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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://d3.harvard.edu/platform-rctom/how-to/.

Submitted (926)

Waymo: The future of (not) driving
ssingayapally
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 9:49 pm
Waymo is attempting to improve transportation using autonomous vehicles. As it is preparing to launch a ride-hailing service with these cars, there are several challenges it faces - from perceived safety issues to long-term transportation policy around the world.
Enhanced Learning Through Machine Learning
Patricia Andrade
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:13 pm
DreamBox, an ed-tech company based in Seattle, uses machine learning to create an adaptive platform that teaches k-8 math.
Unlocking the Power of Open Innovation in Disaster Relief
Kaleigh Killoran
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 2:51 pm
How the International Federation of Red Cross is Tapping into the Universal Desire for Purpose & Connection Through Crowdsourcing
Smart Farming – How One Company is Doubling Down on its Commitment to Precision Agriculture
Al Yang
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 1:36 pm
Applying machine learning to agriculture, John Deere is committed to innovation.
Unilever and Open Innovation: How does the emergence of digitally native brands change what it means to innovate?
Tom Ingram
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 8:24 pm
Unilever's 400 brands have a new type of competitor: the digitally native brand. Can open innovation keep the organization nimble?
GENERAL ELECTRIC: HOW CAN A 126-YEAR OLD INCUMBENT NAVIGATE THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION?
pk
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:01 pm
While the rise of machine learning in the consumer space is widely discussed, its uses in mature industrial technologies are lesser-known, yet very important.
Comcast and Machine Learning: Can One of America’s Most Hated Companies Revive its Reputation?
AJB
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Comcast was named the most hated company in America. Can it leverage machine learning to improve its product offer and customer service?
Future of fragrance: Can AI disrupt an industry that is at the intersection of both art and science?
gcakil@mba2020.hbs.edu
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:47 pm
Perfume is an individual's most personal choice, and many dare to call this industry an art rather than science. Could this be why machine learning will bring tremendous value?
BenevolentAI: Can artificial intelligence drive the next generation of drug development?
JP
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 11:33 pm
BenevolentAI is a UK-based biotechnology company betting on machine learning and artificial intelligence as their competitive advantage at all stages of the drug development process. Will this bet pay off or will BenevolentAI fail to create meaningful innovation in the [...]
The future in cement manufacturing is here: Transforming Cementos Molins’ production process through the application of AI
Giannis Slimpi
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:16 pm
2017 was a landmark year for Cementos Molins, a leader in the European cement manufacturing industry, not only because it sold a record 6 million tonnes of cement, generating an EBITDA of $218 million [1] but also because it revolutionized [...]
FDA in the Age of Machine Learning: Big Data, Big Risks?
Vinay Rathi
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 9:28 pm
Advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence may now enable patients and providers to detects life-threatening illnesses earlier than ever. But much remains unknown about these rapidly evolving diagnostics. Can the FDA keep up while protecting public health in the [...]
Challenge.Gov – A Model for Government Crowdsourcing
Nick Carraway
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:00 pm
The US Government's initiative to use crowdsourcing to solve pressing issues.
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 [...]
Volkswagen: Additive Manufacturing as a Tool for Success
jlaydon
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 6:17 pm
Can Volkswagen shake-up the status quo and use additive manufacturing to break into the tooling industry?
FOLIO: Challenging the Status Quo Through Community-Based Development
PA
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:36 pm
In response to competitive industry pressures,The FOLIO project was initiated as a community collaboration between libraries, vendors and developers to build an open source library services platform (LSP) to compete with existing players.
Do or Die? Walmart’s foray into Machine-Learning and the implications for Its competitiveness amidst the Amazonian squeeze
Don Johnson
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 11:24 pm
Will machine-learning be the tie-breaker in this new dawn of consumer retail?
Fighting Fake News with AI
Walter Mitty
Last modified on November 14, 2018 at 6:57 pm
We all have seen them: “news”, ads, chain messages. They are scattered with content supposedly selected for us: unreliable news, rumors, malicious texts try to divide communities, cities, nations and the world. Fake news is content created maliciously with the [...]
3D Printed Pasta – Are There Limits to the Benefits of 3D Printing in the Food Sector?
Tom M
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:36 pm
While the benefits of 3D printing are gaining traction in industries like automotive parts and medical devices, the use case in the food industry is relatively nascent though companies like Barilla are striving to stay ahead of the curve.
Expanding Open Innovation at NASA
Soriano
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:02 pm
In the last decade, NASA started using Open Innovation approaches to solve some of the world's most complicated problems. Now, the company will need to think about how to solve potential implementation challenges as the company scales up these approaches.
Xceptor: Automating Data Automation
MM
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:14 pm
How does a company that was at the forefront of data processing and automation adapt with the emergence of machine learning to further enhance its product offering?
The Perfect Fit? Adidas Sprints Ahead with 3D Printing
bry
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Adidas has become a first mover within the footwear industry in response to the advent of additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing), and must navigate through certain hurdles in order to shift the traditional footwear landscape.
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 [...]
The long awaited tech disruption of the legal sector
Geek Squad
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, is not a new topic. IBM’s Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov over a series of chess matches in 1997. Since then, artificial intelligence has drastically improved in performance and is utilized across [...]
The CAD Fad: Shanghai-Based Winsun Wants to Print Your Next House
Daniel Knight
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 9:52 pm
Winsun, a Chinese engineering company, uses 3D printing to create customized concrete homes quickly, cheaply, and with minimal human involvement
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