Full Program Schedule
We are thrilled to share this year’s program.
Designed to help us build better work for everyone.
*Please note that all conference sessions will take place in Jon M. Huntsman Hall, The Dhirubhai Ambani Auditorium (G06). Schedule below is subject to change as we lead up to conference day.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Registration
Walnut Street Entrance of Huntsman Hall (Ground Floor)
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Matthew Bidwell
Xingmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor; Professor of Management, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Faculty Director, Wharton People Analytics
Seeing Our Frontline Workers: A Discussion with Walmart’s VP Total Rewards & People Analytics
Marty Autrey
Vice President, Total Rewards & People Analytics, Walmart
Moderator: Peter Cappelli
George W. Taylor Professor, Professor of Management, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Director, Wharton Center for Human Resources
Case Competition: Where Do People Work Best?
Winning Team: MetroMinds (Pallavi Janiani, Aasim Yacub, Ananya Shah, Anway Agte)
In a competitive labor market, working arrangements have become one of the most important dimensions that employees look at in choosing where to work and whether to stay. In partnership with PLASTARC, this year’s Case Competition aimed to uncover patterns in employee preferences, enabling organizations to understand which employees prefer to work where and when, and how those preferences ultimately relate to employee well-being and productivity.
Post secondary students from around the globe were invited to address this challenge using survey data provided by PLASTARC, the data-driven employee experience design firm.
AI Can’t Fly Solo: The Imperative of AI/Human Teaming
While the risks of AI are being debated worldwide, organizations are continuing their long -running practice of leveraging AI to automate everything from navigation and decision-making to autonomous vehicles. In the rush to go to market and constrain expenses, this often creates safety risks that are avoidable, largely due to the lack of human oversight and intervention. In this talk, Missy Cummings will help us all think differently about AI/Human Teaming, and the crucial role it plays in ensuring reliable, safe and successful integration of AI into the fabric of our world.
Missy Cummings
Director, Mason Autonomy & Robotics Center (MARC), George Mason University
Cocktail Reception
We hope you will join us on the 8th Floor of Jon M. Huntsman Hall, via the elevators just outside of the lecture hall. There will be signage and greeters to help you find your way.
Friday, March 15, 2024
Registration + Breakfast
Registration: Walnut St Entrance of Huntsman Hall (Ground Floor)
Breakfast: The Forum (Forum Floor)
Breakfast generously sponsored by the Allison & Bennett Rosenthal Charitable Foundation
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Eric Bradlow
The K.P. Chao Professor, Professor of Marketing, Vice Dean of Analytics at Wharton; Chairperson, Wharton Marketing Department, Professor of Economics; Professor of Education; Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
White Paper Competition
2024 White Paper Winner: The Uneven Impact of Generative AI on Entrepreneurial Performance
Our annual White Paper Competition seeks novel, actionable, and data-driven insights that can inform professional practice in a wide range of organizations. This year’s winning paper focuses on the degree to which scalable and low-cost AI assistance can improve firm decision-making and performance, and how the tasks selected for AI assistance fundamentally shape who will benefit from generative AI.
Nicholas G. Otis
PhD Candidate, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
Unlocking Potential: Embracing Neurodiversity in the Workplace
As organizations seek to create more inclusive and supportive work environments for neurodivergent employees, moving past awareness of neurodiversity to welcoming it within the organization is critical to maximizing the potential of this often marginalized pool of talent. In this fireside chat, Nat Lyckowski joins journalist Eric Garcia to explore how organizations can learn to treat neurodiversity as a dimension of identity, rather than a medical condition, and create a culture where neurodivergent employees are positioned for maximum personal and organizational success.
Natalia “Nat” Lyckowski
Global Neurodiversity Advancement Leader, IBM
Eric Garcia
Journalist and Author of We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation
Keynote: Cultures of Growth
Why are some teams and organizations more collaborative, innovative and resilient than others? How do they excel at bringing out the best in people, and how can we all learn to do the same? We will explore these questions and more in this conversation between the preeminent authority on growth mindset, Mary Murphy, and Penn Professor and NYTimes #1 Bestselling author of Grit, Angela Duckworth.
Mary Murphy
Herman B Wells Endowed Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University, Founder and CEO of Equity Accelerator, Author of Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations
Angela Duckworth
Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor, University of Pennsylvania; MacArthur Fellow; NY Times Bestselling Author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Break: Enjoy a snack and connect with fellow attendees.
Location: The Forum on the Lower Level
Smarter Work for a Better World?
Studies suggest that the Four Day Week may reduce burnout and depression, while also offering significant opportunities to reduce our collective carbon footprint. It also feels counterproductive to many and raises important questions about the impact of our schedules on the quality and quantity of the work that gets done in a given time frame. In this session, Professors Juliet Schor and Iwan Barankay discuss what we know about the four-day work week and share their different perspectives on what this alternate structure might mean for organizations and their employees.
Juliet Schor
American Economist and Sociology Professor at Boston College; Bestselling Author of True Wealth and The Overworked American
Iwan Barankay
Associate Professor of Management; Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Leveraging the Intergenerational Workforce
Organizations now employ more generations of workers at one time than they have ever before. This brings new opportunities for innovation, along with the challenge of meeting their varied needs, and mitigating the conflicts that come with generational differences. Join Goldman Sachs’ Global Head of Human Capital Management, Jacqueline Arthur and Professor Matthew Bidwell as they discuss Goldman Sachs approach to leading an intergenerational workforce in our post-pandemic world.
Jacqueline Arthur
Global Head of Human Capital Management, Goldman Sachs
Matthew Bidwell
Xingmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor; Professor of Management, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Faculty Director, Wharton People Analytics
Keynote: The Hidden Potential of Frontline Workers
Danny Meyer, founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack, is known for his focus on creating culture from the inside out – starting with his emphasis on core values and his unique approach to the development of their workforce. In this closing keynote discussion, Danny and Adam explore the relationship between the advancement of frontline workers, the concept of hospitality, and long-term organizational success.
Danny Meyer
Founder and Executive Chairman, Union Square Hospitality Group; Founder, Shake Shack; Founder, Hospitality Quotient; NY Times Bestselling Author of Setting the Table: Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
Adam Grant
Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management, Professor of Psychology, NY Times #1 Bestselling Author of Hidden Potential and Think Again
Lunch
Depending on your registration type, you will be served on the 8th Floor or the Forum Floor of Huntsman Hall. There will be signage and greeters to help you find your way.
Curated Connections Lunch
This ticket includes our unique networking lunch, where attendees participate in curated discussions over lunch, examining topics of shared interest with one another. This is in addition to the full array of sessions, our Thursday evening cocktail reception, along with breakfast and snacks throughout the day on Friday.
Independent Networking
This ticket offers less structured networking for those who prefer to connect in a more organic manner. Please note that a less formal lunch will be provided for these ticket holders, in addition to the full array of sessions, our Thursday evening cocktail reception, along with breakfast and snacks throughout the day on Friday.
Measuring Culture & Experience to Advance Business Health
Slalom’s relentless focus on its people and teams led to a revolution in how business health and leader performance has been evaluated overtime. Organizations are always looking for the best ways to bubble up measurement of the employee experience and to incorporate it into performance indicators. Slalom’s Executive Insights Team offers a perspective using data to inform robust recommendations and a unified vision of the business to executives through strong data partnerships.
CJ Gonzalez
Principal, Executive Insights, Slalom
Tell Us How: Moh Foundation Applied Insights Team Report on Building an Impactful People Analytics Practice
Leaders across industries have repeatedly asked us “how can we build a people analytics practice at our organization?” To find out, we assembled a competitively-selected student team to conduct a multi-year research project with us, where we interviewed and surveyed people analytics leaders from a diverse array of organizations. Our aim was to uncover the factors that promote — or impede — the success of people analytics teams. In this session, we’ll reveal our preliminary findings, including the trends we’ve uncovered, and the pitfalls to avoid in order to build and sustain an impactful people analytics team.
The Future of Work: Is it Here Yet?
In this talk, Professor Lindsey Cameron offers a nuanced, evidence-based perspective on how algorithmic management influences organizational dynamics, employee experiences, and work structures, providing valuable considerations for the evolving role of AI in the employment landscape, and its impact on front line and gig workers.
Lindsey Cameron
Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Keynote: Leading Engagement
The National Hockey League knew that it needed a new kind of leader to create the deep shift in thinking necessary to make the sport fundamentally more inclusive. So, it brought in Kim Davis, who while an outsider to hockey had significant expertise in shepherding social change within and outside of an organization. Join us for this conversation between Kim and Cade where they discuss her unique approach to influencing change, and the art and science of using data to inform strategic decision making.
Kimberly Davis
Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs, National Hockey League
Cade Massey
Practice Professor, Operations, Information and Decisions, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Faculty Director, People Lab, Faculty Co-Director, Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative
Closing Remarks
Matthew Bidwell
Xingmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor; Professor of Management, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Faculty Director, Wharton People Analytics