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)

Organovo: bioprinting tissue to speed up drug development
Keeps You Guessing
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 8:23 pm
Organovo, kicked off use of 3D printed liver tissue in big pharma research and drug development. Can it catapult the industry to shorten drug development cycle time and print entire liver organs in the next 15 yrs?
Machine Learning for Recruiting at Amazon – Challenges and Opportunities
HBS2020_12345
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:06 pm
Amazon's challenges and opportunities using machine learning for recruiting
Innovating the innovation process: Raízen incubates third party innovation
Annie Hall
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:14 pm
Raízen is the technology-driven and sustainable Brazilian star child of Royal Dutch Shell and Cosan, a well-established producer of bioethanol and sugar based in São Paulo. Acting as a fully integrated agro-energetic company, Raízen operates in every single stage of the [...]
Window into the soul?: Machine learning for song recommendations at Spotify
kgf
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 9:09 pm
“Music is like a window do your soul”… “it tells people a lot about who you are and what you care about, whether you like it or not.” -Christine Hung, Head of Data Solutions at Spotify [4][6] If music is [...]
Crowdsourcing a moonshot: can a redesigned toilet help India win the battle against human waste?
Cristian
Posted on November 14, 2018 at 10:25 am
Crowdsourced challenges can spur unprecedented innovation leaps at stalled industries. However, these challenges must be quickly inscribed into a believable road to market path to bring to life commercially viable products. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation faced a similar [...]
Bytedance’ AI application: secrete sauce behind the world’s most valuable private startup
Peter Le
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:36 pm
Explore what's behind the world's most valuable tech startup
Using Machine Learning to Improve How Energy Gets to Market
CAR
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:41 pm
By collecting data and utilizing machine learning, the midstream oil and gas industry is improving operational efficiency.
Salesforce and the Machine (Learning Revolution)
Cameron Armstrong
Posted on November 14, 2018 at 10:25 am
Machine learning is here to stay and Salesforce is poised to ride the nascent revolution of analytics into the future and beyond...if they can adapt their successes to other parts of their growth strategy.
An A.I. Odyssey: How Fox is Using Machine Learning to Market Movies
Jean-Philippe Gauthier
Posted on November 11, 2018 at 2:56 pm
Movie studios have historically relied on experience to predict movie budgets and their allocations. In recent years, they have begun leveraging machine learning to improve marketing efficiency. Fox has been at the forefront of these efforts through its collaboration with [...]
When Machine Learning Influences Your Vote: Lessons from Cambridge Analytica in the 2016 US Presidential Elections
taiikukaikei
Posted on November 14, 2018 at 10:25 am
Machine learning is changing the landscape of political advertising. Consumers need greater transparency into how their personal data influences the political messages they see online.
3D Printing the Future of Rail at Deutsche Bahn
Sam
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:59 pm
Deutsche Bahn is investing heavily in additive manufacturing. How can they best incorporate this technology into their future supply chain?
Rest Easy, Global Giant: additive manufacturing as risk mitigator
Warren’s All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:58 pm
For infrastructure-builder AECOM, additive manufacturing represents a way to address a set of its most-pressing risks--but is the technology ready?
Partnering with AI: Optum Labs’ Efforts to Improve U.S. Health Care
Alex Rosenblit
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Through industry partnerships, a 200 million life database, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), Optum Labs is confronting the daunting cost and quality challenges facing the U.S. health care system
Airbnb — Customizing Recommendations for Every Trip
A1
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 4:39 pm
Overview of Airbnb's strong implementation of machine learning: search engine, optimized pricing, photo-categorization and more
Dream On: An Exploration of Neural Networks Turned Inside Out
Jon Snow
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:17 pm
What if computers could dream? In fact, they can. Google's groundbreaking DeepDream software is turning AI neural networks inside out to understand how computers think.
How Birchbox Stays Competitive using Machine Learning
Student E
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 11:06 pm
Machine learning helps Birchbox stand out from the competition by sending the right products that customers will love and continue to order in an online and offline world.
How L’Oréal is using AI and Machine Learning to disrupt the beauty industry
Sheep
Posted on November 11, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Personalization is the future of the beauty industry
“Just let the Machines do the Work”: Marriot’s Opportunity to Build on Starwood’s Digital Expertise
AnonymousWriter#45
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 3:08 pm
How Marriott Can Build From Starwood’s Machine Learning Expertise
CLOUDFLARE: USING MACHINE LEARNING TO SECURE AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS
Mollie Breen
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 9:39 pm
Cyber attacks got you down? Read how CloudFlare is building better security on the internet.
Open your open innovation to suppliers
heart04
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:59 pm
The role of suppliers in open innovation should be reconsidered as high tech companies have difficulty identify product/process innovation solely from users and customers. Dell pioneered to have its suppliers proactively engage in product and process innovation along open innovation [...]
Your Personalized Dinner is Served
Capucine
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:37 pm
Wellio: your personal nutritionist, grocery shopper and chef
Printed Chocolate? Hershey Connects with Consumers Through Additive Manufacturing
John Franklin
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:19 pm
When you consider 3D printing, what comes to mind is traditional manufacturing – automotive, aerospace, and the like. However, 3D printing is also beginning to emerge hold in non-traditional industries, including the food industry. Although it remains a niche product [...]
Improving Public Safety with Machine Learning
Olivia Davis
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:05 pm
Machine learning usage to increase public safety by increasing the response of the NYPD to gunfire by solving the main restrictions the government operated
OpenIdeo – Using Open Innovation to Tackle the Biggest Societal Issues
A Iglehart
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 3:21 pm
OpenIDEO aims to utilize design thinking and open innovation to solve the worlds toughest problems.
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