MIT Sloan Management Review Spring 2020

When Clayton Christensen and I first appeared at an event together to discuss a book that he and I had coauthored, I wasn’t surprised to see a crowd gathering to talk to him after we spoke. The opportunity to share an observation or ask a question of Clay, one of the world’s truly original thinkers, was special. But I had to laugh at how often that moment turned into a request for a selfie with him. Clay had clearly become a rock star of management thinking. He was patient with every photo request, grateful that a new generation was interested in his ideas, and eager to learn how those ideas were being used and advanced. I was honored to be asked by the editors of MIT Sloan Management Review to guest-edit…

Throughout history, new technologies have demanded step shifts in the skills that companies need. Like the First Industrial Revolution’s steam-powered factories, the Second Industrial Revolution’s mass-production tools and techniques, and the Third Industrial Revolution’s internet-based technologies, the Fourth Industrial Revolution — currently being driven by the convergence of new digital, biological, and physical technologies — is changing the nature of work as we know it. Now the challenge is to hire and develop the next generation of workers who will use artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, genetic engineering, 3D printing, virtual reality, and the like in their jobs. The problem, strangely enough, appears to be two-sided. People at all levels complain bitterly about being either underqualified or overqualified for the jobs that companies advertise. In addition, local and regional imbalances among…

Businesses tend to overlook the fact that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is gaining ground just as two other major shifts are exacerbating the skills shortage. First, there’s a demographic shift. With the baby boomer generation retiring and the working-age population declining in many countries, automation will likely replace many of the people who are leaving the workforce. Succeeding generations, such as the millennials and the centennials, seem to have different career aspirations than previous generations, as several surveys show.i Many would prefer to work for startups rather than incumbents. However, most large companies are old. Just 26 of the Fortune 500 companies were created in this century — like the centennials, who will soon constitute half the U.S. workforce. These young workers have high expectations of employers, making it tough for…

Leading in the Digital World By Amit S. Mukherjee The definitive book on leadership in the digital era: why digital technologies call for leadership that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and inclusivity. Designed for Digital By Jeanne W. Ross, Cynthia M. Beath and Martin Mocker Practical advice for redesigning “big, old” companies for digital success, with examples from Amazon, BNY Mellon, LEGO, Philips, USAA, and many other global organizations. See Sooner, Act Faster By George S. Day and Paul J. H. Schoemaker How organizations can anticipate threats, spot opportunities, and act faster when the time is right; with rich examples including Adobe, MasterCard, and Amazon. mitpress.mit.edu/management…

Employers are confronting sizable skills gaps in all parts of their operations, at all levels, and they can’t seem to fill them by simply hiring new people. In today’s tight labor market, there are about 7 million open jobs for which companies are struggling to find qualified candidates because applicants routinely lack the digital and soft skills required to succeed. In the face of rapid technological changes like automation and artificial intelligence, helping employees keep pace is challenging. And companies are wrestling with how to retain top talent — a critical differentiator in a hypercompetitive environment. No wonder a staggering 77% of chief executives report that a scarcity of people with key skills is the biggest threat to their businesses, according to PwC’s 2017 CEO survey. As a result, companies can…

Talk about how technology will affect the workforce of the future, and Amazon is likely to enter the conversation. In June 2019, the giant retailer announced that it would upskill 100,000 employees — a third of its U.S. workforce — over the next six years by spending as much as $700 million. Leading the initiative is Amazon HQ2’s vice president for workforce development, Ardine Williams, who has 35 years of product development, marketing, corporate business development, M&A, and HR experience in the high-tech industry. In an exclusive interview with MIT Sloan Management Review, Williams, who began her career as a U.S. Army officer, explains the rationale for the upskilling initiative and the benefits to the business, local communities, and individual workers. MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW : Why is Amazon doubling down…