Many people believe that the process for achieving breakthrough innovations is chaotic, random, and unmanageable. But that view is flawed, the authors argue. Breakthroughs can be systematically generated using a process modeled on the principles that drive evolution in nature: variance generation, which creates a variety of life-forms; and selection pressure to select those that can best survive in a given environment.

Flagship Pioneering, the venture-creation firm behind Moderna Therapeutics and one of the most widely used Covid-19 vaccines in the United States, uses such an approach. It has successfully launched more than 100 life-sciences businesses. Its process, called emergent discovery, is a rigorous set of activities including prospecting for ideas in novel spaces; developing speculative conjectures; and relentlessly questioning hypotheses.

Many people believe that the process for achieving breakthrough innovations is chaotic, random, and unmanageable. But that view is flawed, the authors argue. Breakthroughs can be systematically generated using a process modeled on the principles that drive evolution in nature: variance generation, which creates a variety of life-forms; and selection pressure to select those that can best survive in a given environment.

Flagship Pioneering, the venture-creation firm behind Moderna Therapeutics and one of the most widely used Covid-19 vaccines in the United States, uses such an approach. It has successfully launched more than 100 life-sciences businesses. Its process, called emergent discovery, is a rigorous set of activities including prospecting for ideas in novel spaces; developing speculative conjectures; and relentlessly questioning hypotheses.

Is the rise of algorithmic decision making a good thing? There seems to be a growing cadre of authors, academics, and journalists that would answer in the negative. At the heart of this work is the concern that algorithms are often opaque, biased, and unaccountable tools being wielded in the interests of institutional power. These critiques and investigations are often insightful and illuminating, and they have done a good job of disabusing us of the notion that algorithms are purely objective. But there is a pattern among these critics, which is that they rarely ask how well the systems they analyze would operate without algorithms. And that is the most relevant question for practitioners and policy makers: How do the bias and performance of algorithms compare with those of human beings? It’s no secret that algorithms are biased. But the humans they are replacing are significantly more biased. After all, where...

For years public concern about technological risk has focused on the misuse of personal data. But as firms embed more and more artificial intelligence in products and processes, attention is shifting to the potential for bad or biased decisions by algorithms—particularly the complex, evolving kind that diagnose cancers, drive cars, or approve loans. Inevitably, many governments will feel regulation is essential to protect consumers from that risk.

This article explains the moves regulators are most likely to make and the three main challenges businesses need to consider as they adopt and integrate AI. The first is ensuring fairness. That requires evaluating the impact of AI outcomes on people’s lives, whether decisions are mechanical or subjective, and how equitably the AI operates across varying markets. The second is transparency. Regulators are very likely to require firms to explain how the software makes decisions, but that often isn’t easy to...

Leaders often tell themselves stories that shape the way they think and lead, such as, “Everything is always a battle around here.” For better or for worse, our stories shape what we notice and how we interpret it. They inform our decision making and behavior. If, for instance, you see your workplace as a battlefield, you expect hostility. You’re primed to attack and defend. Often, these stories don’t serve us well. There may come a time when you need to shift your guiding story to one that enables you to pursue new goals or do things differently. The first step is to identify and examine the stories you tell yourself and others. The next step is to consider how those stories affect you and your team. Any leader can begin to develop this powerful skill by learning to recognize the stories they live by, examining their effects, and refining them to emphasize empowering elements. The rewards of doing so include an increased sense of humanity, coherence, and liberation.

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Failing to complete a task creates underlying cognitive tension, which is what makes you keep coming back to it. That’s why we find it easier to recall something that’s ongoing or incomplete than something that is done and over with. Rather than letting it be intrusive, we can actually use it to our benefit and get things done. There are four ways to make this work for you: 1) Reduce your tendency to procrastinate; 2) Get people to pay more attention to what you’re saying; 3) Memorize more information; 4) Get better with remembering tough names.

Subscribers to Harvard Business Review enjoy exclusive access to HBR’s 50 Best-Selling Articles: classics from the most respected minds in business strategy.

And now you can preview HBR’s Top 5 Best-Selling Articles as an introduction to the type of groundbreaking content you can expect from HBR. Whether you’re a new subscriber looking to hit the ground running, or if you’re considering a subscription, these executive summaries are a sneak peek at the best of HBR. Download your exclusive preview now.

“Are you ready?” the waiter asked Marta Seles. She’d known what she wanted since she’d sat down—no one had ever accused her of being indecisive—but she was waiting for her lunch partner to make up his mind. Zach Lockhart was the CEO of Top Street Wealth Management, a Silicon Valley–based financial services firm where Marta was managing director. He’d been mentoring her for the past few years, and they often met for lunch. But this time Zach had mentioned that he wanted to “run something by” her, so she was eager to get past the ordering and the small talk.

One of the greatest predictors of your happiness at work is your relationship with your manager. So when you’re considering a new job, it’s important to know how you’ll get along with your new boss. This can be hard to assess in an interview when you’re working hard to demonstrate why she should hire you. But it’s important to evaluate her as well. What sorts of questions should you ask to understand her management style? Should you try to talk with other people she manages? Are there red flags you should watch out for?

What the Experts Say “The primary reason people leave a job is because of either a mismatch in culture or a boss who drives them up the wall,” says John Lees, author of How To Get a Job You Love. You’ll never know exactly what it will be like to work for your potential boss until you have the job — and in some cases you might not even meet your manager until your first day — but you should gather as much information as possible. And it’s not just...

Are you interested in solving other people’s problems? In order to build a product that has a strong market demand, you need to have a deep understanding of the problems your customers are trying to solve and offer them a viable solution. This requires customer empathy, which an important trait for any budding entrepreneur. Do you enjoy selling? If you want to be an entrepreneur, you will be doing some version of it all the time. You’ll need to have a thorough understanding of your market, a clear vision for your company, and strong communication skills to convince people of your point of view. How resilient are you? On your journey to launch a business, you will encounter all sorts of obstacles and challenges. Sometimes you may fail or be told “no,” but that’s a part of it. You need to believe in yourself and your idea enough to get back up and try again.

Social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have given many organizations a new hiring tool. According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers check out applicants’ profiles as part of their screening process, and 54% have rejected applicants because of what they found. Social media sites offer a free, easily accessed portrait of what a candidate is really like, yielding a clearer idea of whether that person will succeed on the job—or so the theory goes.

Honest conversations are a crucial tool in helping leaders and their organizations successfully act on their ethical ambitions. If you aspire to lead ethically and with high purpose, first turn inwards. Take the time to have an honest conversation with yourself to help figure out what matters to you, and where your ethics lie. Next, align your senior team. Third, be prepared to be derailed. Unfortunately, at some point, pressure to meet shareholder expectations will derail your aspiration to lead with a higher purpose and values. And finally, don’t wait for the whistle to blow.

U.S. employers had to help address the deficiencies in the U.S. health care system that emerged during the pandemic. Instead of retreating after the pandemic subsides, they should go on the offensive and play a more active role in shaping a better health care system. This article lays out the priorities in which they should invest.

The last several months have seen a tidal wave of resignations, in the U.S. and around the world. What can employers do to combat what’s being called the Great Resignation? The author shares several key insights from an in-depth analysis of more than 9 million employee records at 4,000 global companies, and offers a three-step plan to help employers take a more data-driven approach to retention: First, employers should quantify both the problem and its impact on key business metrics. Next, they should identify the root causes that are driving workers to resign. Finally, organizations should implement targeted retention campaigns designed to address the specific issues that they struggle with the most.

Interviews have an outsize influence on whether you land a job. That’s why you need to stand out. To prepare accordingly, be mindful of the three things recruiters are looking for. First, they want to know what you’re like to work with. Treat your interview as an opportunity to get to know the hiring manager and establish a rapport. Second, they want to know whether you can learn. That means if you don’t know the answer to a question, you shouldn’t fake it. Instead, ask the interviewer if you should think through it aloud to show how you handle challenges and demonstrate that you’re open to learning. Finally, they want to know that you can take initiative. The best way to prove this is to arrive prepared. Have a very clear idea of what the company does, its history, its strengths, and its weaknesses.

In many stories we hear about workplace courage, the people who fight for positive change end up ostracized or lose their jobs.

Most acts of courage don’t come from whistle-blowers or organizational martyrs, however. They come from respected insiders at all levels who take action because they believe it’s the right thing to do. And when they manage the process well, they don’t necessarily pay a high price; indeed, they may see their status rise.

People who succeed in their courageous acts, or suffer fewer negative consequences, tend to exhibit certain behaviors: They lay the groundwork for action; they carefully choose their battles; they manage messaging and emotions; and they follow up afterward.

A new survey finds that 77% of workers have experienced burnout. What can organizations do about it?  Encourage real weekends and holidays so employees can rest and recharge. Expand wellness benefits to include stress management training and “mental health” days. And create a culture where contributions are recognized and gratitude is freely expressed.

Toxic bosses harm employees in countless ways, and estimates suggest abusive supervision costs organizations millions in lost productivity, employee turnover, and litigation each year. Although studies have found that leader behaviors can “trickle down” to affect the actions of employees at lower organizational levels, surely not all abused supervisors abuse their own subordinates. So when do supervisors perpetuate abuse in organizations, when don’t they, and why? Research shows that people who disidentify with their toxic boss are less likely to adopt bad behavior — especially when the person has high integrity and morals.

When people feel that their career progress is frustratingly slow or has sputtered out, they can become dangerously demoralized. Without a clear understanding of what constitutes a reasonable pace for advancement or why peers are outachieving them, they write off promising paths, downscale their ambitions, or quit altogether. But often these people are simply not giving themselves enough time to succeed. They need to cultivate “strategic patience.” What does that entail? Five things: doing research on what it realistically takes to achieve their goals; recognizing “raindrops,” or small wins that are early indicators of success; abandoning harmful social comparisons and instead leveraging their relationships in a positive way; appreciating how far they’ve come rather than continually moving the goalposts; and understanding that it’s OK for their career goals to shift as long as they keep moving in the right direction.

Top-down leadership is outdated and counterproductive. By focusing too much on control and end goals, and not enough on their people, leaders are making it more difficult to achieve their own desired outcomes. The key, then, is to help people feel purposeful, motivated, and energized so they can bring their best selves to work.

One of the best ways is to adopt the humble mind-set of a servant leader. Servant leaders view their key role as serving employees as they explore and grow, providing tangible and emotional support as they do so. They actively seek the ideas and unique contributions of the employees that they serve. This is how servant leaders create a culture of learning, and an atmosphere that encourages followers to become the very best they can.

 

Both practically and morally, corporate leaders can no longer sit on the sidelines of major societal shifts or treat human and planetary issues as “someone else’s problem.” For their own good, they must play an active role in addressing our biggest shared challenges. The economy won’t thrive unless people and the planet are thriving.

In this bold manifesto, consultant and author Andrew Winston and former Unilever CEO Paul Polman describe their vision of a “net positive” company—one that grows by helping the world flourish. Drawing on examples from Unilever and other leading companies, they outline four critical paths businesses can take to prosper today and win in the future. They can operate first in service of multiple stakeholders—which then benefits investors (as opposed to putting shareholders above all others); take full ownership of all company impacts; embrace deep partnerships, even with critics; and tackle systemic challenges by rethinking...

September 14, 2021

Mehran Sahami, a Stanford professor and former Google employee, wants to see a reset from the technology industry. For the past few decades, the world’s technologists (many of whom become its corporate executives and venture capitalists) have been taught to prioritize optimization and efficiency without thinking a whole lot about ethics.  The result has been stunning corporate success but significant costs to society. Sahami argues that regulation can certainly help right the balance. But he also believes that tech company leaders and employees can shift their mindsets and practices to ensure they’re serving the greater good, not just themselves. He’s the coauthor, along with Rob Reich and Jeremy Weinstein, of System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.