patel, president and chief product officer. How better integration within the corporate stack improves flexibility.
Designing Equitable Workplaces
The Harvard Kennedy School's Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi on the logic behind a systems-level approach to workplace fairness. How A-B testing and targeted interventions—incorporated in day-to-day workflow—can help organizations tap more of the talent pool.
ETS’s Amit Sevak makes the case for continuous assessment
The flagship firm is pushing the boundaries of testing, from K-12 through career. What are the implications for the workforce and society? And how does AI change the future of benchmarking?
Vanguard's skills strategy for tech transformation
Can the shareholder-owned discount brokerage giant parlay its investments in enterprise and cloud infrastructure into an AI-enabled expansion into new markets while improving productivity and service delivery? CIO Nitin Tandon explains the global workforce strategy underpinning the effort.
Shake Shack’s test kitchen: Developing a good jobs and automation combo
Shake Shack Chief Growth Officer Steph So and HBS professor Chris Stanton join Bill Kerr to discuss the fast-casual chain’s digital strategy and how technology is changing the dining experience and restaurant work, from frontline to back office.
Upwork’s Hayden Brown on bridging volatility with contingency
"Freelance by choice" can sound like a rationalization—or putting on a brave face—but has the contract labor market improved for white-collar workers, as more, particularly younger professionals, opt in? A look at the benefits for both sides of the bargain and how AI changes the calculus.
ManpowerGroup’s Jonas Prising on the new global talent equation
The staffing giant’s chairman and CEO lays out the opportunities and risks in the fast-changing and fragmented labor market. Riding the genAI wave, addressing workers’ career development needs, RTO and flex-work, international talent flows, and the up-skilling imperative in the face growing polarization.
Redrawing the map to tech careers: Per Scholas CEO Plinio Ayala on skills, mobility, and AI
After decades preparing workers from underserved communities for well-paid tech jobs, the workforce nonprofit is expanding its training, footprint, and funding strategy for its tuition-free programs. As AI redefines positions across the org chart, can bootcamps plus training top-ups, and a mix of hard and soft skills future-proof the Per Scholas formula?
Erik Brynjolfsson on how AI is rewriting the rules of the economy
The Stanford economist unpacks AI’s impact on work and productivity, its limitations, and wider implications. He also lays out what organizations can do to get more out of the technology as they invest in the transformation. And he updates his longstanding research into augmenting traditional GDP metrics to capture the value of digital goods and services.
Cal Newport on slow productivity and next-wave AI
Joe Fuller welcomes back the Georgetown computer scientist and leading observer of knowledge work, who reprises his argument against busyness as the default mode. Also, cracking the productivity code, parsing AI's potential, and better work-life balance.
David Deming on workforce shifts and the future of college
AI's early impact on the labor market: Are claims of revolutionary change overblown? The Harvard economist presents the long view on technological disruption and updates the post-secondary picture.
Ed Glaeser on Cities, Work, and Why America Struggles to Build
The Harvard urban economist assesses the post-Covid health of cities, rural development, zoning and the stagnation of the U.S. housing industry, the impact of AI, and more.
Positive prompts: Sal Khan on AI in the classroom and beyond
Will the technology democratize access to world-class education or increase inequality? Khan's journey from highly informed skeptic to champion of ethical AI. The HBS graduate and Khan Academy founder explains his nonprofit's pioneering strategy. Also, workforce development, competency-based learning, and skills-based hiring.
OneTen CEO Debbie Dyson: Why "skills-first" builds a better workforce
In taking aim at degree inflation, the corporate-led good jobs coalition looks to boost economic opportunity, address skills gaps, and create a more equitable and inclusive workforce. OneTen helps employers navigate the uncertain new normal of hiring and advancement while expanding their talent pipelines.
Nicholas Bloom on the unbundled workplace
The Stanford economist explains the momentum behind the work-from-home trend, how to manage a hybrid staff, and the new workforce geography. Also, the tech-driven evolution of remote work and the rise of the CHRO.
Hospitality at work: Bridging opportunity and innovation
How do you foster inclusion, economic mobility, and a sense of purpose across a global organization with both franchise and direct employees? Laura Fuentes, Hilton CHRO, on supporting frontline workers and promoting from within in a traditionally high-turnover business; meeting the needs of a diverse clientele with a diverse workforce; skills development; automation; and leveraging employee feedba
Beyond exit interviews: Knowing why workers quit makes for better job matches
Thinking of employees as 'hiring' their jobs opens the way to a detailed analysis of worker motivations, frustrations, and long-term goals, which can reduce costly turnover and make career development a collaborative process. Harvard Business School professor Ethan Bernstein and Michael Horn, cofounder of the Clayton Christensen Institute, explain how.
Guest Episode: Joseph Fuller on The Gartner Talent Angle
Managing the Future of Work co-chair Joseph Fuller delves into what’s driving and limiting the practice of skills-based hiring. The discussion ranges from degree inflation and HR automation to workforce demographics, skills-based promotion and employee retention. Also, how technology can accelerate the adoption.
The business logic of supporting carers in the workforce
Employers can benefit by remapping their talent strategies to match the realities of workers with caregiving responsibilities. Bill Kerr is joined by his Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host, Joe Fuller, lead author of the project’s latest report, Hidden Workers: The Case for Caregivers.
Worker welfare: From theory to tangible good
Good Business Lab cofounder Anant Nyshadham on demonstrating the ROI of better worker conditions and getting from academic exercise to large-scale implementation.
Collective counsel: Corporate law's changing workforce and culture
Vinson and Elkins' Keith Fullenweider on recruiting team players, boosting collaboration and soft skills through targeted training and mentorship, prioritizing mental health and work-life balance, automating judiciously, and making return-to-office work.
Help Wanted: Workforce boards face greater demands and more strings
With legislative changes looming, federally funded boards must juggle the demands of workforce training, economic development, and long-term systemic goals while ensuring accountability to both local communities and federal oversight. Brad Turner-Little, President and CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards, explains.
Marshall Goldsmith outlines the humble path to better leadership
The noted executive coach on the value of letting go of the past, taking candid and anonymous 360-degree feedback, and playing it forward. Also, spreading the word via a generative AI avatar.
Bonus episode: Introducing HBS's latest podcast, Think Big, Buy Small
Joe Fuller talks to his Harvard Business School faculty colleague Rick Ruback about Rick and HBS professor Royce Yudkoff’s podcast Think Big, Buy Small. The show is based on Rick and Royce’s popular HBS course “Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition”. The show combines personal stories from entrepreneurs and other key players with expert perspective and advice.
EY’s Trent Henry on how AI can extend white-collar careers
The consulting giant’s global talent lead explains how the firm is bringing mass customization and accountability to skills building and integrating human and ‘synthetic’ skills. Also, the bottom-line benefit of promoting employee health and wellness.
Jacob Morgan on managing the new normal
The future-of-work trendwatcher parses leadership strategies, the tradeoffs of hybrid work, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, and the foundations of a good job.
Adaptable and inclusive: Kraft Heinz’s brand of workforce
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.
Cengage Group’s Michael Hansen on the employment-ready syllabus
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.
Strada’s Stephen Moret on democratizing access to education and opportunity
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.
Can work-based learning revive college-for-all?
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’s Peter Cappelli on changing the talent equation
What are the consequences of treating employees as an expense rather than an asset? Cappelli argues that this “penny wise and pound foolish” practice hurts the bottom line by discouraging investments in a skilled workforce and prioritizing downsizing, irrespective of efficiency. How changes in management and reporting can realign incentives. Also, C-suite demographics and the impact of AI.
Western Governors University: Pursuing the network effects of competency based education
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.
Guest Appearance: Joe Fuller on CSU's Spur of the Moment
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.
IBM CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux on AI and the culture of skills building
As the digital economy pushes companies to prioritize continuous learning, HR strategies need to emphasize customization, flexibility, and support for diverse work-life needs.
Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor: How AI can raise the investment IQ
AI's potential is tempered by the need for reliability and consistency in financial intelligence. How is Morningstar adopting the technology, upskilling its 10,000-strong global workforce, and competing for talent? Also, factoring sustainability and workforce strategy in ratings and risk analysis.
Cleveland Clinic’s formula for a robust healthcare workforce
Chief Caregiver Officer, Kelly Hancock, on filling key roles when talent is scarce; fostering careers in increasingly stressful occupations; how to make skills-based hiring work; the benefits of diversity; and how AI is altering jobs and HR.
Microsoft’s AI perspective: From chatbots to reengineering the organization
AI’s revolutionary potential is best realized incrementally, according to Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President of Modern Work and Business Applications. How the tech giant is experimenting its way from AI assistants to autonomous agents while engaging with stakeholders. Also: the OpenAI connection, responsible AI, and upskilling.
ServiceNow’s Amy Regan Morehouse on workforce transformation
Employers are wrestling with how to provide the resources and foster the motivation workers need for continuous learning in an AI-altered economy. Workers of all stripes are looking to acquire the skills to compete. How is the company coordinating with its employees and its training partners?
Shopify’s Tia Silas on rewiring HR for a remote-first e-commerce company
How do you re-engineer the people function to support a post-Covid virtual organization? Shopify’s CHRO explains.
Transplanting college to the corporate campus to develop talent for good jobs
If schools aren't turning out job-ready grads, can employer-led partnerships reengineer the talent pipeline to meet the demand and provide opportunities for a diverse workforce? J.D. Hickey, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, on his firm's collaboration with East Tennessee State University, the BlueSky Tennessee Institute, a work-based accelerated computer science bachelor's
Revisiting Upward Mobility: The 2023 American Opportunity Index
In its second iteration, the corporate scorecard draws on a wider range of worker outcomes to rank Fortune 500 employers on how well they boost career prospects. The index is a collaboration of the HBS Managing the Future of Work Project, the Burning Glass Institute, and the Schultz Family Foundation. Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, managing dire
Revelio Labs’ Ben Zweig on creating a universal HR database
Do we need new terms and frameworks to capture important data about fast-changing labor markets? As the volume of workforce data increases, so does the strategic value of market- and firm-level analysis.
Why employers need to tune in to worker preferences
Sander van’t Noordende, CEO of HR services giant Randstad, on navigating the new normal of talent scarcity, an aging workforce, and AI.
Euan Blair on workforce development: College is broken. Apprenticeships deliver.
Episode 200: The founder and CEO of UK-based unicorn Multiverse makes the case for the earn-and-learn model. Arguing that the college advantage is oversold and overpriced, Blair touts targeted training as a more practical alternative for workers and employers. Can Multiverse expand the practicum in the US?
Deloitte's Dan Helfrich on consulting in the post-Covid, AI-inflected new normal
How do a culture of open debate and prioritizing work-life balance help the firm navigate change while advising others on how to do the same?
Defining experience: How micro internships build skills and boost productivity
Can short knowledge-work gigs improve the college-to-career transition? Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of intermediary Parker Dewey explains.
Workplace transformation: Gallup plumbs the new normal
If there’s no going back to pre-Covid, 9-to-5 workplace routines, what’s the new management playbook? Gallup’s Jim Harter on work-life balance, managing a hybrid organization, and the social and psychological markers of a healthy and productive organization.
The EEOC’s Keith Sonderling on job fairness in the age of AI
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has a broad mandate, policing discrimination in all aspects of employment. How does artificial intelligence (AI) change the equation? Commissioner Keith Sonderling discusses the role AI is already playing in employment and what’s next, in terms of policy, technology, and market adoption.
Chike Aguh on government innovation in workforce development
How can government boost competitiveness and spur the creation of good jobs while protecting worker rights and promoting equity? The former Chief Innovation Officer in the U.S. Department of Labor discusses the talent implications of U.S. industrial policy, cross-sector collaboration, rethinking the delivery of benefits and services, and more.
The case for investing in the apprenticeship model
Achieve Partners' Ryan Craig on expanding the earn-as-you-learn ecosystem to boost workforce skills while increasing upward mobility and equity. He argues that college’s high cost and limited job preparation call for a greater commitment of resources to apprenticeship programs.
Complex systems: From supply chains to artificial intelligence
Can the U.S. reshore its way to stability and security? How will AI reshape the workforce and higher education? Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, on supply chains, AI, and manufacturing.
Resilient Coders' formula for a diverse tech workforce
How durable are tech sector diversity commitments in a down cycle? Solid skills, supportive networks, and employer engagement can make the difference for workers from traditionally excluded groups. Resilient Coders Executive Director Ayanna Lott-Pollard on how it takes a multifaceted coding boot camp to build a solid career foundation.
How SkillUp signposts pathways to good jobs
Connecting non-college graduates from underserved communities to job and career opportunities is an inexact science. SkillUp Coalition CEO Steve Lee on identifying effective training programs and presenting them direct-to-worker.
Volvo Cars retools its talent strategy for an EV future
The shift to electric vehicle production means revamping jobs throughout the organization. Chief People Officer Hanna Fager explains the process, from lining up skills to maintaining an inclusive corporate culture.
Harvard’s Project on Workforce: Charting college’s employment pathways
Professor David Deming of the Harvard Kennedy School, co-director of the Harvard Project on Workforce, breaks down the project's College-to-Jobs playbook and interactive map.
Changing the skills narrative: Opportunity@Work’s Byron Auguste
Many public- and private sector employers are becoming more selective about which positions require college degrees, opening more good jobs to non-degree holders. What will it take to broaden the adoption of skills-based hiring? And will the trend survive economic uncertainty and developments like generative AI? Opportunity@Work CEO and Co-Founder, Byron Auguste joins Bill Kerr.
Assessing AI-boosted background checks; fair-chance hiring
Background checks are getting easier and faster to carry out, even as a continuous process. Is that a good thing? Checkr CEO & co-founder Daniel Yanisse on constructive, responsible screening and the case for second-chance employment.
How LinkedIn parses talent, skills, and diversity
Professional work has hit multiple inflection points—from generative AI to remote work and shifting skills requirements. There are few better vantage points for observing the labor market than LinkedIn. SVP and Chief People Officer Teuila Hanson joins Bill Kerr to discuss workplace trends, skills, credentials, diversity, internal mobility, social capital, and change management.
Workforce coverage: How Zurich Insurance protects its skills base
The insurance industry is playing catch-up on the digitalization front while at the same time looking to maintain and replenish the expertise of its aging workforce. Can an internal talent marketplace help Zurich Insurance secure the necessary skills? Sally Henderson, Head of Talent and Learning, joins Bill Kerr.
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