39. Shaping the Work: Design and Development Through the Lens of Jobs Theory

09/24/19 • 21 min

This week on The Disruptive Voice, Shaye Roseman, a former Research Associate at The Forum for Growth & Innovation and a current MBA candidate at Harvard Business School, is joined in the studio by Bob Moesta and Ryan Singer. Bob is a regular on the podcast and is a principal co-architect of the theory of "Jobs To Be Done". Ryan has worked at Basecamp for over 15 years and has been involved with projects spanning UI design, strategy, and product development. He is currently Head of Strategy at the company. Together, Bob, Ryan and Shaye discuss the ways Jobs Theory can be employed as a tool for consumer research, on the one hand, and product development, on the other. In particular, they focus on the trials and travails of software development.

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38. Why Do People Hire (and Fire) Employers?

The best independent projects that BSSE students take on after completing the course have (at least) one thing in common: They are important—relevant to our students’ interests, as well as to the wider world. On this podcast, Maria Creixell (MBA 2019) and Ari Medoff (MBA/MPP 2011) share the findings from Maria’s research into why home health caregivers hire—and fire—employers, and what employers can do about it. To conduct this research, Maria learned how to conduct Jobs interviews at the feet of the master, Bob Moesta, and she selected Ari’s company, Arosa, as her research site because of a connection she and Ari struck up through the HBS alumni network. In a business that is entirely dependent on human capital, lowering search costs and improving employee retention are critical differentiators. For all of you seeking to improve your performance in hiring and retaining employees, listen and learn!

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40. Should Your Customers Trust Your Business?

This week on The Disruptive Voice, Derek van Bever is joined in the studio by venture capitalists Nate Redmond and Britt Danneman, of Alpha Edison, to discuss trust as a business model, as an asset, and as the foundation for new market innovation. Earlier this year, Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard Business School, wrote in the Financial Times that HBS and other business schools need to play a vital role in "molding leaders who deserve the world's trust." At The Forum for Growth & Innovation, we're responding to Dean Nohria's gauntlet by studying business models built on risk-shifting and by starting discussions about the role of trust and ethical leadership in business. We hope you'll enjoy this timely and thought-provoking conversation!