unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc

Modern Philosophy and The Role of The Philosopher feat. Justin E. H. Smith

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be a philosopher? What does it mean to DO Philosophy? What are the boundaries of philosophy as a discipline? These are just some ...

What Big Data Can't Do feat. Edward Tenner

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think that technology makes the world a better place and that progress moves forward in a fairly linear fashion. And yet, there are plenty ...

The Crisis in Journalism feat. Will Slauter

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Major layoffs, fake news and misinformation, as well as social media wars against the media & journalists have been hot topics in the last few years w...

You Should Always Be Talking About Strategy feat. Jesper B. Sørensen

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Making strategy requires undertaking major―often irreversible―decisions aimed at long-term success in an uncertain future. Are you looking to thin...

Criminal Law, Moral Philosophy, and the Theory of Social Choice feat. Leo Katz

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leo Katz’s work focuses on criminal law and legal theory. By connecting criminal law, moral philosophy, and the theory of social choice, he tries to...

Distinguishing Cultural Learning from Social Learning feat. Cecilia Heyes

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most people agree that nearly everything human is a mixture of both genetic inputs and cultural inputs. The question is about where the dividing line ...

Your Brain’s Models are Never Accurate feat. Michael Graziano

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brains arrive at the conclusion that they have an internal, subjective experience of things — an experience that is non-physical and inexplicable. H...

Seeking Virtue in Finance feat. JC de Swaan

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How can finance professionals balance self-interest, client service, and the greater good? While finance is often portrayed as an occupation that is f...

Digital Transformation: Past, Present & Future feat. Didier Bonnet

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

87% of digital transformation initiatives fail to meet expectations. Do we raise expectations too high or is it really a problem of a failure to imple...

Will Every Business Become a Platform Business? feat. Geoff Parker

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Platforms are eating the world! While not every business is becoming a platform business in the strictest sense, every company needs to re-examine its...

Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation and Power feat. David Yoffie

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David Yoffie has been a professor at Harvard Business School for 40 years where he has authored hundreds of cases, and a number of books, the most rec...

Knowledge vs. Know-How feat. César Hidalgo

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

César Hidalgo is the director of the Center for Collective Learning at the University of Toulouse, known for his contributions to economic complexity...

Is Drinking Alcohol an Evolutionary Mistake? feat. Edward Slingerland

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The short answer is no. According to Edward Slingerland our taste for alcohol is a practice found in nearly every culture, meaning that its consumptio...

It’s Almost Impossible To Undo A Bad Idea feat. John List

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some great business and policy ideas make it big while others fail to take off? That's the big question behind John List’s most recent book T...

Friendship Can Be A Template For All Other Relationships feat. Lydia Denworth

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When we first started to study the social brain as a species, friendship was considered a luxury, it didn't aid us in survival. But now studies show t...

Dark Data: Why What You Don’t Know Matters feat. David Hand

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think we have everything we need to make decisions based on the numbers we are presented in a data set. But any large data set is bound to ...

The Human Brain Is Far From Perfect feat. Dean Buonomano

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dean Buonomano is a professor of psychology and neurobiology at UCLA, and the author of Brain Bugs: How the Brain's Flaws Shape Our Lives, as well as ...

What Makes Us Unique? feat. David Linden

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You can have genetically identical siblings. They have the same genome. They lay right next to each other in the womb. They're born, and at the moment...

The Journey Beyond Fear feat. John Hagel

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Intensifying competition, accelerating change, extreme disruptive events. A combination of these elements are leading to a global shift to living in c...

Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong feat. Andrew Shtulman

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Humans are born to create theories about the world -- unfortunately, we're often wrong and our intuitive theories keep us from understanding science a...

Ownership: What It Is, and What It Isn't feat. Michael Heller

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to ownership, the same few simple stories are used from the playground to the courtroom. And the problem lies here, that we still have t...

You’re Probably Not Heading Back To The Office feat. David Burkus

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As we head into year 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic, most knowledge workers are still working from home. You may be listening to this from your home offic...

Stress Begins Earlier Than You May Think feat. Daniel Keating

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There is no doubt that we are in a stress epidemic in our fast paced and modern world. But Daniel Keating says this may seem pretty paltry in comparis...

The Price We Pay For Pleasure feat. Anna Lembke

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Lembke says we are becoming a nation of addicts. She makes that pretty clear in her books with titles like Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance In Th...

Where Humans Fit in a Robotic Future feat. Frank Pasquale

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The robots will steal our jobs. That's how many people see the future of labor in the United States. But what do we stand to lose when humans aren’t...

How Working Less Could Improve Your Productivity feat. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a world where the hustle and the grind are glamorized, it can be almost radical to consider the importance of rest. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang wants to ...

Entrepreneurship and Nietzsche feat. Brad Feld

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking philosophy. And we know you may be thinking, somebody creating an app that entertains people or automates some routine office wo...

The Mind is Flat: The Illusion of Mental Depth and The Improvised Mind feat. Nick Chater

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When asked about what superpower they could have if possible, people often respond with mind reading. As humans, many of us are constantly thinking a...

2021: This Is The Best Time To Be Alive feat. Gregg Easterbrook

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Open any newspaper or website, and there are tons of people decrying the end of this or the decline of that. And even with the pandemic just now falli...

What It Means When The Rich Give To The Poor feat. William Easterly

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sending economic assistance from western, developed countries to poorer, developing countries has always been a virtuous and noble pursuit. But the et...

The Value We Place On A Life feat. Howard Friedman

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The intersection of public health and data science can be controversial. How much do we value human life? Can we ever put a dollar sign on it, and wha...

Using Behavioral Economics to Change the World for the Better feat. Kristen Berman

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the key insights of behavioral economics is that people don't do what they know they should do;. That information by itself is just not enough ...

When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America's Obsession with Economic Efficiency feat. Roger Martin

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Economists, policy makers, and business decision makers all agree on efficiency as a goal, with more better than less and who could object? Well, it a...

What Does It Mean To Be A Compassionate Leader? feat. Scott Shute

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Workers have more rights than maybe they've ever harnessed as a collective, and it's shaping the way leaders lead. We're starting to see the research ...

Your Friends Have More Influence Over You Than You Think feat. Matthew Jackson

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Think of a big decision you've made lately. The final call was most likely yours, but how did external factors weigh in? Did you talk it over with a s...

Can We Teach AI Systems Human Values? feat. Brian Christian

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

AI & machine learning have been at the center of moral debate for decades now. Scientists and lay people alike know, or assume, that there will come a...

The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations feat. Philippe Aghion

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While many on the left are calling for radical change and the fall of capitalism, Philippe Aghion says the answer is to create better capitalism by un...

Influence, Power, and Harnessing Your Place in The Social Hierarchy feat. Vanessa Bohns

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You may not be a hot shot Instagram influencer, but you probably have more power to influence other people's decisions than you think. But on the flip...

The Power of the Corporation feat. Colin Mayer

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's been said that the most important invention of modern times is the corporation. And Colin Mayer agrees, saying the corporation is a “remarkable...

Think Like an Engineer feat. Guru Madhavan

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A combination of structure, constraints and trade, those are the essential ingredients of an engineering mindset. But those traits have benefits and a...

Physical Intelligence: The Relationship Between Mind and Body feat. Scott Grafton

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Physical intelligence is the most primitive and essential form of cognition. We rely on it to perform basic actions (changing a light bulb) to complic...

The Innovation Economy: Concepts Shaping Financial Markets feat. Bill Janeway

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The innovation economy begins with discovery and culminates in speculation. For the last 250 years, economic growth has been driven by a consistent pr...

Changes & Contagions: Spreading New Ideas and Behaviors to Make Great Things Happen feat. Damon Centola

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New social movements, beliefs, behaviors, and technologies often struggle to gain traction. Some diseases, such as Covid-19, spread quickly and create...

The Genius Makers: The People that Shaped Neural Networks in A.I. feat. Cade Metz

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The same technology that lets your daughter call up her favorite songs in Alexa is also used for government surveillance, racial profiling, and the cr...

The First 90 Days: Planning Your Success feat. Michael Watkins

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A determined leader is often motivated by the desire to take risks and move forward. Michael D. Watkins, the transition guru and author stresses the i...

Lost & Founder: Truths About StartUps feat. Rand Fishkin

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Entrepreneurs are drawn to stories of successful start-ups, but in reality, creating a business from scratch is more grueling than they anticipate. To...

Narratives and Numbers: Understanding The Value of Stories in Business feat. Aswath Damodaran

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can a company with no profits be valued at a multibillion-dollar level? Why do some start-ups receive large investments while others do not? Aswath Da...

Smellosophy: Understanding How Scents Affect Your Sensibilities feat. Ann-Sophie Barwich

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Certain smells can repel or attract, bring to mind emotionally charged memories or guide our behavior unconsciously. While some find the smell of som...

The Three-Box Solution for Corporate Innovation feat. Vijay Govindarajan

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation demands different skill sets, methods, and leadership approaches from business owners. The challenge for leaders is to find the balance bet...

Let’s Be Reasonable: The Role of Liberal Arts Education in Shaping Society feat. Jonathan Marks

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Colleges and universities used to be among the nation's most prestigious institutions. Recently, parents, as well as the public, have become more conc...

Understanding Noise: What Affects Human Judgement feat. Olivier Sibony

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers and academics tend to focus on what people have in common, instead of looking at individual differences and nuances, which often drive dec...

Mining the Imagination: Sparking New Ideas to Create Your Company’s Future feat. Martin Reeves

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Although knowledge is valuable, it is limited. In contrast, our imagination is limitless, allowing us to rethink problems and create solutions. Our im...

Ten Type of Innovation Principles For Meaningful and Sustainable Growth feat. Larry Keeley

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation is all about shifting focus. Most successful companies usually begin innovating by looking within--finding stale patterns of operating and ...

Tracing Textile History and Threads That Connect Cultures feat. Virginia Postrel

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Textiles have played a significant role in our history and culture, starting with the Stone Age and continuing to the present. As award-winning journa...

How Alien Thinking Can Help You With Breakthrough Ideas feat. Michael Wade

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For the past decade, Michael Wade, professor of innovation and strategy at IMD Business School, and his co-authors studied the thought process of inve...

Randomistas and Radical Research: Uncovering What Works and What Doesn’t feat. Andrew Leigh

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Experimental research has been a perennial practice in the natural sciences, but social scientists have taken it up in recent decades as well. Randomi...

Narratives of Human Resiliency in Extreme Economies feat. Richard Davies

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To understand how humans react and adapt to economic change, we need to study how these people who live in harsh environments survived these condition...

Super Founders: Analyzing and Understanding the Data Behind Billion-Dollar Startups feat. Ali Tamaseb

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most billion-dollar startups are founded by non-technical individuals— one of the many insights that Ali Tamaseb notes in his recent book. Ali spent...

The Plague Cycle: Better Healthcare, Battling Epidemics, and Building Economies feat. Charles Kenny

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our collective ability to deal with infections has impacted human development for over 5,000 years. Through unprecedented advancements in hygiene and ...

Creative Construction: Innovation Strategies for Large Organizations feat. Gary Pisano

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For many established companies, enormous resources and risky decisions stand in the way of innovation. There are ample opportunities for innovation in...

The Illusion of Explanatory Depth feat. Steven Sloman

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

According to today’s guest, the human mind is both genius and pathetic, brilliant and idiotic. As a species, we have learned to control fire, estab...

Natural History of Economic Life: How Evolution Shaped Social Trust feat. Paul Seabright

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Company Of Strangers by renowned economist Paul Seabright illustrates how fragile everyday life can be. In this episode, he talks about the book a...

People Analytics and Humanizing Networks: How Teams Can Work Better feat. Ben Waber

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Measuring informal interactions can improve the chances of a major project's success. Ben Waber, CEO and co-founder of Humanyze, stresses the importan...

Practicing Zen and Mindful Leadership: Overcoming Stress in Business feat. Marc Lesser

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As modern leaders, we are challenged by the pace and complexity of change, the need for collaboration, and the push to align teams. Developing mindful...

A Simplified Strategy for Increased Profitability feat. Felix Oberholzer-Gee

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning Harvard Business School professor Felix Obelholzer-Gee says that data about the rate of change in companies is no faster today than in p...

Social Mobility and the Industrial Revolution: What Can We Learn from History feat. Gregory Clark

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first half of the episode discusses distinguished professor Gregory Clark's book, A Farewell To Alms. During the eighteenth century, England under...

The Quest for the Master Algorithm and the Ultimate Learning Machine feat. Pedro Domingos

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For a while now, machines have been inseparably tied to our lives. The algorithms on Google, Netflix, Amazon, Xbox, and Tinder have run your life unwi...

Understanding Food Science: The Role of Evolution and Nature in our Diet feat. Rob Dunn

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Traditionally, biologists and ecologists study microbes and hosts separately. And, it’s only recently that 'Hologenomics' emerged as a discipline wi...

The Future of Capitalism: The Growing Gaps and Social Anxieties in Developed Nations feat. Paul Collier

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Developed nations like the United Kingdom and the United States are experiencing growing radical oppositions and deep divisions between rural communit...

Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells feat. Harold McGee

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that all humans go through a period, during late infancy or early childhood, when their sense of smell judgement is almost completely bl...

Is it Good to Feel Bad? How Evolution and Pain Affects Our Mental Health feat. Randy Nesse

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we feel bad after losing a loved one? What causes people to people panic and worry?? How can people pursue happiness even after heartbreaks? Un...

Engineering Environments for an Optimized Sensory Experience feat. Charles Spence

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Could plants and nature sounds make you happier at work? What kind of scent should you wear on your first date? Can a simple hug make grandma and gran...

Risks and Uncertainty: Understanding Data and Making Rational Decisions feat. Gerd Gigerenzer

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Machine learning and big data are becoming increasingly important, and some say they can make predictions more accurate than ever before. But as risk ...

The Sharing Economy and Crowd-Based Capitalism: Challenges in Regulating Platform-Driven Markets feat. Arun Sundararajan

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Finding a ride, booking an overnight stay, running errands for someone— these amenities have been around for a while. But peer to peer platforms th...

Truths and Crisis: Understanding the Hedge Fund Mirage and Why Bonds Won’t Last Forever feat. Simon Lack

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following the success of his first three books, best-selling author and licensed chartered financial analyst Simon Lack examined how the steady growth...

Deep Dive into AI: Ethics, Design, and Human Compatibility feat. Stuart Russell

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Popular culture often portrays artificial intelligence (AI) as a super-powerful, ominous threat to jobs, lives, and ultimately humanity. As AI is movi...

Human Jaws, Hidden Epidemics and the Dying Environment feat. Paul Ehrlich

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do so many kids in wealthy countries have braces? Our jaws and teeth are growing smaller, causing aesthetic challenges as well as breathing diffic...

Reinvent the Wheel: What to Do When Your Management Model is Outdated feat. Frederic Laloux

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are you considering a new way of working? Is it possible to give people the freedom to lead projects they are great at and to collaborate regardless o...

The Man from Gobi Desert: Stories of Survival, Deals, Breaking Barriers and Building Trust feat. Weijian Shan

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hard work and luck. That's the key to success, according to Weijian Shan. And he knows a thing or two about success. Shan is the founder and head of H...

The A.I. Advantage: Using it For Strategic Advancement and Success feat. Tom Davenport

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The buzz surrounding A.I. cognitive strategy, technology, data, and analytics has many companies excited, but what does a business do with the informa...

Why People Spend: Expressive and Emotional Benefits of Spending and Investing feat. Liam Vaughan

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do you buy a lottery ticket when the odds of winning are one out 200 million? In this episode, Meir Statman, Professor of Finance at St. Clara Uni...

Heroes and Villains: Stories Behind the Flash Crash feat. Liam Vaughan

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On May 6, 2010, the global financial markets went into a tailspin suddenly and simultaneously. The event was known as the “Flash Crash,” the faste...

Money: The True Story feat. Jacob Goldstein

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There is a saying that money makes the world go round. But Jacob Goldstein, journalist, author, and co-host of NPR’s Planet Money, suggests that mo...

Becoming Better: How to Achieve Maximum, Sustainable Goodness feat. Max Bazerman

24 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a world of hundreds of decisions every day, how do you reconcile your ethics and biases? Max Bazerman, award-winning author, distinguished educator...

Coherence: Closing the Gap Between Strategy and Execution feat. Paul Leinwand

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Two-thirds of executives say their organizations are incapable of supporting their strategies. In this episode, Paul Leinwand, Adjunct Professor of St...

Designology: Integrating Environment, Sensory Experiences, and Lifestyle feat. Sally Augustin

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is it about the color blue that appeals to people around the world? Why is yellow and green disliked so much? According to Sally Augustin, Ph.D.,...

The Paradox of Success in Commitments and Flexibility in Taking Risks feat. Michael Raynor

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Strategies that have the greatest likelihood of success are also the most likely to fail. In his best-selling and critically acclaimed book, The Strat...

Financial Behavior and Psychological Biases: Lessons from the Accidental Economist feat. Terry Odean

10 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do individual traders and institutional investors suffer from psychological bias? This episode features an interview with Terry Odean, Rudd Family Fou...

T.R.I.C.K. to Raising Successful People feat. Esther Wojcicki

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you raise successful children? T.R.I.C.K. them! No, it's not what you think. Esther Wojcicki, Woj to her friends, wrote about the T.R.I.C.K. te...

Adaptive Spaces: Creating Agile Teams and Maximizing Social Capitals feat. Michael Arena

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today's business world, where everything happens at super speed, how does a company survive these accelerated changes? Author of the book Adaptive ...

Arguments, Conversations, and Social Learning: Why Humans Reason the Way They Do feat. Hugo Mercier

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have intuitive and reflective beliefs. Often, these affect how we weigh and process our arguments and views. Listen to Hugo Mercier, Cognitive ...

Cents and Sensibility: The Marriage Between Economics and Literature feat. Gary Saul Morson & Morton Schapiro

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are the benefits of interdisciplinary research for educators in terms of gaining a deeper understanding of the larger issues that affect their fi...

Blockchain: Understanding Decentralized Governance and the Currency feat. Kevin Werbach

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite its decentralized governance and vulnerability, why does Blockchain excite even the most powerful companies and governments? Associate Profess...

How Do You Foster Discovery Driven Growth and a Sustainable Innovation Strategy? feat. Rita McGrath

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do companies and firms become unstuck to pursue sustainable competitive advantage? Best-selling author, globally renowned strategic advisor, and C...

Prediction Machines: Understanding How AI Impacts our Daily Lives feat. Ajay Agrawal

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can artificial intelligence benefit your business? Ajay Agrawal, Author and Geoffrey Taber Chair of Rotman talks about A.I. and how it generates p...

Changemaker: Why Creating Hubs for Academic and Commercial Collaboration Matters feat. Richard Lyons

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are the steps to fostering collaboration in the academe, firms, industries, and organizations? Professor Richard Lyons, UC Berkeley's Chief Innov...

Mind in Motion: Understanding How Action Shapes Thoughts feat. Barbara Tversky

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is Venice east or west of Naples? Our perception of an environment is often influenced by how we categorize things by proximity. Often, we associate w...

Dynamic Capabilities: Understanding Your Firm’s Core Competencies in an Innovative Market feat. David Teece

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When markets are dynamic, it’s important that firms become dynamic too. Listening and understanding what's going on in the environment, outlining wh...

What Open Innovation Really Means feat. Henry Chesbrough

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the extent to which good fencing makes good neighbors? How much of your innovation process should you make public? Henry Chesbrough, the devel...

Alloparenting and Allomothers: Learning How to Parent from Mother Nature feat. Sarah Hrdy

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Women from different species, including humans, who had better help and support have better chances of survival. What can we learn from mother nature?...