Demystifying Organizations

UCLA law professor and National Book Award finalist Adam Winkler and Jeff Schatten discuss the way in which corporate power has changed via rulings by The Supreme Court. They delve into the role of corporations in the founding of The United States and how corporations have increased their influence, which culminated in The Citizens United ruling. UCLA law Professor Adam Winkler is a specialist in American constitutional law and the Supreme Court. His scholarship has been cited in landmark Supreme Court cases on the First and Second Amendments, and according to a 2016 study he is one of the top twenty law professors for citations by the courts. His popular writing has appeared in New York Times Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Atlantic, Slate, Scotusblog, and Daily Beast. He is a frequent commentator about legal issues and has appeared on Face the Nation, CNN, ABC News, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Marketplace. He is the author of We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civi

Deloitte’s Michael Raynor and Jeff Schatten discuss what separates top performing companies from those that are middle of the pack.  They also address the ways in which companies can leverage new big data methods to address goal-setting challenges.  Michael Raynor is a managing director at Deloitte. His research and client work is focused on strategy and innovation in a wide variety of industries. He is the author of four best-selling and critically-acclaimed books, including The Innovator’s Solution. His most recent work is The Three Rules: How Exceptional Companies Think. 

Harvard's Gary Pisano and Jeff Schatten discuss innovation in the corporate space.  They explore the ways in which corporations sit at the forefront of innovation. Gary Pisano is a Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development at the Harvard Business School.  Pisano is an expert in the fields of technology and operations strategy, the management of innovation, and competitive strategy.  His research and consulting experience span a range of industries including aerospace, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, health care, nutrition, computers, software, telecommunications, and semiconductors.  Gary Pisano serves as an advisor to senior executives at leading companies throughout the world and has been a director of both public and private companies. Pisano is the author of over 90 articles and case studies and is an author of six books including his latest book Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation.

Douglas Rushkoff and Jeff Schatten discuss the complex relationship between modern organizations and technology and the challenges that ubiquitous computing poses for individuals, business and democracy. Douglas Rushkoff was named one of the “world’s ten most influential intellectuals” by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Team Human, which we discuss on the podcast today.  Rushkoff’s work explores how different technological environments change our relationship to narrative, money, power, and one another. He coined such concepts as “viral media,” “screenagers,” and “social currency,” and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice.  He is a columnist for Medium, technology and media commentator for CNN, a research fellow at the Institute for the Future, and a lecturer on media, technology, culture and economics around the world. He has written and hosted three

Francesca Gino and Jeff Schatten explore rule breaking, rebels with and without a cause, why traditions should be challenged, the role of curiosity, and the (many) benefits of failure.  Francesca Gino is a full professor at the Harvard business school.  She was chosen by Poets & Quants to be among their "40 under 40", a listing of the world's best business school professors under the age of 40. In addition to being featured in the major peer review outlets, Francesca Gino has been published in The Economist, The New York Times, Newsweek, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and her work has been discussed on National Public Radio and CBS Radio.  She has a new book out called “Rebel Talent: Why it pays to break the rules at work and in life.”

Vinay Shandal and Jeff Schatten discuss the opportunities and challenges of shareholder activism.  They explore the role of that businesses and corporations have in social causes (environment, 2nd amendment rights, etc.) and how shareholders impact these issues.  Further, they discuss how institutional investors influence corporate policies in areas that relate to environmental, social and corporate governance.    Vinay Shandal is a partner and managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group.  Shandal is the head of the Canadian Principal Investors and Private Equity practice and helps to lead Boston Consulting Groups’s efforts on the shareholder activism topic as a core member of the Corporate Development practice area. Vinay Shandal has extensive experience in private and public company mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, and investments in a range of industries.

Daniel Pink and Jeff Schatten explore a wide range of topics on the cutting edge of social science that argues that timing is everything.  The conversation covers well-being, management, childhood education, employee performance, and why it’s not so bad to be a night owl. Daniel Pink is the author of six provocative books — including his newest, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list and was named a best book of 2018 by Amazon, iBooks, Goodreads, and several more outlets. His other books include the long-running New York Times bestseller A Whole New Mind and the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human.