HBS Managing the Future of Work

Harvard Business School

Artificial intelligence. Robotics. The Gig Economy. Globalization. The world is changing at a dizzying pace in ways that will have a profound effect on the economy, jobs and the flow of talent. How will firms cope with the changes ahead and what steps do they need to take today? Each episode features faculty from the world’s leading business school interviewing CEOs, technologists and experts on the bleeding edge discussing how to survive and thrive by managing the future of work.

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20 episodes
Updated July 22

Episodes20

Newest first

July 22 · 37 min
Why time away may be the future of work
As careers last longer and AI accelerates workplace change, should extended career breaks become part of workforce strategy? Harvard Business School senior lecturer DJ DiDonna on burnout, reskilling, organizational resilience, and why sabbaticals may be a missing institution in modern work—for employees and employers alike.
July 8 · 43 min
From the archive: Cal Newport on slow productivity and next-wave AI
We present Joe Fuller’s 2025 conversation with the Georgetown computer scientist, New Yorker contributor, and longtime student of knowledge work.
June 24 · 40 min
RBC's Kelly Bradley on Disclosure, Disruption, and Developing Talent
The Royal Bank of Canada CHRO explains how the bank's early AI investments are reshaping talent, leadership, and work. Also: RBC's strategic approach to integrating HSBC Bank Canada, redesigning entry-level roles, expanding college recruiting, balancing automation with relationship banking, and why human judgment remains a lasting competitive advantage.
June 10 · 44 min
Steve Odland on governing AI in an age of uncertainty
The Conference Board's president and CEO sees AI as less a technological challenge than a managerial one, exacerbated by increasing global volatility. Drawing parallels to the introduction of the personal computer, he argues that governance, workflow redesign, and organizational trust matter more than the technology itself.
May 29 · 15 min
HBS Skydeck: Boosting Community College Outcomes
We present a recent episode of the HBS SkyDeck alumni podcast featuring Aarti Dhupelia (MBA 2005), CEO of One Million Degrees. The nonprofit supports community college students through career development, paid internships, and financial incentives tied to academic progress. Dhupelia discusses why community colleges are too often viewed as a fallback option despite offering an affordable, career-focused post-secondary path, and why employers should take a closer look at the talent and resilience community college graduates bring to the workforce.
May 13 · 40 min
Darnell Epps on opening career pathways
Demand for skilled-trades workers remains high, yet many graduates of vocational programs struggle to land jobs. The founder and CEO of Thurgood Industries discusses how making skills visible through portfolios of real work can improve matching and expand access to opportunity. He also reflects on his own path—from incarceration to Yale Law School and founding a workforce platform—and how it informs his approach to building more inclusive career pathways.
April 22 · 38 min
Sal Khan on retooling workforce development and redesigning college
The Khan Academy founder and HBS grad returns to discuss AI disruption—preparing for The Great Reskilling and challenging the status quo in instruction, assessment, and credentials.
April 8 · 31 min
Workforce Competitiveness: Business Roundtable's Kristen Silverberg
BRT's president and COO on policy and planning for multiple AI scenarios, work-based learning, skills-based hiring, and the ROI of employer investments in workforce development. Also, addressing skills gaps and promoting economic mobility.
March 25 · 36 min
Siemens' Judith Wiese on engineering a global workforce transformation
The multinational's head of HR and sustainability explains how the firm's investment in continuous skills building positions it to handle AI disruptions, demographic shifts, job redesign, and workflow changes. Also, industrial AI, defining core skills, and co-determination.
March 11 · 35 min
Units of work: Riipen's Dana Stephenson on experiential learning
The challenge is orchestrating projects that deliver business, educational, and employment value. The Canadian firm's co-founder and CEO breaks down the process.
February 25 · 36 min
Executive recruiting: Tom Monahan on algorithmic power brokers and adaptability
Corner office churn is up as demands multiply. Heidrick & Struggles' CEO explains what CVs leave out and why flexibility and organizational fit matter more as AI and global volatility undercut the predictive power of past performance. Also, AI-enhanced recruiting and lifelong learning.
February 11 · 33 min
Bank of America's Josh Bronstein on hiring for the long-term
The bank's head of global talent, an HBS grad, explains the value of cultivating careers, keeping churn low, hiring from within, and focusing on local markets and communities. Also, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, the pivotal role of managers, and training leaders to navigate turbulence.
January 29 · 52 min
HBS Project on Managing the Future of Work 2025 Year in Review, 2026 Preview
Managing the Future of Work co-chairs and podcast co-hosts, Joe Fuller and Bill Kerr, share highlights and insights from 2025 and look ahead to 2026. Top podcasts, research, trends, and a forthcoming book on managing the future of work.
January 21 · 17 min
HBS Skydeck: Can tech solve health care’s workforce crisis?
Presenting an episode of the HBS Skydeck alumni podcast highlighting the work of Lissy Hu (MD/MBA). How AI tools and training can help address labor shortages and skills gaps.
Dec 17, 2025 · 37 min
How HubSpot sells and supports its own AI transformation
The CRM vendor's Helen Russell and Jon Dick unpack the organizational and process changes, HR and skills strategy, and cultural shift. Mandates backed by tools, training, and engagement.
Dec 3, 2025 · 30 min
Fiverr's Micha Kaufman on the post-AI gig economy
The talent platform's co-founder and CEO returns to the MFW podcast with an update on the market for contingent work as AI changes supply and demand and raises the stakes for skills development.
Nov 19, 2025 · 36 min
Wells Fargo's Bei Ling on culture change and learning agility
The bank's head of HR lays out the talent strategy underpinning its post-regulatory growth push and AI adoption.
Oct 29, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Guest Episode: Joseph Fuller on the TechWolf podcast
The Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host examines AI's implications for HR, spells out the competitive stakes in early adoption, and unpacks the technology's disruptive potential for jobs, organizations, and markets. Also, the rise of the CHRO, skills-based hiring, and more.
Oct 15, 2025 · 31 min
Reading and riding the AI wave: John Winsor on the value of flexibility
As data center investments, stock prices, and vanishing entry-level jobs grab headlines, businesses are grappling with AI use cases and workforce strategy. The veteran serial entrepreneur and Harvard Business School executive fellow assesses the organizational and talent implications.
Oct 1, 2025 · 33 min
How web data is fueling the robot revolution
Bright Data's Or Lenchner on the evolving ground rules for harnessing the web's data. Charting the boundaries of fair use in training AI systems and robots. Also, the data gathering and analytics workforce.