#26 Stephen Wunker: Building Distributed, Adaptive Companies
transcript
show notes
Make better business decisions with data and AI—subscribe to The Decision Intelligence Lab Newsletter at https://decisionintelligencelab.substack.com/.
In this episode, Vijay Mehrotra and Michael Watson sit down with Stephen Wunker, a strategy advisor for innovative leaders and Managing Director at New Markets Advisors, to explore transformative frameworks for navigating the AI era. Drawing from his book AI and the Octopus Organization—co-authored with Amazon futurist Jonathan Brill—Wunker shares actionable insights on how managers and executives can redesign their organizations for distributed decision-making, agile experimentation, and sustainable competitive advantage.
Chapters
0:00 - Preview & Introduction
1:05 - Meet Stephen Wunker
1:50 - AI and The Octopus Organization
8:21 - Centralize vs. Decentralize Decision Science
11:00 - The AI Magic Dust Problem
12:58 - Jobs-To-Be-Done Framework
16:30 - HelloFresh Case Study
20:40 - Skills for the Future
22:40 - When is Central Coordination Necessary
24:35 - Building an Experimental Muscle
26:55 - Governance & Metrics Alignment
30:05 - Figma Destroyed Adobe
31:35 - The VC Playbook
33:35 - What’s NOT Going to Happen
34:30 - Closing & Resources
Follow the show
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-decision-intelligence-lab/id1811085064
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0lFoAVKqJHTYSZNpeN61ou?si=0ae973aab0174b3b
Connect with Stephen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwunker/
AI and the Octopus: https://www.newmarketsadvisors.com/books/ai-and-the-octopus-organization
Jobs to be Done: https://www.newmarketsadvisors.com/services/jobs-to-be-done-framework
Connect with hosts
Prof. Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco): https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-mehrotra-ba9498/
Prof. Michael Watson (Northwestern University): https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-watson-07600a1
About the podcast
The Decision Intelligence Lab podcast delivers real-world insights for data professionals, business leaders, and anyone seeking to leverage data & AI for smarter decision-making & successful business outcomes.
For business inquiries, email at decisionintelligencepodcast@gmail.com
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