HBR IdeaCast

AI needs to be central to any organization's strategy today, but many are still not implementing the technology in the most effective ways. In this four-part special series, we'll share conversations from the recent HBR Strategy Summit to help you get ahead. In this episode, HBR editor in chief Amy Bernstein speaks with Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, a digital transformation company. Vaz explains that many enterprise-wide AI initiatives fail because incentives, talent strategies and a sense of trust aren't considered thoroughly enough. He shares lessons from his front row seat to AI transformations in the last few years, and how he thinks you can create real operational value at scale.

As organizations and their employees ramp up their generative AI experimentation, leaders are facing a new problem: the rise of AI-generated "workslop," which seems okay on the surface but doesn't actually pass muster and, when passed on to colleagues, ultimately hurts team efficiency, performance, trust and morale. Kate Niederhoffer, chief scientist at BetterUp, and Jeff Hancock, professor of communication at Stanford, say that while it's tempting to blame individuals for this kind of misuse of ChatGPT and other tools, management is more often that not contributing to the workslop epidemic by putting pressure on employees to produce more and to use AI when possible without offering clear training or guidelines. Niederhoffer and Hancock offer advice on how to stem the tide of workslop. They are coauthors of the HBR articles "AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity" and "Why People Create AI “Workslop”—and How to Stop It."

The ability of an organization to innovate over and over again, for the long term, depends on leadership structure, culture, and systems. That's according to Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, who has spent years researching the true drivers of innovation, taking lessons from the world's most successful companies. She explains why today's leaders need to shift from the focus on decision-making and producing to creating the conditions for collaboration, experimentation, and smart decision-making across teams, silos, and wider ecosystems. She shares examples from Mastercard, Pixar, and more and outlines some newly defined ways of looking at leadership roles: as Architects, Bridgers, and Catalysts. Hill's new book is Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation.

Are you guilty of bracing for the worst when it comes to your clients, colleagues, and bosses? Amer Kaissi, professor at Trinity University, explains why bringing that negative mindset to work will quietly undermine your team, organization, and career. He wants leaders to instead adopt a "positive intent mindset," which means giving everyone -- even people who disappoint you or with whom you vehemently disagree -- the benefit of the doubt. He shares five key capabilities we can all build to improve trust and performance without sacrificing accountability. Kaissi's book is called The Positive Intent Mindset: Exceptional Leadership Through Trust and Accountability.

What if the AI you integrate into your organization isn't just about efficiency or creating digital assistants, but completely changes how you work? Longtime digital trend watcher Don Tapscott says the next wave of artificial intelligence is all about identic AI - where personalized agents don't just complete tasks, but understand your judgment and values and take actions on your behalf. He explains the technologies for this that already exist amid the rise of agents and bots, what it means for leaders and organizations, and the pitfalls to look out for. Tapscott is author of You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI.

What if your customers aren't looking for better products and services, but for a way for themselves to become better? While the experience economy remains important, Strategic Horizons cofounder B. Joseph Pine II argues that it's not enough to acquire and retain customers in today's competitive environment. He sees the next wave in business as one focused on offering outcomes to customers - and that might even mean only getting paid when customers succeed. He shares how this model might actually reduce risk, what it means in a world of AI and mass personalization, and ways that companies can truly deliver on their promises. Pine is author of the book The Transformation Economy: Guiding Customers to Achieve Their Aspirations.

Difficult change is an inevitable part of life, but few of us have the skills and mindset to handle it well. That can trickle into our work and careers, but there are lessons from psychology that can help us be more resilient. Dr. Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, shares concepts that can help you react, reframe, and adapt in life or work. She offers evidence-based strategies for leaders navigating personal, organizational, and technological upheaval—from burnout and culture shifts to AI-driven transformation. Shankar is author of the book The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans.

What does it take to stay agile and compete effectively in today's business world? Smart leaders are entirely reorienting their organizations around project-based work, says Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, CEO of Projects & Company. This requires learning how to better prioritize, fund, and staff these initiatives; measure and incentivize success; and quickly end projects that aren't working so resources can be diverted to ones that are. He explains why executives must radically rethink how they and others spend time, how work gets done, and the eventual pay-off of this kind of reorg. Nieto-Rodriguez wrote the book Powered by Projects and the HBR article "The Project Driven Organization."

Over the years, investor Ray Dalio built his hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, into one of the largest in the world. He's done that in part by understanding the history of economic cycles and macroeconomic trends. He's also made shrewd investing and management decisions and stands by his values. He shares where he sees the U.S. today in terms of economic power and the progress that leaders of all kinds need to make to better the situation, as well as his personal views on how to lead well. Dalio is the author of How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle.

Professional search firms play a big role in discovering and choosing leaders for senior roles. That’s why anyone with C-suite ambitions needs to understand the recruiting process and what these evaluators are looking for. Mark Thompson, chairman of the Chief Executive Alliance, and Byron Loflin, global head of board advisory at Nasdaq, explain the ins and outs of recruitment, how to develop your narrative and navigate formal assessments and reference checks, and the best ways to build ongoing relationships. Thompson and Loflin are authors of the HBR article "How to Stand Out to C Suite Recruiters" and the book CEO Ready: What You Need to Know to Earn the Job and Keep the Job.