Category: Reading

Latest Read: Fusion Strategy

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date May 11, 2024

Fusion Strategy: How Real-Time Data and AI Will Power the Industrial Future by Vijay Govindarajan and Venkat Venkatraman.

Vijay holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is Professor of International Business at Dartmouth College. Venkat holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management and a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and is Professor of Information Systems at Boston College.

Mix AI innovation and digital strategy and you can certainly understand how real-time data can transform companies and their products. Furthermore, this book is addressing industrial and manufacturing firms., data-rich information was limited to a select few like Boeing.

So parsing terabytes of interconnected datasets, industries can drive new value by creating strategic connections not possible even 10 years ago. However Facebook, Amazon, and Google proved repeatedly that the collection of real-time data can drive innovation in a fast changing world. Especially for design and manufacturing firms, the deployment of inexpensive sensors, enhanced wireless technologies and real cheap computing wrapped around artificial intelligence will make industries shift overnight.

Tags datagraphs, Fusion Strategy, Harvard Business Review, Industrial, manufacturing, Venkat Venkatraman, Vijay Govindarajan

Artificial Intelligence Education Reading

Latest Read: Generative AI in Practice

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date May 3, 2024

Generative AI in Practice: 100+ Amazing Ways Generative Artificial Intelligence is Changing Business and Society by Bernard Marr.

He holds degrees in business, engineering and information technology from the University of Cambridge and Cranfield School of Management. He has written several books and two that I have read include his 2015 release Big Data Using smart big data and his recent book Artificial Intelligence in Practice. That said, this book falls short. I feel this was a rushed effort to get into the Generative AI hype cycle.

So here, Bernard is focusing on Generative AI as the biggest advancement in technology in the history of the world and how ChatGPT is driving this new somewhat magic service. Actually the metrics seem to confirm: 10 million users within 30 days of launch and then a stunning 100 million within the next 60 days. Simply put, the fastest adoption of technology in the history of computing. But don’t forget the cost Bernard.

In the rush for all things Generative AI, this new subset of Machine Learning is driving the AI hype cycle even higher than many would conclude possible. Generative AI can of course create visual graphics, computer code, and music. Seems to be the ‘generative’ in Generative AI.

Tags AI hype cycle, Artificial Intelligence, bernard marr, Generative AI, Generative AI in Practice

Artificial Intelligence Education Reading

Latest Read: AI and Machine Learning for On-Device Development

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date April 24, 2024

AI and Machine Learning for On-Device Development: A Programmer’s Guide by Laurence Moroney.

Laurence holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Computer Science from Cardiff University, PgD, Microelectronics Systems Design from Birmingham City University and Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University.

Today he is Chief AI Scientist at VisionWorks Studios. He previously was an AI Advocate at Google for 10 years and served as a Senior Developer Evangelist at Microsoft. He wrote this book in 2021 and previously published AI and Machine Learning for Coders in 2020.

While OpenAI’s ChatGPT kick started the LLM surge, AI will simply be a component installed upon our mobile devices. The OpenAI/Microsoft partnership is certainly enterprise focused, Google Gemini and Apple will drive their Android and iOS devices to simply adopt AI as part of their mobile ecosystem. Phones will simply remain the go to device.

So, there was a lot of buzz regarding new AI devices including Humane’s AI Pin or the Rabbit R1. Their rush to market to capitalize on the AI hype cycle leads to critical mistakes.

Tags Artificial Intelligence, Laurence Moroney, machine learning, On-Device Development, TensorFlow

Education Reading

Latest Read: HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date April 17, 2024

HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict by Amy Gallo.

Amy holds a master’s in public policy from Brown University. She is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and was a management consultant at Katzenbach Partners.

There are multiple lessons in this book that benefits everyone regardless of your life’s path. From understanding common sources of conflict, options to address disagreement, recognizing when others seek or avoid conflict, known when to walk away, to learning how to repair relationships.

Such a valuable resource to recognize and understand the three sections outlined: preparing for conflict before it begins, managing a conflict, and resolving conflict. this book will simply resonate with everyone today. It is well worth your time in my opinion.

Perhaps even some will see the benefits of conflict. Yes, Amy addresses how conflict drives more creativity, sparking new ideas and strengthening bonds. This can be viewed as the source of true innovation which drive better work outcomes. Furthermore Amy suggests job satisfaction is an outcome from addressing conflict. But please recall conflict types: relationship, task, process, and status.

Tags conflict, Harvard Business Review, management

Education Reading

Latest Read: HBR’s 10 Must Reads for New Managers

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date April 10, 2024

HBR’s 10 Must Reads for New Managers by Harvard Business Review.

A good series of articles from HBR for managers. Lessons are timeless and this series is also a much needed refresher for season managers. Daniel Goleman’s article His What Makes a Leader? examines what distinguishes good from great leaders. The key skill is emotional intelligence, not tech skills, longevity, or even IQ.

Having read Daniel’s book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ 25th Anniversary edition in 2022, I would recommend this book which expands upon his KPIs. He is identifying a group of five key skills that empower great leaders. This can be documented by yearly earnings goals. By focusing on the five skills, leaders can sharpen those which need to bring their levels of effectiveness higher. Perhaps his key message is if emotion intelligence be learned? This is a wonderful article that has stood the test of time.

Every manager must also understand how to influence your direct reports. The article “Harnessing the Science of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini is very well written and clearly a necessary read for managers. So, at the end of the day, leadership is about getting things done. And frankly, persuasion is a key tool for any manager. Robert conveys clear principals that will empower managers. However, Robert suggests consistency is the key skill in persuasion.

Tags Harvard Business Review, management, risk management