116 episodes

The Outthinkers podcast is a growth strategy podcast hosted by Kaihan Krippendorff. Each week, Kaihan talks with forward-looking strategists and innovators that are challenging the status quo, leading the future of business, and shaping our world.Chief strategy officers and executives can learn more and join the Outthinker community at https://outthinkernetwork.com/. 

Outthinkers Outthinker

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 25 Ratings

The Outthinkers podcast is a growth strategy podcast hosted by Kaihan Krippendorff. Each week, Kaihan talks with forward-looking strategists and innovators that are challenging the status quo, leading the future of business, and shaping our world.Chief strategy officers and executives can learn more and join the Outthinker community at https://outthinkernetwork.com/. 

    #113—Jeanne Liedtka: Design Thinking: Unleashing Creativity in Business

    #113—Jeanne Liedtka: Design Thinking: Unleashing Creativity in Business

    Jeanne Liedtka is the Professor of Business at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business,  where she teaches both MBAs and executives, as well as consulting on innovation, organic growth and design thinking. Jeanne, has served as Associate Dean of the MBA Program at Darden, Executive Director of the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation, and Chief Learning Officer at United Technologies Corporation, and consulted with a diverse set of organizations including IBM, Samsung, NASA, The United Nations, and the government of Singapore.  

    Jeanne’s interests lie at the intersection of strategy and design. She has written eight books, including her most recent book published this year, 2024: The Experimentation Field Book: A Step-by-Step Project Guide, and many articles on the subject of strategy, innovation, and design thinking.

    In this thought-provoking conversation, we discuss why this topic is particularly important, as our research shows that companies truly thriving in today's digital, fast-paced world, discuss strategic experimentation, rather than strategic design, more frequently than their competitors.

    In this episode, she shares:
    The concept of design thinking—Jeanne's expertise—which provides the structure, tools, and processes needed to unlock creativity—regardless of one’s background.How design thinking is a perfect complement to strategic thinking—and the nuanced differences between the twoHow to strike a balance between risk aversion and meticulous planning with innovationThe interesting paradox of needing data to make decisions, but not over-relying on data to the point where innovation is stifled___________________________________________________________________________________
    Episode Timeline:

    00:00—Highlight from today's episode
    1:01—Introducing Jeanne Liedtka + the topic of today’s episode
    3:04—If you really know me, you know that...
    4:41—What's your definition of strategy?
    6:50—What is design thinking?
    11:30— Why do constraints enable creativity?
    14:40— How do you foster experimentation in a risk-averse organizational culture?
    18:52—When thinking about innovative ideas, why is historical data insufficient?
    24:50—From product ideas to testable value proposition
    29:19—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?
    __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Additional Resources:
    Personal site: https://jeanneliedtka.com/
    Book site: The Experimentation Field Book: A Step-by-Step Project Guide
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liedtkaj/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeanneliedtka
    Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

    Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

    • 30 min
    #112—W. Russell Neuman: AI's Role in Evolutionary Intelligence

    #112—W. Russell Neuman: AI's Role in Evolutionary Intelligence

    W. Russell Neuman is Professor of Media Technology at New York University, a founding faculty of the MIT Media Lab, he served as a Senior Policy Analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  
    His books like The Digital Difference: Media Technology and the Theory of Communication Effects and his most recent book EVOLUTIONARY INTELLIGENCE: How Technology Will Make Us Smarter are rooted in the view that human intelligence and human communication are intertwined. Language and communication are intrinsically linked to the evolution of human intelligence since the dawn of humankind. As our technologies for communication have advanced over time, so too has the sophistication of our cognitive abilities. As you heard in the highlighted clip, this insight gives us a very interesting glimpse at how human intelligence may next evolve as AI comes into play.   
    The definition of intelligence at its fundamental roots— and how human intelligence is similar to or differs from machine intelligence. How human intelligence has evolved as our forms of communication evolved and what this insight can tell us about the next stage of human intelligence in the era of Ai Why machines and AI aren't going to replace human intelligence, but rather converge with it and complement it--think, compensating for human cognitive biases and weaknesses, not taking over. The future of intelligence as we know it, and how we are already in what Russ calls the “Revolutionary Intelligence” era. __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Episode Timeline:
    00:00—Highlight from today's episode
    1:08—Introducing Russ Neuman+ the topic of today’s episode
    3:32—If you really know me, you know that...
    4:12—What's your definition of strategy?
    5:04—What is your definition of intelligence?
    8:08—  Four leaps in human intelligence: language, land, leverage and literacy?
    13:11—What is the name of our current revolution?
    15:42—The regulation of AI
    17:46—How machines can help with shortcomings of human cognition
    19:41—How can a strategist Use AI as a compensatory tool?
    20:52—How can AI tame our natural human biases?
    22:17—What are the scenarios we should be worried about with AI?
    25:31—How do you see human machine communication evolving?
    27:28—Are we already digital beings?
    30:14—How many foundational models will there be?
    33:01—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?
    __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Additional Resources:
    Book site: Evolutionary Intelligence How Technology Will Make Us Smarter 
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/profwrussellneuman/


    Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

    Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

    • 34 min
    #111—Tobias Dengel: Voice Technology: Unlocking Efficiency and Evolution

    #111—Tobias Dengel: Voice Technology: Unlocking Efficiency and Evolution

    Tobias Dengel is President of WillowTree, a TELUS International Company. WillowTree designs and builds digital experiences for the world’s largest brands, and they sit at the forefront of this breakthrough. Tobias understands voice technology's profound, wide-ranging implications for every industry, including marketing, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, media, and more. He counsels leaders in all these fields about how their companies must adapt to the coming age of voice.

    He is the recent author, with co-author Karl Weber, of THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE : The Coming Age of Voice Technology,  a dive deep into the sweeping changes we can expect as voice technology gains traction.

    Tobias’ insights will really open up your imagination around the future of human-machine communication, particularly around how voice technology, accelerated by recent developments in AI, have the potential to radically alter the way we live and how companies do business.

    In this podcast, he shares:
    How voice technology offers a significant advantage in communication efficiency, and will drastically improve productivity across our lives and many sectors  Why this efficiency applies more to humans communicating to machines and not the other way around How our interactions with machines will transition from being uni-modal to multi-modal with machines reacting in real-time to our requests in multiple formats. What individuals can expect will change with everyday tasks and jobs, and for business leaders—where to anticipate opportunities for adoption of voice technology in their company. How this next technological revolution will mirror the smartphone one in many ways—and how it’ll differ __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Episode Timeline:
    00:00—Highlight from today's episode
    1:19—Introducing Tobias + the topic of today’s episode
    3:09—If you really know me, you know that...
    4:19—What's your definition of strategy?
    5:21—Why is voice an advantage over other forms of communication?
    9:25—What has changed about voice recognition software over time, and how does that lead us to today with Gen AI?
    13:14—Could you talk to us about the various modes of communication, particularly humans vs. technology?
    15:47—Who do you think will winning or losing across industries as voice tech takes over?
    15:18—What are the first steps someone should take in pursuing new ideas?
    18:04—Where should people start to identify where a business might implement voice technology?
    27:55—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?
    __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Additional Resources:
    Personal site: https://www.tobiasdengel.com/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiasdengel
    Twitter: twitter.com/tobiasdengel
    All content © 2024 Outthinkers.
    Thank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.
    Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

    Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

    • 25 min
    #110—Sukhinder Singh Cassidy: Embracing Risk, Agility, and Resilience for Success

    #110—Sukhinder Singh Cassidy: Embracing Risk, Agility, and Resilience for Success

    Sukhinder Sing Cassidy is the leader of the growth and performance of Xero globally. With more than 25 years’ experience in Silicon Valley as a CEO, digital leader and board member, she has experienced building and scaling global companies including Google, Amazon, Yodlee, Joyus and StubHub. She currently serves on the board of publicly traded fintech, Upstart with previous experience serving on the boards of Ericsson, Trip Advisor, Urban Outfitters, Stitchfix and J.Crew. 
    Working across such a diverse, prominent portfolio of companies has given Sukhinder a unique counter-perspective on how leaders and business owners look at risk and reward. Her book, Choose Possibility: Take Risks and Thrive (Even When You Fail) sheds light and dives deep into what she’s learned in her extensive career as a leader in tech, where risk-taking and volatility is the norm.
     
    In this discussion, we journey through the art of risk-taking and decision-making, with its intricate interplay of creating a portfolio of bets, understanding variability, and fostering an environment that embraces ambiguity and iteration.

    In this episode, she shares:
    The interrelation between possibility and decision-making, and how it’s too-often wrapped up in the “myth of the single choice,” as she calls it How taking a big risk often starts with building and evaluating a portfolio of small possibilities—and how you build this How, as a leader, you shouldn't force people to give you false precision—which often results in failures, plus three more mistakes leaders make that inhibit risk-taking and the exploring of possibilities How the best risk-takers aren’t successful from an absence of fear, but rather, by learning to master what Sukhinder calls “the universal risk equation.” __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Episode Timeline:
    00:00—Highlight from today's episode
    1:14—Introducing Sukhinder + the topic of today’s episode
    3:06—If you really know me, you know that...
    4:10—What's your definition of strategy?
    5:26—Why did you name your book, Choose Possibility?
    6:53—What is the "risk of the single myth"?
    10:18—What advice do you have for someone that realizes they're falling into the trap of narrowing on too few ideas?
    12:00—How do you know if you have too few or too many ideas?
    15:18—What are the first steps someone should take in pursuing new ideas?
    16:48—How should leaders create a risk-taking environment?
    19:36—Could you talk to us about the psychological impact of taking small bets?
    21:59—What is "the universal risk equation"?
    25:09—What can a company do at zero to maintain agility as they grow?
    27:55—How can people follow you and continue learning from you?
    __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Additional Resources:
    choosepossibility.com book
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhinders
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/sukhindersingh
    All content © 2024 Outthinkers.



    Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

    Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

    • 29 min
    #109—Jayshree Seth: Effective Collaboration and Innovation Between Science and Business

    #109—Jayshree Seth: Effective Collaboration and Innovation Between Science and Business

    Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist at 3M who currently holds 80 patents for a variety of innovations, with several additional pending. Jayshree was appointed 3M’s first ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018 and as is using her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to advance science and communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields to drive innovation. She has a MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York and bachelors of tech in chemical engineering form the prestigious NIIT Trichy in India.  
    In this discussion, we dive deep into the topic of some of books, especially her latest, The Heart of Science, with material from her upcoming book, Engineering Blueprint  and a fascinating Fast Company article she co-wrote with our good friend Rita McGrath titles, A guide for managing innovation: 4 big mistakes technologists wish their business leaders would stop making.  She has a lifetime of experiencing building bridges between science and business, something 3M is uniquely good at.  

    _________________________________________________________________________________________
    In this episode, she shares:
    How the scientific and technical community embraces ambiguity and failure--and what business leaders can learn from them Tips on how to foster effective, collaborative communication with your technical employees on the frontline, that are in line with both strategic goals with realistic expectations. How to foster and optimize the opportunity for "uncommon connections” —or or fortuitous collision of ideas—to happen. A sneak peek into the culture of empowerment at 3M that makes them a powerhouse of innovation _________________________________________________________________________________________
    Episode Timeline:
    00:00—Highlight from today's episode
    1:46—Introducing Jayshree + The topic of today’s episode
    4:13—If you really know me, you know that...
    5:30—What's your definition of strategy?
    6:36—Do you believe that the field of management is scientific?
    10:59—Can you lay out the four mistakes leadership make when working with techical people on a high level?
    11:50—The first mistake: Misdefining ambition
    14:53—The second mistake: Limiting collaboration
    19:20—Can you lay out the idea of leveraging vs. learning, and how leadership plays a role in this?
    25:02—The third mistake: Dismissing technical process
    23:58—What are your thoughts around the rise in dynamic pricing?
    27:37—Could you describe some attributes unique to 3M that activate innovation
    32:19—What are some last thoughts you'd like to share with us?
    __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Additional Resources:
    Fas Company Article: A guide for managing innovation: 4 big mistakes technologists wish their business leaders would stop making.
    Books
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayshree-seth-6287b45
    All content © 2024 Outthinkers.
    Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

    Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

    • 34 min
    #108—Jean-Manuel Izaret: Mastering Your Pricing Strategy: Tips and Insights from JMI of BCG

    #108—Jean-Manuel Izaret: Mastering Your Pricing Strategy: Tips and Insights from JMI of BCG

    Jean-Manuel Izaret, or, JMI as he often prefers to go by, is a BCG managing director and senior partner and the global leader of the Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice based in San Francisco. His work as a BCG Fellow focuses on the topic of pricing model transformation. JMI has worked on pricing issues across industries, including consumer goods, retail, high tech, financial services, and industrial goods.
    JMI has a talent for condensing the intricate and vast topic of pricing into clear, simple concepts that any business person can apply. His book, Game Changer: How Strategic Pricing Shapes Businesses, Markets, and Society, released just this October 2023, and co-written with Arnab Sinha, was written with the mission to flip the flawed and clichéd conversations surrounding pricing to an approach that promises winning strategies for greater and fairer value to the buyer and seller and to society at large.
    _________________________________________________________________________________________
    In this episode, he shares:
    His concept of the Strategic Pricing Hexagon—a framework that enables decision makers to formulate a clear pricing strategy and shape their business and markets with authority using seven logical and distinct pricing games The top decisions people often get wrong about pricing—and how to avoid them How to choose what unit to charge by, and how this has the power to changes your entire business model—Illustrated nicely through the simple case of the way in which we buy, lease, or hire cars. Three trends that have changed pricing models—and how you can use these to your advantage And a bonus interesting historical take on tipping—and how this originated and evolved in various parts of the world. _________________________________________________________________________________________
    Episode Timeline:
    00:00—Highlight from today's episode
    00:56—Introducing JMI + The topic of today’s episode
    3:32—If you really know me, you know that...
    5:36—What do people most get wrong when approaching pricing?
    7:43—How Netflix's change in their pricing model evolved over time, radically changing the business model itself
    8:48—How does a business decide on what unit to use to when establishing price?
    12:17—How do you decide what part of the market or customer segment is going to dictate and most influence the decisions you make when shaping your business model and product?
    16:57—What has changed over time about pricing?
    20:12—Could you walk us through your Hexagon pricing model?
    23:58—What are your thoughts around the rise in dynamic pricing?
    26:37—As an interesting side tangent—why do you think Europeans have such a different relationship with tipping than Americans?
    29:24—How can people follow you and connect with you to continue learning from you?
    __________________________________________________________________________________________
    Additional Resources:
    Author Website:https://www.izaret.net/bio
    Book website: https:
    Thank you to our guest. Thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

    Follow us at outthinkernetworks.com/podcast

    • 30 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

JJ CEO Medtech ,

Strategy officers

This is one of the best podcasts on strategy. Kaihan interview style is superb and the content and learnings valuable for anyone interested in strategy.

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