Kenneth Cukier is a New York Times bestselling author on technology and business, a journalist at The Economist, and an Associate Fellow at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School.

Francis de Véricourt is a Professor of Management Science and the Director of the Center for Decisions, Models and Data at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin.

Together with Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, they recently published a new book, Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil. 
In Framers, the authors outline how to use the unique human capability of framing to generate new options and structure decision-making effectively.

In a conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Cukier and de Véricourt discuss framing's unexploited potential, how it can enhance decision making in uncertain times, and how we can better educate ourselves to become better framers.
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The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Framers with Kenneth Cukier and Francis de Véricourt

Ram Charan is a world-renowned business advisor, author, and speaker who has spent the past 40 years working with many of the top companies, CEOs, and boards.
Ram has authored over 30 books since 1998 that have sold over 4 million copies in more than a dozen languages. His recent book, Rethinking Competitive Advantage, explains the source of digital giants' competitive advantage and describes the path for other companies to develop their own. 
In a conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Ram provides an overview of how leaders - of both traditional and digital companies- can increase their chances of success in the digital age. He proposes 6 rules which redefine the precepts of competition.
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About the BCG Henderson Institute
The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group's think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Rethinking Competitive Advantage with Ram Charan

Kai-Fu Lee is the CEO of Sinovation Ventures and the New York Times bestselling author of AI Superpowers. Lee was formerly the President of Google China and a senior executive at Microsoft and Apple. He chairs the Artificial Intelligence Council at the World Economic Forum.

His new book, AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, co-authored with Chen Qiufan, is a literary call-and-response: Qiufan calls to Lee with one fictional chapter on the future of AI, and Lee responds to Qiufan with a supporting, nonfictional analysis of those futures. Each chapter deals with the applications of a different technology and explores the human dilemmas which arise as a result. This novel approach not only educates, engages, and entertains readers but also encourages to think ahead on the moves we need to takes as companies and societies in order to maximize benefits and minimize negative consequences.

In a conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Insitute, Lee shares his thinking and predictions on artificial intelligence's potential applications, its social impact, and also the regulations required to tame it.
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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

AI 2041 with Kai-Fu Lee

Paul Polman was the CEO of Unilever from 2009 to 2019, the first from outside the company in its century-plus history, and has been described by the Financial Times as "a standout CEO of the past decade." Today he works to accelerate action by business to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which he helped develop. 

Andrew Winston is one of the world's most widely read writers and leading thinkers on sustainable business. His books on sustainability strategy, have sold more than 150,000 copies in seven languages.

Together they just published a new book, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take, which outlines a framework to help leaders build net positive companies that profit by contributing more to the world than they use or take.

In a conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, the authors share insights from the book, discuss key takeaways of the recent COP26 meeting, and explore how can CEOs drive collective action addressing massive challenges and profound shifts that threaten humanity and biodiversity, building thriving businesses as a result.
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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Net Positive with Paul Polman and Andrew Winston

Luc de Brabandere is a Senior Advisor at BCG, a BCG Henderson Institute Alumni Fellow, co-founder of CartoonBase, and an invited Professor at The Brussels Solvay School and ETH Zurich. He is the co-author of Thinking in New Boxes, which offers a new paradigm for business creativity.

In his most recent book, Be Logical, Be Creative, Be Critical: The Art of Thinking in a Digital World, together with Lina Benmehrez, Brabandere deals with the role of thinking in business and provides a rich analysis of how digital technologies are affecting our thinking processes.

Building on his knowledge and experience as a corporate philosopher, Brabandere suggests that firms should focus on creatively reinventing themselves with new tools, rather than using current digital tools to optimize existing processes or systems.
In a discussion with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Brabandere explores the implications of logic, critical thinking, and creativity in business today.

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group's think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Be Logical - Be Creative - Be Critical with Luc de Brabandere

Jeremy Utley is a Director of Executive Education at Stanford's d.school and an adjunct professor at Stanford's School of Engineering. He is the host of the d.school's widely known program, "Stanford's Masters of Creativity."

Perry Klebahn is an adjunct professor and Director of Executive Education at Stanford's d.school. Previously he served as COO for Patagonia and CEO of Timbuk2.

In their new book, IDEAFLOW: The Only Business Metric That Matters, Jeremy and Perry explain that creativity is not reserved for a select few, but can be developed like any other skill and applied to any problem.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Jeremy and Perry discuss the concept of "ideaflow", which can be described as the rate at which one is able to generate ideas. They share various techniques for leaders to master and implement a culture of ideaflow, such as setting up metrics that communicate to their teams that they value creativity, creating evaluation and selection techniques to move ideas forward, and deploying diversity.
***
About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

IDEAFLOW with Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn

Brian Elliott is an Executive Leader at Future Forum. He has spent the last three decades leading teams and building companies as a startup CEO, a product leader at Google, and Senior Vice President at Slack.

In his book How the Future Works. Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their Lives, co-authored by Sheela Subramanian and Helen Kupp, he points out that the way we worked in pre-pandemic times is no longer effective and the concept of nine-to-five, five-days-a-week, in-office work environments does not resonate with most employees today, or with the requirements of our knowledge-based economy.

In conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Brian discusses ways leaders can optimize for better outcomes by extending the more flexible approach we take towards different customers and applying this model to individual employees within their company. By doing so, leaders can make work more productive, fairer, more attractive to employees, and even a source of competitive advantage.
***
About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How the Future Works with Brian Elliott

Will Guidara made his name in the hospitality industry as the co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, transforming it from a "good" New York restaurant to a 3 Michelin star establishment that was ranked number one on "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" list in 2017.

In his new book, Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, Will shares his personal memoir and manifesto, outlining his business management philosophy on the art of service.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Will discusses how to be intentional in the pursuit of relationships with both the people you work with and those you serve, and the impact of digging deeper to explore new creative approaches that turn ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences.
***
About the BCG Henderson Institute
The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Unreasonable Hospitality with Will Guidara

Stefan Larsson, MD, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the field of value-based health care. Dr. Larsson is an independent advisor to healthcare organizations, a BCG senior advisor, a co-founder and board member of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), a non-profit that works to create global standards for measuring health outcomes, and a distinguished fellow on the Health and Healthcare team of the World Economic Forum.

Jennifer Clawson is a Partner and Director in BCG’s Madrid office and a global head of the firm’s Center for Value in Health Care. She has worked in both private- and public-sector organizations to create new value-based business models to improve health outcomes.

In their new book, Patient Priority: Solve Health Care's Value Crisis by Measuring and Delivering Outcomes That Matter to Patients co-authored with Josh Kellar, Managing Director and Partner in BCG’s Chicago office, Stefan and Jennifer discuss based on their decades of experience in the healthcare industry some of the bright spots of progress and innovation in our journey towards value-based healthcare, while laying out an ambitious and compelling path for the journey still ahead.

In conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, they discuss a value and outcome-based approach to healthcare, explaining how value in healthcare needs to include both the outcomes that matter to patient groups and the resources needed to deliver those outcomes. They also opine on the approach as a template for addressing other complex organizational challenges.
***
About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Patient Priority with Stefan Larsson and Jennifer Clawson

Bent Flyvbjerg has a sobering statistic to share: 99.5% of major projects fail to deliver their targeted results on time and on budget. His new book How Big Things Get Done, coauthored with Dan Gardner, explores this phenomenon—from infrastructure projects to major sporting events to corporate transformations.

Flyvbjerg, the first BT Professor of Major Programme Management at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and VKR Professor of Major Program Management at the IT University of Copenhagen, is the world’s foremost expert on megaproject management—a subject on which he has published prolifically.

He recently joined Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, to discuss the patterns and drivers of the failure of big projects, as well as potential solutions that can help executives overcome these dramatic odds. For example, cognitive biases, particularly at the C-suite level, cause leaders to act too spontaneously—when they would be better off acting fast only after first thinking slowly and deliberately. They explore not only conventional project success but also how the thinking can be applied more broadly – from personal projects to climate change.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:16] The Iron Law of megaprojects
[04:03] Patterns of failure
[09:02] Solutions (think slow but act fast, think from right to left, reference class forecasting)
[17:28] Continuous vs. episodic change
[20:47] Tackling climate change: a megaproject?
[23:03] Impact of technology
[25:46] Practical recommendations

***

About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How Big Things Get Done with Bent Flyvbjerg

In his latest book, Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way, Jonah Berger breaks down the science of language. The right words can influence actions and happiness, and reveal insights about those who say or write them.

Berger, an associate professor of marketing at the Wharton School, is an expert on change, social influence, and word of mouth communication. Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Berger discusses how we can use the language of agency and identity to incite action, how to best balance concreteness and abstraction, and how to harness the power of emotions—drawing on decades of experimental research.

He also speculates about how large language models will change the production and deployment of language. The book is a broad and practical guide to how we can use language more effectively.

Key topics discussed:

[01:07] The power of language and six types of magic words
[03:57] Leveraging the language of agency and identity to spark action
[06:58] Balancing concreteness and abstraction
[10:53] Harnessing the power of emotions
[13:27] Limitations of magic words and the importance of authenticity
[17:41] The role of ChatGPT and other large language models
[21:00] Using magic words in your personal and professional life

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Magic Words With Jonah Berger

In her forthcoming book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, Amy Edmondson offers a new framework to think about, discuss, and practice failure wisely, using human fallibility as a tool for making ourselves and our organizations smarter.

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School and the author of seven books, including The Fearless Organization, which has been translated into more than 15 languages. She was ranked number one on the 2021 Thinkers50 list, a ranking of the world’s most influential management thinkers.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Edmondson discusses the distinctions that can help us separate good failure from bad, strategies to decrease the cost of learning, as well as practical actions for leaders to establish a culture where intelligent failure is predominant.

Key topics discussed:

[1:13] The distinction between failing well and failing badly
[9:36] How to avoid the “illusion of knowing” and mistaking a mental model for a fact
[12:02] Institutional and leadership-level moves to create an environment where intelligent failure is predominant
[18:27] How to decrease the cost of learning
[19:42] Can AI help to analyze the potential for failure or identify learnable lessons and failure patterns?

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Right Kind Of Wrong with Amy Edmondson

In his new book, The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and The Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma, Mustafa Suleyman discusses the new technologies that will transform society—chief among them AI and synthetic biology.

Suleyman is a renowned thought leader on this topic, having co-founded Inflection AI and DeepMind, and having served as VP of AI product management and AI policy at Google.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Suleyman discusses the threats and opportunities posed by AI and synthetic biology, whether and how they will confer competitive advantage, and how governments and companies can collaborate to contain their negative effects while ensuring that society reaps their benefits.

Key topics discussed:

[01:28] The threats of the coming wave of technologies
[06:43] A modern Turing Test for AI
[10:14] The competitive advantage conferred by AI
[15:25] The benefits and limitations of AI
[18:34] Containing the next wave of technologies
[22:09] Potential regulatory interventions
[23:46] Motivations for writing the book

***

About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Coming Wave with Mustafa Suleyman

In his new book,  Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work,  Uri Gneezy explains why leaders often create incentives that are misaligned with their organization’s goals.

Gneezy, the Epstein/Atkinson Chair in Management Leadership at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management, is one of the world’s leading experts in behavioral economics, and his insights have become a staple in courses around the world. He teaches managers how to be incentive-smart—how to avoid mixed signals and design incentives that are simple, effective, and ethical.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Gneezy discusses how incentives work, and how we can apply them in the workplace to change habits and spark innovation—he explains why, counterintuitively, successful organizations and initiatives may actually have a greater need to examine their incentives than unsuccessful ones.

Key topics discussed:

[01:11] How incentives send signals
[02:08] Incentives in the workplace
[09:14] Incentivizing innovation
[12:29] Understanding the use and limitation of incentives
[18:22] Changing habits

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Mixed Signals with Uri Gneezy

In How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, Michael Bungay Stanier outlines how to set up working relationships for the best chance of success—by following a process of thorough preparation, a keystone conversation, and regular maintenance.

Bungay Stanier, founder of coaching firm Box of Crayons, is a world-renowned thought leader on coaching and author of the best-selling coaching book, The Coaching Habit. In his most recent book, he focuses on relationship-building, providing readers with processes and principles, as well as exercises and ample practical advice to sharpen their skills.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Bungay Stanier discusses how to build the “best possible relationship” and how to maintain and repair it over time. Moreover, they assess how to create a corporate culture conducive to these relationships, and how to make these relationships work in a hybrid or remote setting.

Key topics discussed:

[01:22] How to make difficult relationships more workable
[03:39] Definition of a “best possible relationship” and how to build it
[05:54] How to have a keystone conversation
[12:26] The impact of corporate culture and different personality types
[15:44] How to maintain and repair relationships
[20:42] The implications of hybrid and remote work
[22:31] How leaders can apply these lessons in their organizations

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How to Work with (Almost) Anyone with Michael Bungay Stanier

In The Worlds I See, Dr. Fei-Fei Li provides a personal and deeply insightful depiction of two convergent journeys. One describes her own life and career; Li immigrated to the U.S. from China at age 15, and within a few years had launched into research in computer vision and AI. The other is a history of AI, which has involved many breakthroughs over the past 70 years, culminating in a technology that is now changing life and business.

Li is one of the world’s foremost experts on AI and was named by Time magazine as one of the top 25 most influential thinkers in AI in 2023. She previously served as Google’s chief AI and machine learning scientist.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Li discusses critical inflection points in the history of AI, emerging AI technologies businesses must be aware of, and what implications AI will have for competitive advantage.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:19] Is our education system fit for the future?
[07:13] What were the key milestones in the history of AI?
[11:48] Which emerging AI technologies do businesses need to be aware of?
[13:38] How should we be thinking about ethical issues surrounding AI?
[20:39] How will AI transform business? Where will it create competitive advantage?

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Worlds I See with Dr. Fei-Fei Li

In Higher Ground: How Businesses Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World, Alison Taylor explores how companies can navigate the complexity of modern business ethics.

Taylor, a clinical associate professor at NYU Stern, has spent decades advising large multinational companies on risk, corruption, sustainability, and organizational culture. In her new book, she combines her experience with vivid case studies to guide companies toward reaching what she describes as the “higher ground”—a space where companies can act ethically and achieve long-term strategic advantage.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Taylor discusses why good governance is now more important than ever, how leaders can navigate a polarized political landscape, and how businesses can build trust.

Key topics discussed: 

[02:44] The rising importance of internal governance
[06:10] Common traps of internal governance
[07:55] Best practices for deploying purpose
[10:53] Businesses taking political stances
[14:58] Importance of trust and traps in pursuing it
[17:12] Solutions for businesses to pursue
[24:15] How to apply these lessons in your own work

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Higher Ground with Alison Taylor

In Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto, Kohei Saito explores the relationship between capitalism and the climate crisis. He argues, controversially, that to have any chance of achieving true sustainability, we must move to a system which deemphasizes growth, adopts different metrics of progress, expands the commons, and places value on goods and services which are not currently considered as part of the economy, like caregiving and nature.

Saito is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo and a recipient of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science prize, which is awarded to the top scholar in Japan under the age of 45. His book, published previously in Japan, became an unexpected bestseller, shipping more than half a million copies to date.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Saito discusses the arguments for fundamental economic system change, explores the feasibility of less radical alternatives, and assesses implications for business leaders. The book’s propositions will likely seem very radical to many of our business listeners—but as Saito notes, sometimes utopian ideas can be a stimulus for generating new thinking for complex intractable topics like climate change.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:50] Defining the problem and the need for system-level change
[06:21] The relation between capitalism and technological progress
[08:41] Exploring alternative, less radical solutions
[13:32] The need for a new measurement of economic and social progress
[17:08] The feasibility of a transition to a new system
[21:41] Implications for business leaders
[25:35] Reasons to remain hopeful

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Slow Down with Kohei Saito

In Climate Capitalism: Winning the Global Race to Zero Emissions, Akshat Rathi tells the stories of people around the world who are building impactful solutions to tackle climate change.

Rathi is a senior reporter for Bloomberg News, focusing on climate and energy. He also hosts the weekly Zero podcast, in which he talks to the people leading the fight for a zero-emissions future. In his new book, Rathi argues that the best way to cut carbon pollution is by harnessing capitalism. Combating climate change requires a combination of smart policies, financing, technological innovations, and leadership—without killing markets or competition.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Rathi discusses the essence of climate capitalism, how to scale up individual success stories, and how to navigate the challenging political context.

Key topics discussed: 

[02:09] Definition of climate capitalism
[07:19] Success stories: Chinese EVs, Orsted
[11:31] The need to combine tech, policies, and finance
[12:52] How to scale case studies to big solutions
[16:24] Navigating a polarized political context
[18:45] Making climate solutions profitable
[24:06] Where CEOs should start

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Climate Capitalism with Akshat Rathi

In The Intelligence of Intuition, Gerd Gigerenzer challenges a commonly held view of intuition—namely, that it is somehow inferior to logical rationality.

Gigerenzer is director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the University of Potsdam, director emeritus of the Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, and an expert on human decision-making. He argues that intuition is a form of unconscious intelligence shaped experience and evolution in dealing with uncertain and dynamic situations—situations for which logic and algorithms are often ill-fitted. As leaders deal with uncertainty and complexity and embrace new AI technologies, they must not forget the power of intuition.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Gigerenzer explores the power of intuition, when to use it in business, and how to cultivate and employ it.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:23] Difference between intuition and rationality
[04:49] Role of heuristics
[06:29] Why intuition is often looked down upon
[08:06] Power of intuition
[15:21] How to use intuition in business
[18:45] Distinguishing right intuition from wrong intuition
[25:12] Considering how AI use intuition

***

About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Intelligence of Intuition with Gerd Gigerenzer

In Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, Ethan Mollick explains how to engage with AI as a co-worker, a co-teacher, and a coach.

Mollick is a professor of management at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship. In his new book, he discusses the profound impacts AI will have on business and education, using many examples of AI in action. His book challenges us to utilize AI’s enormous power without losing our human identity, to learn from it without being misled, and to harness its gifts to create a better human future.

Together with Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Mollick discusses how to train people to use AI effectively, whether AI will substitute or complement workers, and how businesses can move beyond a short-term efficiency gains perspective to generate value with AI in the long term.

Key topics discussed: 

[02:27] The four rules for living with AI
[09:04] Educating people to use AI effectively
[10:47] What experiments reveal about where AI adds (and destroys) value at work
[12:45] Substituting (vs. complementing) workers with AI
[14:14] Generating value with AI in the long-term
[17:10] Bringing about the social change in organizations alongside the tech change
[20:48] AI regulation
[27:18] How AI will transform education

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Co-Intelligence with Ethan Mollick

In Making Sense of Chaos: A better economics for a better world, J. Doyne Farmer challenges traditional economic models, which rely on simplistic assumptions and fail to provide accurate predictions.

Farmer, a complex systems scientist at the University of Oxford and the Santa Fe Institute, argues that with technological advances in data science and computing, we are now able to apply complex systems thinking to build models that more accurately capture reality and enable us to make better predictions about the economy.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Farmer discusses the limitations of standard models of economics as well as the consequences of such limitations. He proposes an alternative based on complex systems thinking and agent-based modeling—and describes how it can be applied in various fields, including business.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:42] Limitations of the standard model of economics
[04:44] How complex systems thinking works
[09:01] Consequences of using inadequate economic models
[12:44] Agent-based modeling as a powerful alternative
[19:02] Leveraging alternative modeling techniques in business
[24:59] How CEOs can start embracing complexity thinking

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Making Sense of Chaos with Doyne Farmer

This work by James Kibbie, The Complete Organ Works of J.S. Bach is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Original source: http://www.blockmrecords.org/bach/audio/aac/256/BWV0538i.m4a

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538

This work by James Kibbie, The Complete Organ Works of J.S. Bach is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Original source: https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/8/8a/IMSLP740988-PMLP111720-bwv_540.mp3

Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540

This work by James Kibbie, The Complete Organ Works of J.S. Bach is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Original source: http://www.blockmrecords.org/bach/audio/mp3/BWV0565.mp3

Bach Organ Works

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565

In Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality, Venki Ramakrishnan explores the current research on and prospects for human longevity.

Ramakrishnan leads a group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. For his research on the structure and function of ribosomes, he won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. From 2015 to 2020, he served as president of the Royal Society. In his new book, Ramakrishnan explains the mechanisms of aging and their potential impacts on life expectancy, health span, and lifespan.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Ramakrishnan discusses the likely social, economic, and ethical implications of increasing longevity as well as the specific efforts researchers are making to prolong healthy life—and how close they are to achieving a breakthrough. He shines a light on a set of technologies which could be every bit as impactful as artificial intelligence, which therefore also deserve our attention.

Key topics discussed: 

[02:28] Life expectancy vs. health span vs. maximum lifespan
[08:21] Mechanisms of aging
[13:25] Potential interventions for promoting longevity
[18:27] How close are we to a longevity breakthrough?
[24:02] Societal and ethical implications
[28:48] The art of communicating complex idea

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Why We Die with Venki Ramakrishnan

In Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There, Cass Sunstein, together with his co-author Tali Sharot, discusses the importance of reevaluating the familiar to discover new insights.

Sunstein has long been at the forefront of behavioral economics. He is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School and served as the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. He has authored numerous best sellers, such as Nudge and The World According to Star Wars., In his new book, he explores the effects of habituation—ceasing to notice the familiar.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Sunstein discusses the perils of habituation and how to see the unseen. He also identifies ways that company leaders can strategically avoid habituation to ensure their organizations do not get stuck in mental models that limit adaptability to new trends and challenges.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:09] How habituation works
[04:25] What dishabituation is
[08:18] How to see the unseen
[13:51] How corporations should think about (dis-)habituation
[22:08] Breaking free from a mental model
[24:21] Personal strategies for dishabituation

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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Look Again with Cass Sunstein

Martin Reeves, Global Director of BHI talked with Frida Polli, CEO of pymetrics, a start up which has developed a more cost effective, accurate and less biased substitute for hiring and promotion decisions, based on AI and neuroscience. Our discussion covered AI, diversity, human bias, the future of work and the connection to economic growth.

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The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s strategy think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, follow us on Twitter: @BCGHenderson

Diversity, Inclusion and AI: in Conversation with Frida Polli, CEO, pymetrics

Earlier this year, Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak rejoined BCG as Chief Economist, Managing Director and Partner based in New York, and head of the Center for Macroeconomics at the BCG Henderson Institute. No one could have imagined how quickly his focus would shift to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special episode of the BHI podcast, Rich Lesser, CEO of BCG, and Philipp discuss frequently asked questions they are hearing from BCG's clients about the global crisis, what makes this situation unique from an economic perspective, and thoughts on re-opening economies around the world. Listen now and learn more.
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The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Understanding the Economic Impact of COVID-19

Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini's forthcoming book, Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them, highlights bureaucracy's social, economic and strategic shortcomings and proposes 'humanocracy' as an alternative management model. 

In this discussion with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Gary Hamel discusses why companies need to tackle bureaucracy's shortcomings and shares examples of vanguard firms which have managed to make steps towards realizing the principles of humanocracy.

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About the BCG Henderson Institute
The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group's think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter: @BCGHenderson

Humanocracy with Gary Hamel

John Kay is one of Britain's leading economists, and has been a Fellow of St John's College, Oxford since 1970. His work is centered on the relationships between economics, finance, and business. Today his main focus is on writing and he is renowned for his ability to express complex ideas clearly and succinctly. He is the author of many books, including The Truth about Markets (2003) and Obliquity (2010).

In his new book, Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers, co-authored with Mervyn King, he argues that models have only limited value in guiding business decision making. In a numerical world, decision making should be guided by developing and critically challenging reference narratives, to figure out "what's going on here?".

In a conversation with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Kay discusses insights from his new book, epidemiology, the accuracy and applicability of models, and what leaders can do to break with prediction addiction.
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About the BCG Henderson Institute
The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group's think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Radical Uncertainty with John Kay

Spoiler Alert
We preface this podcast with a ‘spoiler alert’ as this novel is different from the more formal economics works we usually discuss on this podcast, and we wish to give the listener the chance to opt-out and read the book first if they wish. We greatly enjoyed the read and even if we don’t see eye to eye on much of the economics in this novel, we found the indulgence of literature a valuable endeavor to make more tangible some of the human aspects of economics — including the fear of collapse.

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Lionel Shriver is the author of several prize-winning novels including the best-seller We Need To Talk About Kevin (2003) and A Perfectly Good Family (1996). Her novels typically tackle difficult societal problems. She is also a contributing journalist to publications such as The Economist and The New York Times.

She joins BCG Chief Economist Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak in conversation to discuss her book, The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047, a riveting and dystopian take on the destructive potential of national debt, currency crisis, and inflation as experienced by one fictional family across several generations and socio-economic circumstances. They discuss the novel, why economic dystopian novels are rare, and the way in which the novel can make the fears of economic collapse come alive.
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About the BCG Henderson Institute

The BCG Henderson Institute is the Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, economics, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Book Interview: The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047 with Lionel Shriver

Inspiring and thought-provoking conversations with leading thinkers about influential ideas on business, technology, economics, and science. Hosted by Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, and Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Global Chief Economist of BCG.

For more ideas and inspiration, sign up to receive BHI INSIGHTS, our monthly newsletter, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Popular tracks by Thinkers & Ideas / BCG Henderson Institute