RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

Read The Full Prompt

The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for you to continue exploring organizational learning and innovation through the lens of process improvement and/or product development, the focus of RC TOM’s second module. In this challenge, you will investigate how an organization is grappling with machine learning, additive manufacturing, or open innovation. These megatrends are likely to significantly affect how organizations manage process improvement and product development in the coming years of your career. The TOM Challenge requires you to (1) conduct research and write an essay that examines how one organization is facing a particular aspect of one of these megatrends, and (2) write six comments that share your reflections on some of your section mates’ essays.

Your essay should address four questions in the context of the organization you choose:

  1. Why do you think the megatrend you selected is important to your organization’s management of process improvement and/or product development?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this issue in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (two to ten years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this issue in the short and medium terms?
  4. In the context of this organization, what are one or two important open questions related to this issue that you are unsure about that merit comments from your classmates?

Your essay should convey facts, analysis, and your recommendations. It should focus on a single organization (e.g., a single company, non-profit organization, or government agency) and a concern related to one megatrend. It is fine if the concern you choose relates to other megatrends that the organization is facing, but that’s not required. Roughly a third of your essay should be dedicated to each of the first three questions, with just a few sentences dedicated to the fourth question. Your essay should be at least 700 words but no more than 800 words, and must conclude with a word count in parentheses (such as 778 words).

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Machine Learning”, “Additive Manufacturing”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2018 note.  For assistance with the Open Knowledge platform during business hours (9:00 am – 5:00 pm M-F), email openknowledge@hbs.edu. A short video with instructions on how to post an essay to this platform is available at https://aiinstitute.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/how-to/.

Submitted (926)

How Spotify Beat Apple, Amazon, and Google Using Machine Learning
Harvard
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:21 pm
In an era in which Apple, Amazon, and Google are dominating the technology world, Spotify has succeeded in besting all of them in the music streaming industry. The question is then, how is Spotify able to fend off its major [...]
Machines Learning: Caterpillar Inc.’s Metamorphosis into Big Data
JHarvard
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:16 pm
Introduction: Today, there are 560,000 “connected” Caterpillar machines – from back-office forklifts to high-powered 50-ton excavators – that have been outfitted with connectivity solutions designed to cut costs and drive productivity for customers. [1] Caterpillar, the leader in machinery innovation [...]
Using machine learning to improve lending in the emerging markets
Crimson_Ranger
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 11:32 pm
Using machine learning to help small businesses and individuals source loans
Unilever China: Using Open Innovation to Become “Fast Fish” in China
Haoran
Posted on November 4, 2018 at 8:07 pm
The article is about how Unilever China using open innovation to optimize innovation process to match with China Speed.
Zhima Credit – Will Alibaba’s social credit system turn China into a “Black Mirror” episode?
MY
Posted on November 9, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Leveraging machine learning and big data, Alibaba developed the revolutionary consumer finance product Ant CreditPay and Zhima Credit that effectively tapped into the massive lower end consumer market in China. Customers with higher credit scores can have more favorable lending [...]
I, Robot Meets Wall Street: The Age of the Robo-Advisor
byoung
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 3:01 pm
Riding the new wave of algorithmic investing for individuals, how does Charles Schwab add value and set itself up for sustainable success in an ever-evolving global market?
Machine Learning at Yelp
foodie123
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Machine learning has been integral to Yelp's business model over the last several years and can be leveraged to help improve their declining stock price.
Training Robots to Curate Individualized News
North
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:54 pm
Social news provider Newstag is addressing issues of user engagement and content aggregation through deployment of machine learning algorithms
Printing the Future: Ford Motor Company’s New Production Process
John Smithwick
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 3:07 pm
The rise of additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) promises to revolutionize how companies build products. Ford Motor Company is revolutionizing the very production processes it popularized by adopting 3D printing and a renewed vision of cost savings and [...]
Under Armour: Can it Continue to Customize and Expand its Line of 3D-Printed Midsole Performance Footwear?
APark8
Posted on November 11, 2018 at 9:42 pm
Under Armour has created 3D-printed midsoles for peak athlete performance, and continues to innovate to differentiate itself within the extremely competitive apparel industry.
FEWER PILOTS IN THE COCKPIT—MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MACHINES
ATC
Posted on November 14, 2018 at 10:25 am
Looming worldwide pilot shortage opens doors for machine learning and other technical solutions.
Can Organovo Bio-print a Human Organ Before Money Runs Out?
Jack Livingston
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:54 pm
How close is Organovo to bio-printing implantable human liver tissue? Will it be able to afford the time required to achieve this monumental step in healthcare?
Fighting Organizational Inertia in Aerospace
Jillian Cornsby
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:10 pm
Additive manufacturing threatens to fundamentally disrupt the way parts are designed in the aerospace industry - can an established player like Rolls-Royce display enough agility to stay ahead in the market and capitalize on this new technology?
AI in the Exam Room: Combatting Physician Burnout and Improving Clinical Care
Michael Girouard
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:51 pm
Microsoft is entering the exam room to help reduce physician burnout and improve patient outcomes through voice recognition and machine learning. Can it work?
Doctors in china leverage machine learning to improve efficiency and effectiveness
nerdpride
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 10:06 pm
How doctors push AI startups to innovate in medical field.
Rent the Runway Wants You to Clean Out Your Closet…Permanently
Liz Sprague
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:50 pm
Rent the Runway aspires to be a “closet in the cloud,” and it is using data to make it happen.
CIA to CAI? Spycraft in the Era of Machine Learning
GM
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 4:13 pm
While machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies enable the CIA to process vast amounts of information, algorithms are far from replacing human spies. James Bond will still have his job.
Mass General Hospital Radiology
MS
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 6:42 pm
Properly assessing a diagnostic image in radiology is imperative to a positive patient outcome. Unfortunately, there are major challenges that confront most radiologists, but AI and ML can help.
Bracing for impact: the additive effect of Invisalign on manufacturing
Brian Westlake
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 11:12 pm
Align Technology (AT) is a manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and clear aligners (marketed through the brand ‘Invisalign’) used in orthodontics. AT is perhaps the most prolific user of an additive manufacturing (AM) process called stereolithography that converts liquid materials [...]
Open Innovation at NASA: Impact in Culture
RLT
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:13 pm
The open innovation initiative implemented by NASA generated divergent opinions among the R&D professionals working for the agency. The problem that NASA faces with the implementation of open innovation is how to organize and shift the culture, roles and processes [...]
You can pick your friends, and your friends can pack a box, but you can’t pick & pack a box without your friends
LLovegood
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 8:01 pm
Amazon's "Open Innovation" approach to solving warehouse automation
Quick on the Uptake: Digital transformation for industrial companies
J. Stephenson
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:39 pm
The future for Uptake is promising, but there are lots of opportunities - or potential pitfalls. (706)
Valve using machine learning and deep learning to catch cheaters on CS:GO (794 words)
Kombucha
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:19 pm
CS:GO is one of the most popular and competitive video games worldwide. In the past few years, reports of players using "hacks" in the game were increasing, negatively impacting customer satisfaction of CS:GO's user base. To counter this rampant cheating, [...]
How Salesforce is using machine learning to unlock more value for its customers (and their customers)
arman
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:44 pm
In recent years, machine learning has become a paramount technology for CRM products, and Salesforce is currently working on implementing an innovative machine learning strategy to fuel its future growth.
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