Robert Burgelman on Strategy Making Intel and Resource Allocation
Release Date: 06/20/2025
Navigating the Age of Chaos Part 1 with Jamais Cascio And Bob Johansen
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Episode Summary: In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Aidan McCullen is joined by futurists Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio, co-authors of Navigating the Age of Chaos: A Sensemaking Guide to a BANI World That Doesn’t Make Sense. The trio unpacks the BANI Framework — Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible — and explores how it helps us make sense of a world where traditional models like VUCA no longer apply. Discover how anxiety, complexity, systemic fragility, and incomprehensible change are reshaping our lives and futures — and what we can do to adapt and thrive in the...
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The Magic of Code with Sam Arbesman | The Innovation Show (Thinkers50 Award-Winning Podcast)
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In this thought-provoking episode, Aidan McCullen — Thinkers50 Innovation Award Winner, author of Undisruptable, and host of The Innovation Show — welcomes Samuel Arbesman, scientist, author, and polymath, for the grand finale of their trilogy. Together, they explore The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World, diving deep into how code shapes our understanding of reality — from biology and evolution to artificial intelligence and the simulation hypothesis. Discover how code is the new DNA, the universal language linking art, philosophy, and technology,...
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Understanding the Complexity of Modern Technology with Samuel Arbesman | Overcomplicated
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In this episode, we explore the intricate world of modern technology with Samuel Arbesman, author of Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension. Why did the New York Stock Exchange shut down in 2015? What caused Toyota vehicles to accelerate without warning? Samuel reveals how technological “accretion” and interconnected systems create outcomes that even developers, engineers, and executives can’t predict. We discuss: Why technology often evolves beyond human comprehension How “spaghetti code” and legacy systems create systemic risk The biological limits of...
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The Half-Life of Facts with Samuel Arbesman: Why Knowledge Keeps Changing
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Facts change — and that’s a good thing. In this episode, Samuel Arbesman, complexity scientist and author of The Half-Life of Facts, joins Aidan McCullen to explore how what we know — and believe to be true — constantly evolves. Together, they unpack how facts have a “half-life,” why collaboration matters in a changing world, and how exponential knowledge growth reshapes science, strategy, and society. In this episode: Why facts and truths decay over time How science self-corrects — from the Brontosaurus myth to the spinach iron story The concept of “meso-facts”...
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The Great Reshuffle Why Adobe Couldnt Beat Figma Howard Yu Sangeet Paul Choudary
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Why couldn’t Adobe—with all its resources—stop Figma? In this power-packed episode of The Innovation Show X, Aidan McCullen dives deep into disruption, transformation, and the future of work with Howard Yu (Leap) and Sangeet Paul Choudary (Reshuffle, Platform Revolution). You’ll learn why Adobe’s shift to the cloud was just Act 2, and why surviving in the new economy requires mastering Act 3—orchestration, data flows, and multiplayer collaboration. 💡 Topics include: Why collaboration isn’t just a feature—it’s a business model How AI is reshaping...
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The Power of Productive Failure with Manu Kapur (Part 3 Finale)
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In this final part of our compelling trilogy, Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, returns to uncover the psychology behind effective learning. Discover why failing first can drive deeper understanding, greater retention, and lasting mastery. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, this episode explores real-world strategies rooted in research—from the Zeigarnik Effect to motivational boosts like loss aversion, endowed progress, and goal gradients. Whether you’re an educator, leader, or lifelong learner, this episode offers tools to rethink failure as a powerful ally in personal growth and...
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Expected Value xV - Revolutionizing Innovation Metrics with Simon Hill
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Simon Hill, author of Expected Value (xV), reveals how to measure and prove the real value of innovation—avoiding theatre, zombie projects, and wasted budgets with his groundbreaking xV framework. Simon introduces his Expected Value (xV) framework, a new system that combines confidence, predicted value, time sensitivity, and strategic fit to prove innovation’s worth in terms business leaders and CFOs understand. From case studies to the role of AI, Simon shows how xV helps organizations escape wasted budgets, align innovation with strategy, and create lasting competitive advantage. We...
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Michael Raynor on Strategy RAP Model BCE Case Study
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Manu Kapur: The Science of Productive Failure & The Four A’s of Learning
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In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen welcomes back Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, to explore the science of learning through failure. We uncover the Basic Knowledge Fallacy, debate Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning, and introduce the Four A’s of Learning (Activation, Awareness, Affect, Assembly). Manu also explains why variability, struggle, and pretesting drive deeper learning, adaptability, and long-term success. Whether you’re an educator, business leader, coach, or lifelong learner, this conversation will transform the way you think about learning...
info_outlineIn this episode of the 'Hours of Bower' series, sponsored by Kyndryl, we delve into Chapter 3 of 'From Resource Allocation to Strategy' with Professor Robert Burgelman.
The discussion centers around a revolutionary view of corporate strategy using Intel Corporation’s transformation over several decades. Professor Burgelman reframes strategy as an emergent and evolving organizational capability, influenced by Intel’s shift from focusing on DRAMs to microprocessors. Key topics include the intricate relationship between top-down planning and emergent strategies, the role of internal and external selection environments, and the concept of strategic dissonance explained through examples from Intel’s history. Join host Aidan and Professor Burgelman as they explore how strategic leadership and innovation can coalesce to drive corporate success in a competitive business landscape.
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:30 Overview of Today's Episode
01:50 Guest Introduction: Professor Robert Burgelman
02:21 Early Career and Influences
04:07 Collaboration with Joe Bower
07:11 Intel's Strategic Shift
09:27 Andy Grove and Strategic Dissonance
19:35 Framework for Strategic Leadership
33:32 The Importance of Aligning Actions with Strategy
34:25 Intel's Strategic Shifts and Missed Opportunities
35:35 The Dangers of Dominance in an Industry
37:47 Disruptive Innovation and Strategic Inertia
51:04 Balancing Induced and Autonomous Strategy Processes
52:51 Organizational Ecology and Internal Selection
59:22 HP's Strategic Evolution and Corporate Splits
01:04:12 Conclusion and Final Thoughts