The Smith Business Insight Podcast

While AI will surely take over some jobs lock, stock and barrel, the more likely scenario is that we will have to share our jobs with AI entities. It can be challenging enough to work with fellow humans and understand their emotions and thinking styles. What will it be like working with super-smart non-humans? Will it change how we behave or make us question our judgment? Will it keep tabs on our performance? This episode explores these questions with guests Tracy Jenkin, an associate professor at Smith and a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and Anton Ovchinnikov, Distinguished Professor of Management Analytics. Dr. Jenkin and Dr. Ovchinnikov discuss what they’ve learned so far from their research that explores human-AI collaboration and cognitive processes. They are joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. Special Guests: Anton Ovchinnikov and Tracy Jenkin.

The legal profession is one of the first to feel the brunt of the artificial intelligence revolution. AI techniques such as machine learning are helping legal practitioners review contracts, prepare for litigation and even predict legal outcomes. ChatGPT has already been used in court cases. There’s even talk of robot judges in our future. This episode features Samuel Dahan, a law professor at Queen’s and Cornell universities and director of the Conflict Analytics Lab at Smith School of Business. Dr. Dahan is one of the world’s leading authorities on AI and the law and is well-placed to discuss how AI will impact the way legal services are delivered. He is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. Special Guest: Samuel Dahan.

It’s hard to imagine what advertising and marketing in general will look like given the speed of development in the AI constellation of technologies. Today, wholesale automation of marketing functions, hyper-personalized targeting and predictive forecasting. Tomorrow, AI bots on sales calls? This episode takes a decidedly analytical look at AI-enabled marketing with guest Ceren Kolsarici, Ian R. Friendly Fellow of Marketing and director of the Scotiabank Centre for Customer Analytics at Smith School of Business. Dr. Kolsarici talks about the speed bumps that could slow AI adoption and shares what marketers need to do now to lay the groundwork for what’s to come. She is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. Special Guest: Ceren Kolsarici.

The corporate HR department has typically been the butt of jokes and scorn, and HR executives often struggle to make their voices heard on top management teams. In the age of AI, huge amounts of people management data — from employee surveys to performance reports — can be fed into natural language processing systems to glean insights that could help organizations work smarter and more efficiently. That will make HR executives important drivers of workplace transformation. This episode features the insights of two HR experts who are also Smith School of Business alumni. Heidi Klotz is vice-president, total rewards and people analytics, at AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin). And Dagmar Christianson is a London, England-based consultant in workforce transformation and the future of work. The two discuss how HR leaders will have to prepare employees for the technology disruption to come. They are joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault.

From high school students given the wrong marks just as they’re applying to university to Black defendants misclassified as higher risk for reoffending, AI is driving unfair and damaging outcomes. Technology firms promise what they call Responsible AI. But can they really deliver if they can’t keep up with the speed of change? Can governments impose ethical standards and safe use of AI-based systems and products? In this episode, Anton Ovchinnikov, Distinguished Professor of Management Analytics at Smith School of Business, discusses his groundbreaking research into the government response to algorithmic bias and what happens when large language models are fed AI-generated synthetic content rather than human-generated content. He is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. Special Guest: Anton Ovchinnikov.

Whether we know it or not, we interact with AI-driven systems multiple times a day. Some of us are even using generative AI as a dating coach or to write standup comedy. Yet technology insiders are raising the alarm that we’re moving too fast for society’s good. Our guest, Stephen Thomas, Distinguished Professor of Management Analytics and the executive director of the Analytics and AI Ecosystems at Smith School of Business, brings us up to date on which AI system or platform is already making an impact and how individuals and organizations can safely harness the disruptive power of AI. He is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault.

Covid set in motion huge changes to the world of work. The dawn of artificial intelligence is adding a new dimension of uncertainty. But some things will stay the same: “People will still be crying out for high quality leadership, for autonomy, a sense of belonging, for fairness, for growth and development, for meaning and safety.” In the final episode of this podcast series, guest Julian Barling, author of Brave New Workplace, takes a stab at divining the future by looking at how workplaces have handled major disruptions in the past, and offers his wish list of research questions that he hopes will be answered in the years ahead. Dr. Barling is joined in conversation by host Alan Morantz.

From nurses to museum guards, we are all chasing work that is absorbing and purposeful. But it can be an elusive goal given the way many jobs are structured. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be such a struggle. In this podcast episode, guest Julian Barling, author of Brave New Workplace, discusses the small measures organizations and individuals can adopt to cultivate meaning, the warning signs of people who are too attached to their jobs and the lessons we can learn from those who excel at jobs most of would rather not do. Dr. Barling is joined in conversation by host Alan Morantz.

Workers can forgive a lot of management sins as long as they some control over the work they do and where they do it. Yet leaders either have a blind spot or fear giving their employees greater autonomy. In this podcast episode, guest Julian Barling, author of Brave New Workplace, discusses how to calibrate the level of autonomy depending on the worker, the importance of combining autonomy with training and support and the rising importance of “locational autonomy.” He is joined in conversation by host Alan Morantz.

Around 1,000 Canadians die each year because of safety incidents or occupation-related disease, a figure that vastly underestimates the true toll of workplace accidents. Podcast guest Julian Barling, author of Brave New Workplace, discusses how the hard-hat image of workplace safety limits our understanding of the issue, the role of unions in limiting safety incidents and the measures organizations can take to keep workers out of trouble. One the world’s top organizational and leadership researchers, Dr. Barling is a Distinguished University Professor and Borden Chair of Leadership at Smith School of Business. He is joined in conversation by host Alan Morantz.

A tsunami of studies has revealed so much about what makes for effective leadership, yet so much remains unknown. Our guest, Julian Barling, author of Brave New Workplace, brings us up to date on what the research says about transformational leadership, the power of small actions, the potential and limits of management development and the pall that abusive leaders cast over workers and their families. One the world’s top organizational and leadership researchers, Dr. Barling is a Distinguished University Professor and Borden Chair of Leadership at Smith School of Business. He is joined in conversation by host Alan Morantz.

It’s been said that innovation is a team sport. If that’s the case, you want teams optimized for innovation: people willing and able to take on multiple roles, comfortable living with creative friction and flourishing in 360-degree feedback. That’s a tall task. With these types of innovation teams growing in popularity, what can we learn about how they work cohesively? This episode, our guest is Nusa Fain, an assistant professor at Smith School of Business, where she specializes in entrepreneurship and innovation management. She is also Director of Smith’s Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Nusa Fain is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. Also this episode, Smith Business Insight’s Alan Morantz looks at what the evidence shows about shared leadership. His segment cites the following research: Sanfuentes et al; What lies beneath resilience: Analyzing the affective-relational basis of shared leadership in the Chilean miners’ catastrophe, Leadership, 2021, Vol. 17(3) 255–277 Robert, Lionel P. and Sangseok, You; Are You Satisfied Yet? Shared Leadership, Individual Trust, Autonomy, and Satisfaction in Virtual Teams, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Volume 69, Issue 4, April 2018, 503-513 Aube, C. et al; Flow Experience in Teams: The Role of Shared Leadership, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2018, Vol. 23, No. 2, 198–206 Sinha, R. et al; Shared leadership and relationship conflict in teams: The moderating role of team power base diversity, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Volume 42, Issue 5, June 2021, 649-667

You can bring together a collection of highly talented individuals but if they’re at each other’s throats or misinterpreting their colleagues’ words, their output will be useless or worse. Teams whose members have emotional intelligence are not riven by factions or infighting. They are able to deal with the inevitable negative emotions productively and contribute to a psychologically safe work environment. A disciplined approach to building team-wide EQ incorporates assessments tools and savvy leadership that sets the right tone. This episode, our guest is Dane Jensen, CEO of Third Factor, a company that studies the science of performance in order to build better leaders and more resilient teams. Jensen works with organizations such as Royal Bank of Canada, Uber and Twitter, and with athletes, coaches and leaders across Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic sports system. He also teaches in the full-time and executive MBA programs at Smith School of Business. Dane Jensen is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. Also this episode, Smith Business Insight’s Alan Morantz looks at what the evidence shows about how to deliver great feedback. This episode cites the following research: Sanfuentes et al; What lies beneath resilience: Analyzing the affective-relational basis of shared leadership in the Chilean miners’ catastrophe, Leadership, 2021, Vol. 17(3) 255–277 Robert, Lionel P. and Sangseok, You; Are You Satisfied Yet? Shared Leadership, Individual Trust, Autonomy, and Satisfaction in Virtual Teams, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Volume 69, Issue 4, April 2018, 503-513 Aube, C. et al; Flow Experience in Teams: The Role of Shared Leadership, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2018, Vol. 23, No. 2, 198–206 Sinha, R. et al; Shared leadership and relationship conflict in teams: The moderating role of team power base diversity, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Volume 42, Issue 5, June 2021, 649-667

Much as we like to think that sharing knowledge is normal team behaviour, the reality is that we often struggle to find that key piece of information a co-worker is overlooking or hiding. Same goes for getting worthwhile feedback. People seem too busy or shy or skittish to offer advice that would improve a team member’s performance. This episode shows you how to release the knowledge dam. Our guests this episode are Catherine Connelly and Diana Drury. Dr. Connelly is a professor of human resources and management at McMaster University, where she holds a Canada Research Chair in Organizational Behaviour. She earned her PhD at Smith School of Business, where she began her work in knowledge sharing. Diana Drury is the director of team and executive coaching and is a team performance coach at Smith School of Business. They are joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault.

Most people support greater diversity in the workplace. But making that a reality is no simple matter. How do team leaders align diverse voices? And how can a diverse mindset be cultivated, whether or not you’re in charge? Our guests for this episode are Eddy Ng and Matthias Spitzmuller. Dr. Ng is an associate professor and Smith Professor of Equity and Inclusion. His research focuses on managing diversity for organizational competitiveness, the future of work and managing across generations. Dr. Spitzmuller is an associate professor of organizational behaviour, whose research looks at team motivation and leadership as well as helping and cooperative work behaviours. Your host is Meredith Dault. Special Guests: Eddy Ng and Matthias Spitzmuller.

Managing hybrid teams, where some of us are in person and others at home, takes a special kind of finesse. How do we build teams that make the most of being hybrid, and how do we keep pulling in the same direction… even when we’re not in the same space? Our guest this episode is Jana Raver. As the E. Marie Shantz Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Smith School of Business, with a cross-appointment to the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University, Dr. Raver spends considerable time thinking about interpersonal dynamics and the ways we work together in teams. She has a particular interest in examining how employees build and sustain high-performance teams versus undermining each other. She is joined in conversation by host Meredith Dault. This episode cites the following research: L. Kreamer et al; Optimizing Virtual Team Meetings: Attendee and Leader Perspectives, American Journal of Health Promotion 35(5) Special Guest: Jana Raver .

Starting a business is one thing, but how do you keep going when the going gets tough? This episode of The Start-up Cycle explores the topic of perseverance. We hear about new research from professor Jana Raver on the relationship between resilience and entrepreneurial success (yep, they're related) and get a final dose of motivation from Jeremiah Brown, author of The 4 Year Olympian. We will also hear about learning from failure. Your host is Meredith Dault. This episode refers to the following research: F. He et al, "Keep calm and carry on: Emotion regulation in entrepreneurs’ learning from failure” in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2018) 42(4), 605-630 Y. Liu, "Narcissism and learning from entrepreneurial failure” in Journal of Business Venturing (2019) Vol. 34 (3) 496-512 Special Guests: Alan Morantz , Jana Raver , and Jeremiah Brown .

Too many start-ups hit the ground running, and then sputter out before their time is up. Don’t let it happen to you. This episode focuses on finding ways to sustain your business as it grows. We learn about lean innovation from professor Barry Cross (hint: it’s about focusing your efforts on the stuff that really matters). We also talk to professor Anthony Goerzen about the challenge of maintaining your competitive advantage when you are expanding internationally and get some advice on staying focused from 437 Swimwear founder Adrien Bettio. Your host is Meredith Dault. All music sourced from Free Music Archive. Special Guests: Adrien Bettio , Anthony Goerzen , and Barry Cross .

One of the challenges when you are growing your business is finding the right balance: do you grow the leadership team first, or focus on the sales force? And how far into the future should you be casting your gaze? We tackle these questions and more as we explore the subject of scaling with Eva Wong, co-founder and COO of Borrowell, and professor Jim Hamilton, an expert in sales management who has plenty of his own experience growing start-up companies. We will also hear the management evidence on what makes great entrepreneurial teams tick. Your host is Meredith Dault. This episode refers to the following research: T. Yu-wen Huang et al, “Which matters more? Group fear versus hope in entrepreneurial escalation of commitment” in Strategic Management Journal (2019 early publication online) L. Jin et al, "Entrepreneurial team composition characteristics and new venture performance: a meta-analysis” in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2017) 743-771 Y. Dai et al, "The direct and indirect impact of gender diversity in new venture teams on innovation performance” in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2019) Vol. 43(3) 505–528 Special Guests: Alan Morantz , Eva Wong , and Jim Hamilton .

You know your business idea is worth a million bucks – now you just have to convince someone to give you the cash to make it happen. But while some say it is easier than ever for start-ups to raise money, one question remains: what’s the best way to do it? We get advice from angel investor Jess Joss, Executive Director of York Angel Investors, as well as from Shyam Ramchandani, an entrepreneur with experience securing VC financing. We will also hear about the unique challenges and opportunities facing female entrepreneurs when it comes to finding funding. This episode refers to the following research: S. Poczter and M. Shapsis, "Gender disparity in angel financing” in Small Business Economics" (2018) 51:31–55 L. Balachandrain et al, "Don’t pitch like a girl! How gender stereotypes influence investor decisions” in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2019) Vol. 43(1) 116–137 C. Leitch at al, "Women entrepreneurs’ financing revisited: taking stock and looking forward” in Venture Capital (2018) 20:2, 103-114 Special Guests: Alan Morantz , Jess Joss , and Shyam Ramchandani .