The Best of This Week

Better Problem-Solving With Smart Crowds

A one-size-fits-all approach to crowdsourcing can result in crowds being asked to address problems they’re poorly suited to solve. New research suggests a framework of three distinct types of crowdsourcing suited to solving specific types of problems.

A Fresh Perspective for Achieving Goals

Achieving any large goal — like training for a marathon, saving up to buy a home, or writing a dissertation — requires many small decisions over time. Split projects into manageable “lumps” of resources or effort, and piece together the “slices” necessary to meet your goal.

Disruption 2020: An Interview With Clayton M. Christensen

Clay Christensen’s Theory of Disruptive Innovation has had an irrefutable impact on the practice of management. In this Q&A with longtime collaborator Karen Dillon, he discussed the impact of disruption in today’s tech-centric world and why the theory remains a powerful tool for decision-making.

Looking Beyond the Usual Suspects

Some of the world’s leading innovators — Vera Wang, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson, to name just a few — were once considered unlikely candidates. But the best person for a job may work in an industry quite unlike yours and be the one you least expect.

How AI Can Move the Needle on Gender Equity

Pipeline Equity CEO Katica Roy warns against perpetuating a false narrative that women don’t know how to operate in the workplace. To change how talent decisions are made, she recommends using AI and natural language processing to remove bias from performance evaluations.

What Else We’re Reading This Week:

• Prioritizing employee development is key to managing through disruption
• The new app used in the Iowa caucuses was a design disaster
• Alphabet’s biggest earning surprise? New revenue disclosures

Quote of the Week:

“The line between tech and nontech, or between STEM and non-STEM, is blurring rapidly. Earlier, technology was isolated; now, it’s almost impossible to find a job that doesn’t have technology infused in it — and that’s the real disrupter.”

— Ardine Williams, Amazon HQ2’s vice president for workforce development, in “Betting Big on Employee Development”

The Best of This Week