INSEAD Knowledge Podcast

The emergence of large language models (LLMs) is poised to transform many industries, from entertainment and health care to market analysis. Businesses that fail to explore the rich opportunities presented by language technologies may soon find themselves at a significant competitive disadvantage.
We speak to Abhishek Borah , Associate Professor of Marketing at INSEAD, about his new book, Mine Your Language: Influence, Engage, Predict , which offers vital insights on how language can be monetised.
With an engaging mix of anecdotes and research, Abhishek explains how the art of text mining can unlock critical insights from data, a far cry from the expensive and often biased consumer marketing surveys.

Professionals are often told – and mostly convinced – that networking is good for their careers. However, the challenge is plugging the knowing-doing gap. How can people build and manage their networks more effectively? What makes individuals more or less motivated to network?
In this podcast, Ko Kuwabara, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, explains how mindsets can affect peoples' motivation to network. He discusses networking through the lens of a growth vs. fixed mindset – a concept popularised by psychologist Carol S. Dweck.
He also discusses how as the modern workplace becomes increasingly diverse, a growth mindset can help members of an organisation better embrace diversity.

Leaders play an important role in spearheading organisational change. However, INSEAD professor Narayan Pant notes that many leaders tend to rely on the same ways of doing things that have worked for them in the past, even though it may be the wrong approach for a particular situation.
In this podcast, Pant delves into why it can be difficult for leaders to identify and change their behaviours. He explains the four-step process to help leaders overcome this, which includes cultivating awareness, making a commitment to change, overcoming interferences and putting new behaviours into practice.

The increasing volatility and asynchrony in today's business environment is urging leaders to move beyond traditional, internally focused team models.
In this podcast, INSEAD professor Henrik Bresman discusses the second edition of his book, X-Teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, and Succeed , co-authored with Deborah Ancona from MIT Sloan. The book emphasises the need for teams to engage externally to gain diverse perspectives, while maintaining internal cohesion. The second edition aims to reignite excitement for running better teams by celebrating successful implementations of X-Team principles.

Digital technologies create digital relationships that limit comapnies ability to innovate and change.
It’s long been understood that social networks, the likes of LinkedIn and Facebook, but also tools such as Whatsapp and Slack, enable individuals to collaborate and accomplish important tasks . As a result, firms typically rely on collaboration through networks to help them innovate and change .
Yet, in this podcast, INSEAD professor Jason Davis argues that networking to boost one’s social capital can actually hurt firms if the resulting “digital relationships” only help individuals pursue private objectives. The conversation expands on the themes covered in his recent book Digital Relationships: Network Agency Theory and Big Tech , itself based on over a decade of research in big tech companies such as Google, Amazon and Tesla, in America, Asia and Europe.

Why and how to reinvent multinational management skills. In this podcast conversation, Yves Doz, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management at INSEAD, draws on over 30 years of research to argue that global companies now have two choices: They can simply retreat from operating globally, or they can try and rebuild their multinational management capabilities.

Are start-up ecosystems born or can they be made? Both, says Chiara Spina, INSEAD Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, who has extensive experience working with and studying start-ups in Italy, the United Kingdom, India and Pakistan.
In the latest INSEAD Knowledge podcast, Spina explains that flourishing ecosystems such as Silicon Valley and Israel are often nurtured by unique local conditions and historical backgrounds. Future start-up hubs could well spring up in emerging economies such as the Czech Republic, Jordan and Pakistan. Spina evaluates their relative advantages and weaknesses, drawing from her experiences working on the ground with entrepreneurs and policymakers in these countries.
She also recommends specific strategies for governments to find innovative ways to succeed in the start-up race, playing to the unique strengths and challenges of their region rather than replicating models from elsewhere.

Artificial intelligence has already demonstrated its ability to amplify performance and reshape competitive dynamics. A prime example lies in the pivotal role played by chess computers as artificial training partners, boosting players' capabilities.
Introduced in the late 1970s, chess computers gained popularity in Western countries but were not available in the former Soviet Union due to microchip shortages. Building on this staggered diffusion, INSEAD’s Henning Piezunka and Fabian Gaessler from Pompeu Fabra University examined how AI influenced chess player performance under conditions where computers were exclusively accessible in the West vs. being available in both regions.
Their research findings are compelling. Access to chess computers significantly boosted human performance, with players becoming substantially better. Furthermore, AI training helped level the playing field, especially benefitting disadvantaged players and those without access to human training partners. In this podcast, Piezunka emphasises the critical factors that determine the effectiveness of AI training.

Supply chain disruptions have become commonplace in recent years due to the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war and various forms of geopolitical tension. In an increasingly volatile business environment, organisations that are used to operating in structured environments can look to the humanitarian sector for insights on navigating this new reality.
In this podcast, INSEAD Knowledge speaks to Luk Van Wassenhove, Emeritus Professor of Technology and Operations Management and academic director of the INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group (HRG). He is not only well-known in the field of operations management, but also recognised as one of the pioneers in humanitarian operations.
In the past, humanitarian organisations have benefited from adapting best practices from the commercial sector , but businesses can also gain insights from how humanitarian organisations operate in extreme conditions. How do they overcome uncertainty, time pressure, challenging physical conditions and the lack of resources and information?
Van Wassenhove’s serendipitous engagement with the humanitarian world – including the Red Cross in Geneva and the UN World Food Programme for the UN Joint Logistics Centre – 25 years ago made him realise that operations management professionals have much to learn from humanitarian organisations. In fact, learning can be a two-way process. This is where the INSEAD HRG has a role in bridging knowledge between the two seemingly unrelated sectors.
Companies need to look beyond their current and immediate boundaries and be open to learning from others. They should also learn to work with diverse stakeholders , be agile in dealing with unexpected situations, decentralise and localise where possible and empower employees to increase responsiveness. Moreover, principles of humanitarian work are increasingly relevant in a world with a growing divide. If companies follow the example of humanitarian organisations by embracing the principle to “do no harm” and take responsibility for the impact of their business, society and the environment will benefit greatly from this change.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, many companies have harnessed the language model and similar generative AI tools for a variety of business functions, including writing marketing copy, coding and plugging gaps in medical imaging data.
But before leaders jump on the generative AI bandwagon, they should consider how it fits into their existing technological infrastructure and wider digital transformation strategy. The technology also poses a myriad of risks, both internally and externally, that companies must mitigate.
In this podcast, INSEAD Affiliate Professor of Strategy Chengyi Lin explains all the buzz around generative AI, outlines the implications of the technology across various sectors and offers key strategies to help CEOs, managers and entrepreneurs implement it more successfully across their organisations.