Shows
Harvard Data Science Review PodcastAI Won’t Take Your Job (But It Might Change It)Will AI replace us, reshape our work, or create opportunities we’ve never imagined? For this month’s episode experts Ben Waber and Raffaella Sadun join the podcast to help us cut through the hype and discuss AI’s real impact on jobs, skills, and organizations. Drawing from research and industry experience, they tackle the myths of total automation, the need for firm-specific experimentation, and the evolving skills and management strategies required in the age of AI.
Join us as we take a pragmatic look at the challenges and opportunities as AI transforms how we work.
Our g...
2025-09-2643 min
Unusual AttitudesImproving People Management Through DataEpisode Notes
Dr. Ben Waber is the author of a New York Times bestseller on using analytics to gauge how effectively (or not) people work and collaborate. The data offers insights into building a more productive and profitable organization.
Big companies often make big people decisions while flying blind. Tune into this episode of “Unusual Attitudes” to hear how little tweaks such as changing the way call center employees spend their breaks can boost performance while significantly reducing stress.
2025-03-1034 min
The InformationWeek PodcastWho Should Lead the AI Conversation in the C-Suite?Before an enterprise can set any strategy in motion for AI, leadership at the top must decide what the plan of action will be. The question is, who should guide the conversation?
The CEO, the overall executive leader? A more tech-oriented executive such as the CTO or CIO? How much say should other, operations-driven divisions have?
This episode brought together Adam Caplan, president of digital business and AI for Altimetrik; Bradon Rogers, chief customer officer for Island; Max Chan, CIO for Avnet; Ben Waber, PhD, visiting scientist at MIT; and Cliff Jurkiewicz, vice president of global strategy for...
2025-01-0734 min
Between WorldsBen Waber on why LLMs are not a silver bullet for boosting organizational innovationBen Waber is one of the world’s leading experts on people analytics and organizational culture. He is the founder of Humanyze and a professor at MIT. We caught up in Tokyo to discuss the future of work and the impact of large language models (LLMs) on productivity.
2024-04-2839 min
The Counter NarrativePromotion Paradox: When Equal Performance Yields Unequal Opportunities for WomenIn this groundbreaking episode, we delve into a revealing conversation with Ben Waber, CEO of Humanyze, who, alongside academic colleagues, conducted extensive research featured in the Harvard Business Review. Their study scrutinizes the work habits of thousands of American executives, exposing a disconcerting truth. Despite equal time investments, performance parity, and networking efforts, women still face a promotion gap in the corporate arena. Join us as we unravel the layers of unconscious bias impacting women's professional advancement and explore ways to dismantle these systemic barriers.OUTLINE00:00 - Introduction00:59 - Can you shed light on t...
2023-12-1942 min
Workplace GeeksBonus - Geek to Geek | series 2 review with James Pinder📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️In this extra special bonus episode, Chris and Ian are joined by the original podcast ponderer, the inimitable and elusive Dr James Pinder, to look back on their most memorable topics and discussions from Workplace Geeks season two.All Workplace Geeks guests are equal - it goes without saying - but special props in this episode to Dr Dan Wakelin from HCG, Dr Ben Waber from Humanyze, Dr Kerstin Sailer from UCL, Gabriella Braun, Josh Ar...
2023-11-1434 min
unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc301. What Neuroscience Has to Do With Company Culture feat. Paul J. ZakWhat if brain chemicals like oxytocin and cortisol could predict how people will behave in social situations and the workplace? Does more testosterone lead to aggressive leadership? Paul J. Zak is the head of the Center for Neuroeconomic Studies at Claremont Graduate University. His books, including Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies and The Moral Molecule: How Trust Works, examine the connection between brain functions and building trust and cooperation in social groups. Paul and Greg discuss why, 99% of the time, humans default to cooperation, how leadership roles can lead to more circulating te...
2023-07-051h 01
Workplace GeeksFinding hidden performance levers | with Ben Waber📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️Chris and Ian are joined by Dr Ben Waber, co-founder and president of behavioural analytics firm Humanyze, and visiting scientist at (and alumni of) MIT Media Lab. The discussion explores how Humanyze combine wearable sensor analytics and organisational systems data to unlock performance improvements, and focuses on a specific research paper Ben co-authored in 2010 with Daniel Olguin, Taemie Kim, and Professor Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, called ‘Productivty through coffee breaks: changing social networks by changing break structu...
2023-06-231h 05
Up Next @ WorkManagement Practices, Corporate Outcomes with Ben Waber of HumanyzeBlindly copying what successful companies did in the past simply doesn’t work anymore. In this episode of #TheWork podcast, our guest Ben Waber, President and co-founder of Humanyze and one of the world’s leading experts in people analytics, discusses why there is no status quo other than change as the new constant. We discuss how it has exposed the shabbiness of management practices and, of course, we also delve into #ChatGPT, preconceived notions of what data does or does not tell us, and why the truth matters. Having presented at high profile organizations including the U.N. and Worl...
2023-04-1636 min
Up Next @ WorkManagement Practices, Corporate Outcomes with Ben Waber of HumanyzeBlindly copying what successful companies did in the past simply doesn’t work anymore. In this episode of #TheWork podcast, our guest Ben Waber, President and co-founder of Humanyze and one of the world’s leading experts in people analytics, discusses why there is no status quo other than change as the new constant. We discuss how it has exposed the shabbiness of management practices and, of course, we also delve into #ChatGPT, preconceived notions of what data does or does not tell us, and why the truth matters. Having presented at high profile organizations including the U.N. and Worl...
2023-04-1636 min
heyfoundedHumanyze: Making Data-Driven Decisions For Your Startup with Ben WaberJoin us for a conversation about using data to drive decisions at your startup with the Co-founder & CEO of Humanyze - Ben WaberTime stamps:3:10' - Choosing the right metrics 6:40' - Embracing that outcomes are random 13:10' - Controlling what you can25:00' - Recognizing risk in startups35:00' - The future of people analytics
2023-04-0442 min
HR Data LabsBen Waber - What People Analytics Can Tell Us About Your BusinessSend us a textSummary:Ben Weber is the President and Co-founder of Humanyze. Ben is particularly passionate about the power of behavioral data and analytics and its ability to improve organizations and how people work in general. He has been featured in Wired, CNN, and The New York Times, among other outlets, and his work was selected for Harvard Business Review's List of Breakthrough Ideas and Technology Review's Top 10 Emerging Technologies. In this episode, Ben talks about collaboration data, AI, and expertise. Chapters:[0:00 -5:32] Introduction•Welcome, Ben!•...
2022-10-1343 minHR Data LabsBen Waber - What People Analytics Can Tell Us About Your BusinessSend us a textSummary:Ben Weber is the President and Co-founder of Humanyze. Ben is particularly passionate about the power of behavioral data and analytics and its ability to improve organizations and how people work in general. He has been featured in Wired, CNN, and The New York Times, among other outlets, and his work was selected for Harvard Business Review's List of Breakthrough Ideas and Technology Review's Top 10 Emerging Technologies. In this episode, Ben talks about collaboration data, AI, and expertise. Chapters:[0:00 -5:32] Introduction•Welcome, Ben!•...
2022-10-1343 min
Up Next @ WorkData Driven Probability with Ben Waber, President of HumanyzeIn one of our favorite episodes ever, Ben Waber gives us new ways of thinking by dispelling people decision assumptions and myths. He explores probability and the role of chance, acknowledging how uncertain we are about being certain. If you're responsible for making business decisions - for yourself, your team, your customers and your organization - you'll want to listen to this MIT course in how to use data, creatively.
2022-09-2438 min
Up Next @ WorkData Driven Probability with Ben Waber, President of HumanyzeIn one of our favorite episodes ever, Ben Waber gives us new ways of thinking by dispelling people decision assumptions and myths. He explores probability and the role of chance, acknowledging how uncertain we are about being certain. If you're responsible for making business decisions - for yourself, your team, your customers and your organization - you'll want to listen to this MIT course in how to use data, creatively.
2022-09-2438 min
Decisions NowBen Waber on Using AI-Driven Behavior Analytics to Strengthen Talent ManagementDescriptionPeople analytics and behavioral analytics are data-driven ways of analyzing people and their behavior to improve systems and accomplish long-term corporate goals. Including this approach in your business asset will help you better understand your company and handle specific workplace social concerns. People now recognize the value of mental and emotional health in the workplace, and adopting this method can help you get insights and build better workplace rules that will help your employees grow, develop skills and talents, and achieve success in their sectors.In this episode, Erin and Rigvi are joined by Ben Waber...
2022-05-1839 min
Rebel HR Podcast: Life and Work on Your TermsEpisode 97: The Future of Work with Ben Waber, Ph.D.Send us a textBen Waber, Ph.D., is the President and co-founder of Humanyze. He is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, previously worked as a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, and received his Ph.D. from MIT for his work with Alex “Sandy” Pentland’s Human Dynamics group. Waber’s work has been featured in major media outlets such as Wired, The Economist, and NPR. He has consulted for industry leaders such as LG, McKinsey & Company, and Gartner on technology trends, social networks, and organizational design. His book, People Analytics, was published by the F...
2022-05-0448 min
unSILOed with Greg LaBlancPeople Analytics and Humanizing Networks: How Teams Can Work Better feat. Ben WaberMeasuring informal interactions can improve the chances of a major project's success. Ben Waber, CEO and co-founder of Humanyze, stresses the importance of these hidden social levers and networks within your teams to facilitate better communication. He points out that organizations can improve workplace performance with the right employee analytics tools. In this episode, he shares stories from his book, People Analytics. Learn how managers and human resources teams can use network metrics to look at the big picture, identify communication gaps, and improve teamwork. Episode Quotes:What is a big, fundamental change hap...
2021-09-291h 02
CoreNet Global's What's Next PodcastUnderstanding The Post - Pandemic WorkplaceBen Waber, Co-Founder and President of Humanyze, discusses the impact of the pandemic on employees, sentiment around returning to the office, and adapting to the new hybrid work model.
2021-06-2816 minCoreNet Global's What's Next PodcastInterview with Ben Waber, HumanyzeQ&A with Ben Waber, President and Co-Founder of Humanyze. Listen more to understand how data analytics, AI and other technology allows users to get a better handle on the workplace.
2021-02-0118 min
HR Examiner Podcasts with John SumserHRExaminer Executive Conversations w/ Ben Waber, PhD, Humanyze | Sep 11,2020-8AMBen Waber, PhD, is the president and co-founder of Humanyze, a workplace analytics company. The Humanyze AI platform and one of a kind Humanyze Organizational Health Score provide the world’s most comprehensive objective measurement of the workday and the group collaboration behaviors that lead to an effective and healthy organization. Our SaaS-based analytics, benchmarks, and indicators are used by enterprises to inform and accelerate their Operational, HR, Workplace, and Digital Transformation initiatives. He is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, previously worked as a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, and received his Ph.D. in organizational sc...
2020-09-1128 min
HR Examiner Podcasts with John SumserHRExaminer Executive Conversations w/ Ben Waber, PhD, Humanyze | Sep 11,2020-8AMBen Waber, PhD, is the president and co-founder of Humanyze, a workplace analytics company. The Humanyze AI platform and one of a kind Humanyze Organizational Health Score provide the world’s most comprehensive objective measurement of the workday and the group collaboration behaviors that lead to an effective and healthy organization. Our SaaS-based analytics, benchmarks, and indicators are used by enterprises to inform and accelerate their Operational, HR, Workplace, and Digital Transformation initiatives. He is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, previously worked as a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, and received his Ph.D. in organizational sc...
2020-09-1128 min
Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace cultureThe big return 3: a closer look at dataSubscribe to the newsletterToday's interviewees: Bhushan Sethi leads PwC's workplace strategy business and Ben Waber is the CEO of workplace analytics firm, Humanyze.Read the Humanyze research about the way work has changed since lockdown. Here's the previous episode I recorded with Ben Waber.Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check out the best ever episodes at the website.Eat Sleep Work Repeat is made and hosted by Bruce Daisley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2020-09-0725 min
Nine To Thrive HRPeople Analytics for Leadership DevelopmentBen Waber, Ph.D. President and Co-Founder of Humanyze defines organizational health and describes why it is so important for leadership development. He also shares some of the analytics and methods he uses to understand how work “gets done” and why those insights are critical for team development and leadership. Finally, Dr. Waber shares the key takeaways you will learn from his keynote presentation at HCI's Learning and Leadership Development Conference, from September 21-22, 2020.
Register for the conference today: https://www.hci.org/2020LLD
2020-06-2216 min
HR TeaWearable Technology And People AnalyticsHow can wearable technology improve employee engagement? In this episode of HR Tea, hear Ben Waber, CEO of Humanyze, discuss the wearable technology his company has created and the people analytics insights they provide that are improving work environments, driving productivity, and increasing engagement.
2020-06-1727 min
How To! with Mike PescaHow To Actually Enjoy Working from HomeJoanna really misses her office. Taking Zoom calls from the kitchen in her dimly lit Brooklyn apartment doesn't compare to her bright, open office filled with friendly coworkers. In this episode of How To!, Ben Waber, an organizational scientist, co-founder of Humanyze, and author of People Analytics, tells us how to use our home office to our advantage. It's easy to spend all day chained to your computer, but Ben says we need to find ways to take breaks and foster human interaction. After all, chats around the water cooler—or virtual coffee dates—actually boost productivity. And if you...
2020-04-2831 min
Het Laatste AvondmaalRendang met Ionica Smeets en chef Titi Waber (Blauw)Aflevering 1 van seizoen begint heerlijk, met rendang. Mijn allereerste gast is Ionica Smeets, hoogleraar wetenschapscommunicatie, wiskundige en allround leuk, slim en grappig type.Ionica wil rendang leren maken, een gerecht waar ze dol op is maar dat ze altijd maakt met een kant-en-klare boemboe daarom koppelde ik haar aan de Indonesische chef Titi Waber van restaurant Blauw in Amsterdam. Ik ben benieuwd naar de kookstijl van een wiskundige: kookt ze heel precies van recepten, of juist op gevoel? Kun je een gerecht wetenschappelijk benaderen?Ondertussen leert Titi ons de complexe, gelaagde boemboe from s...
2019-12-2043 min
HBR IdeaCastWhy Open Offices Aren't Working — and How to Fix ThemEthan Bernstein, associate professor at Harvard Business School, studied how coworkers interacted before and after their company moved to an open office plan. The research shows why open workspaces often fail to foster the collaboration they’re designed for. Workers get good at shutting others out and their interactions can even decline. Bernstein explains how companies can conduct experiments to learn how to achieve the productive interactions they want. With Ben Waber of Humanyze, Bernstein wrote the HBR article "The Truth About Open Offices."
2019-10-2924 min
12 Geniuses PodcastBen Waber | MIT, AI, & the Power of People AnalyticsAn innovative leader in the field of people analytics, Ben Waber discusses the creative ways companies can unleash the full potential of their employees. Through data, companies can devise new management techniques, adjust the physical environment, and even re-design the employee experience to improve performance at all levels. Companies already have mountains of data available to them through ID badge scans, emails, meeting assignments and much more. Driven by a passion to help companies interpret this data, Ben Waber has created a company that uses AI to simplify the numbers and help leaders make better decisions.In...
2019-10-1440 min
12 Geniuses PodcastSeason One ReviewKeynote speaker and writer Ryan Estis interviews 12 Geniuses CEO Don MacPherson for a recap of the podcast’s first season. They discuss why Don chose the theme of “Change” for Season One, what was learned during the 13 episodes, and who makes up the podcast audience.Ryan and Don cover how the podcast got started, the differences in interviewing someone you know versus someone you have never met, the importance of doing interviews in person, and some of Don’s favorite episodes. They also discuss what surprised Don while creating Season One.Finally, Ryan and Don dive int...
2019-07-2524 min
Take The LeadChainscript: Reinventing Education with Phil Komarny and Wearable Technology with Dr. Ben WaberThe idea of universal learning aims to transform the future of education in order for each student to be totally ready for their role in the industry. But how ready are we to reinvent education? Phil Komarny, Vice President of Innovation at Salesforce.com, has been known to lead innovation and transformational applications of technology at each level. He talks about future of education through Chainscript.
More than having the right data to support an analysis, getting data real time will be advantageous in many ways. We know for a fact that wearable technologies have been around to track...
2019-02-0658 min
Business LabTechnology for Workplaces That Work: Humanyze’s Ben Waber[Sponsored] In this episode: What new kinds of sensor data can tell us about the merits of open offices and remote work.Do open offices foster more collaboration, or just more frustration? Should managers encourage employees to telecommute, or is a scattered workforce less cohesive? The conventional wisdom on these issues swings like a pendulum, and for managers the only constant seems to be anxiety that they’re not getting it right. But new technology may offer some real answers. Ben Waber, a former MIT Media Lab doctoral student, is president and CEO of Humanyze, a Boston sta...
2019-01-2430 min
Business LabTechnology for Workplaces That Work: Humanyze’s Ben Waber[Sponsored] In this episode: What new kinds of sensor data can tell us about the merits of open offices and remote work.Do open offices foster more collaboration, or just more frustration? Should managers encourage employees to telecommute, or is a scattered workforce less cohesive? The conventional wisdom on these issues swings like a pendulum, and for managers the only constant seems to be anxiety that they’re not getting it right. But new technology may offer some real answers. Ben Waber, a former MIT Media Lab doctoral student, is president and CEO of Humanyze, a Boston sta...
2019-01-2430 min
The EPAM Continuum Podcast NetworkThe Resonance Test 22: Ben Waber of HumanyzeIf someone told you that his company was all about “people analytics,” would you understand what that meant? How about if he added: “Sort of like *Moneyball* for business”? Bet that would make things crystal clear--at least for the multitude of baseball and/or Brad Pitt and/or Michael Lewis fans out there! That is, in fact, how Humanyze’s CEO, Ben Waber, described his firm to Continuum SVP Kevin Young, in the most recent installment of *The Resonance Test.* In a sprightly digital dialogue, the two talk through such topics as: the use of data in the modern work environmen...
2018-03-1528 min
HR Examiner Podcasts with John SumserHRExaminer Executive Conversations with Ben Waber, Humanyze| Feb 9, 2018-7AM PSTDr. Ben Waber is the CEO and co-founder of Humanyze. He is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, previously worked as a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, and received his Ph.D. from MIT for his work with Alex “Sandy” Pentland’s Human Dynamics group. Waber’s work has been featured in major media outlets such as Wired, The Economist, and NPR. He has consulted for industry leaders such as LG, McKinsey & Company, and Gartner on technology trends, social networks, and organizational design. His book, People Analytics, was published by the Financial Times Press in 2013.
2018-02-0932 min
HR Examiner Podcasts with John SumserHRExaminer Executive Conversations with Ben Waber, Humanyze| Feb 9, 2018-7AM PSTDr. Ben Waber is the CEO and co-founder of Humanyze. He is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, previously worked as a senior researcher at Harvard Business School, and received his Ph.D. from MIT for his work with Alex “Sandy” Pentland’s Human Dynamics group. Waber’s work has been featured in major media outlets such as Wired, The Economist, and NPR. He has consulted for industry leaders such as LG, McKinsey & Company, and Gartner on technology trends, social networks, and organizational design. His book, People Analytics, was published by the Financial Times Press in 2013.
2018-02-0932 min
Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace cultureData on how offices workBen Waber is the CEO of Humanyze, a firm that spun pioneering work from MIT into the world's leading people analytics business. Their technology can track how your office is working.Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check out the best ever episodes at the website.Eat Sleep Work Repeat is made and hosted by Bruce Daisley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2017-11-2136 min
Workplace Matters10. People analytics and digital ethics | Ben WaberIs the future of HR, IT and FM at the mercy of people data analytics? This episode Ian speaks with Ben Waber, ex of MIT and CEO of Humanyze about their IoT-enabled ‘Moneyball for business’ approach… essential listening. Huge thanks to the British Institute of Facilities Management for allowing Ian to interview Ben before his ThinkFM keynote in June. Enjoy!
2017-06-2054 min
Women and Public Policy Program Seminar SeriesDetecting and Reducing Discrimination with Ben Waber
Discover powerful hidden social "levers" and networks within your company. Then, use that knowledge to make slight "tweaks" that dramatically improve both business performance and employee fulfillment! Drawing on insights from his book, People Analytics, MIT Media Lab innovator Ben Waber shows how sensors and analytics can give you an unprecedented understanding of how your people work and collaborate, and actionable insights for building a more effective, productive, and positive organization.
Ben Waber, President and CEO, Humanyze; Visiting Scientist, MIT Media Lab
2017-06-1400 min
The AI in Business PodcastMachine Learning Opening New Doors in Human Resource IndustryWhen we think about applying AI and data science to different areas of business, we often think about those domains that offer a wide swath of quantitative metrics that we can feed a machine, like marketing or finance. Human resources (HR) normally doesn't fit the bill. How we hired someone, how we felt about them when we hired them, how they perform qualitatively, these are things that are often difficult to discern in team dynamics. That being said, big teams like Google are applying machine learning (ML) to some of their HR choices, and our guest today believes more...
2016-07-0329 min
Lift conferenceBen Waber - “People Analytics”: Creating better organizations based on how...CEO, Sociometric SolutionsComputers like numbers and there’s plenty of them around work: Presence, actions, movements, interactions, contacts, inputs, outputs, outcomes… Human Resource Management and Job Search rely more and more on data and metrics: Value, contribution, reputation, social graph, reputation, health, and all kinds of traces. Where is the value in all that data? What insights does it provide, and to whose benefit? Could we use it to find new ways of measuring, valuing and compensating all kinds of social and productive activities ?Video filmed at Lift with Fing 2014 in Marseille
2014-11-2900 min
Engaging Leader | Engaging Leader with Jesse Lahey041: Using People Analytics to Improve Productivity & Happiness | with Ben Waber
Google recently moved into the No. 3 position among the world’s most valuable companies. Google has been said to have the world’s only truly data-driven HR function, and they call it “people analytics.” One of the data-driven tools that Google uses is Social Sensing Technology, which is showing conclusive evidence that slight changes in behavior, […]
2013-06-1337 minstory_of_the_dayTracking Employees to Boost ProductivityWhat goes into the average work day? A walk to lunch, a walk to the bathroom, a few clicks through your favorite blog, a conversation by the coffee maker. These behaviors are natural aspects of office culture in the United States and they are increasingly being monitored by employers.
More companies are turning to tracking devices to learn about employee behavioral patterns in the hopes of boosting productivity. This kind of data collection is just one of many new attempts to predict our behavior by monitoring how we live, work, and make purchases.
Ben Waber i...
2013-03-1813 min