Episodes

The buzz: Connected health systems. Wearable devices can track and automatically report body traits, therapy adherence and lifestyle to patients, doctors, and more. But if taken to a new level, they could have more dramatic impacts. How? Individuals would change their health thinking and behavior, health insurers would pay per outcome vs. cost, and life sciences companies would focus on prevention as well as cure. Is this the impossible dream? The experts speak. Harry Greenspun, MD, Deloitte: “I...

The buzz: Hurry! Calling all manufacturers! We’re mid-way into our 4th industrial revolution. If your manufacturing facility isn’t taking advantage of the exponential advances in technology, exploding big data and amazing innovations, the handwriting is on the wall: you’ll soon be obsolete. What will it take to catch up? First, learn to harness the power of in-memory computing, IoT, wearable technologies, additive manufacturing and predictive capabilities. Next, stop underestimating the changing...

The buzz: Hurry! Connecting information, people, assets, and devices – on 3rd generation platforms that support social, mobile, cloud, Big Data, IoT – drives newly insightful business action. Can a long-standing industry like chemicals benefit? Yes! Embracing IoT can open opportunities to optimize efficiency, deploy radically new business models, and stay competitive. The experts speak. David Dunn, Rolta: “All right...but apart from better sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order,...

The buzz: Let’s get together, yeah yeah yeah! What does it really mean for you to have a connected business? Analysts estimate that by 2020, social networks will connect 2.5 billion people, the number of connected devices will total 75 billion, and the volume of global business trade between connected businesses will reach $65 trillion. As we move to an era of true hyperconnectivity in our digital economy, how can your company turn these challenges and your business networks into sustainable pro...

The buzz: Always better together. As the world becomes increasingly digital, your company’s survival will rely more than ever on co-innovation opportunities within your business network. How can you make this happen? Simply put, seek out and connect with collaborative partners who can help you achieve the solution edge that will keep you competitive and successful. But where do you look and whom should you choose? Guidance from Peter Drucker: “The best praise an innovation can receive is for peo...

The buzz: Spelling bee. Cybersecurity breaches in the headlines still strike fear in companies, governments and individuals worldwide. For businesses, the advent of the IoT can compromise secure access to critical infrastructures by connecting business applications with process/infrastructure applications, a traditional no-no. With today’s Advanced Persistent Threats and Zero Day Exploits, how do you protect access between 30-year-old sensors without Internet protocol support? The experts speak....

The buzz: Crystal ball. Yes, change is inevitable. But today’s unprecedented pace and scale of change presents unique challenges for the future of business. Futurists worldwide are examining and assessing potential business impacts of new and emerging paradigms, energy innovations, physical-digital boundary blurring, business decentralization, and other global drivers. What are the implications for future leaders? The experts speak. Frank Diana, TCS: “We are entering a world where everything we ...

The buzz: The secret’s out. So you’re a woman and you want to start – or expand – your own business. That’s great! Women are the fastest growing segment of business owners in the U.S. today. But here’s the rub: compared to men, women tend to have smaller companies, generate less revenue, and employ fewer people. What accounts for these differences? And what can you do about? Our panelists will reveal the key factors holding women back, plus solid advice for business success – for female and male...

The buzz: Honk if you love connected cars! The future is definitely connected and it’s already here. Consumers, especially millennials, living an always-connected lifestyle expect continuous access to personalized information and services from service and content providers of their choice – even while driving. They do not want to be restricted by the VIN of the vehicle they happen to be driving or in at any moment. How do they define their ideal mobile digital identity? What information do they ...

The buzz: It’s a small world after all. For today’s consumer, “the world” is just a few clicks away. Armed with anytime, anywhere information, they can (and do) find the best solutions for their lifestyle needs, often before walking into a store, restaurant, or service center. They’re actually maximizing their use of time, their most precious commodity. And they will punish providers who waste it. The experts speak. Brent Brown, HP: “100% of the shots you don't take don't go in...” (Wayne Gretzk...

The buzz: Roll-it! Big Data represents an opportunity for us to re-imagine our world, track new signals once impossible, and change how we experience our communities, places of work, and personal lives. After nearly two years of research and filming, interviews with 30+ data science, AI, technology and digital medicine scientists and entrepreneurs, The Human Face of Big Data documentary illustrates the promise and the peril in the growing Big Data revolution. The experts speak. David Jonker, SAP...

The buzz: One. Employee engagement is at its highest since Gallup started tracking it in 2000. Real number? Less than one-third (31.4%) of US workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014. Why? Success in our global, uber-competitive economy may be less reliant on strategic investments in technology, acquisitions, products – and more on how you treat your employees. Meaning? It may be time to change your corporate culture…big-time. How? Can one person make a difference? Well, that depends. The expe...

The buzz: The power to inspire. Executives and employees agree: leadership today is lacking. Who says so? A Workforce 2020 studied initiated by SuccessFactors, an SAP company, with Oxford Economics. Why? Because companies are not focused enough on developing future leaders. What does this mean to you? Think about the leadership characteristics at your organization that inspire you to come to work and do your best every day. Ultimately, how do you know who is worth following? Are you? The experts...

Employee engagement is at its highest level since Gallup started tracking this metric in 2000. That’s the good news. The truth? Less than one-third (31.4%) of US workers said they were engaged in their jobs in 2014. Success in this global and highly competitive economy may be less reliant on strategic investments in technology, acquisitions, and products, and more reliant on how you treat your employees. Does it help to create an atmosphere of fun for your employees on-site and virtually? Well, ...

The buzz: Invisibles. Visible healthcare wearables like smart wrist bands and watches are commonplace. What if you prefer non-obvious tracking devices? Almost-invisible-to-invisible innovations are entering the market, hoping to gain your trust and improve healthcare outcomes. Coming soon: under-clothing heartrate tracking strips that detect and report epileptic seizures; “smart pills” that measure blood pressure, pH, body temperature; tattoo-thin strips that store health data and even deliver m...

The buzz: Are you really “you”? Authentication techniques designed to confirm you are who you say you are, typically entail one or more of three techniques: Something I have, Something I know, Something I am. Thus, accessing the things and information we value can range from easy – like physical keys to our home and our car – to complex passwords intended to protect the privacy of our medical records and national secrets. But we're in a hurry. And as we clamor for faster, easier processes, persi...

The buzz: Make for me healthcare. In medicine, one-size-fits-all treatments have helped save many people cost-efficiently. But for complicated illnesses like cancer, a standardized approach doesn’t always work. Personalized medicine – tailored to a specific patient profile – may be the answer. It sounds promising, but will individualized therapies really work, be affordable, and be appropriate for every patient and illness? The experts speak. Barbra McGann, HfS: “The future is a point on the hor...

The buzz: Fine Art. To survive, small businesses must understand the fine art of customer engagement and cohesive omni-channel branding. But how can you “know your customers” and where your product fits into their lives? Hint: Social media can help you create mini-focus groups and technology can help ensure customers know you value them uniquely. The experts speak. Susan Wilson Solovic, THE Small Business Expert: “No company big or small can run the risk of being fat, dumb and happy. To remain r...

The buzz: Social. Social media is the new way of doing business: always on, available, working for or against your company and brand. With vast data at their fingertips, buyers simply click a mouse to show support or disappointment. If your company is still debating the value of social media, the better question to ask is whether you know how to use social in ways that create measurable business value. The experts speak. Hilary Carter, InTune Communications: “The reason we love our parents is be...

The buzz: Partners.Small businesses today must deftly manage business partnerships without risking IP, valued talent

The buzz: To life! With over two billion people expected to be 60 and older by 2050, chronic illness and diminished wellbeing are fast becoming major global public health challenges. The solution to aging gracefully, managing chronic diseases, and minimizing impacts? Not cure, but treatment. But if we turn to smart technologies and data—a “Connected Care” continuum—to support aging populations, will one Robo-Doc replace multiple human MDs? And is Connected Care just for the wealthy—no iPad or Sm...

The buzz: Engagement. Baylor University and SAP researchers found employee engagement alarmingly low worldwide, with just 13% of employees feeling actively engaged. Wondering if complexity in organizations could be a root cause, they explored whether simplification, engagement, and trust together contribute to better-functioning companies. The experts speak. Dr. Ann Mirabito, Baylor: “Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler” (Albert Einstein). Lauren Moser, Baylor: “Hell isn'...

Today’s buzz: Risk. Supplier risk management is the fastest growing discipline within supplier management. Why? When a key supplier disrupts the supply chain, your costs of doing business increase along with perceived and unperceived risks for the buying enterprise. Do you have a solid strategy in place? Think technology. The experts speak. Dr. Van Gray, Baylor: “As our world becomes increasingly connected and multicultural, supply chains and their good management will be important fuel to the e...

Today’s buzz: Empowering managers. Want to improve your organization’s performance management? If you’re focusing on HR processes, but not your managers’ POV or day-to-day style, listen-up! SAP and Baylor University researchers studied best practices, tools, and processes that empower natural manager behavior to make better performance-based job assignments, promotions, and pay decisions. The experts speak. Dr. Gary Carini, Baylor: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other thi...