Knowledge at Wharton

Are you happy? Could you be happier? Gretchen Rubin was already ”pretty happy” when she asked herself these very questions. In search of the answers she started her own pursuit of happiness which eventually became a New York Times bestseller titled The Happiness Project. She has now written a second book called Happier at Home. Knowledge at Wharton recently spoke with Rubin about why happy people work more hours each week how to make and keep happiness resolutions and how to ward off the three happiness leeches. (Video with transcript)

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Swarthmore professor Barry Schwartz says rules and incentives are an ”insurance policy against disaster but [they don’t] produce excellence.” In his recent book Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing Schwartz and co-author Kenneth Sharpe also a Swarthmore professor say that what is needed is not more bureaucracy. Instead society needs the Aristotelian ideal that trumps all others -- practical wisdom. Knowledge at Wharton recently discussed with Schwartz why individuals fail to do the right thing what practical wisdom looks like in practice and what organizations can do to regain people’s trust. (Video with transcript)

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New York Times editor Adam Bryant has interviewed more than 200 CEOs for his Corner Office column. In his book The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed Bryant shares what he has learned from Xerox CEO Ursula Burns Ford CEO Alan R. Mulally Yum Brands CEO David C. Novak Teach for America CEO Wendy Kopp Zynga co-founder Mark Pincus and other leaders. Knowledge at Wharton recently sat down with Bryant to discuss five qualities of successful leaders the age-old question of whether leaders are born or made and how his discussions with CEOs have influenced his own approach to leadership. (Video with transcript)

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Just as the Internet enabled anyone with a computer to become an entrepreneur today’s newest technologies have spawned a DIY (do it yourself) micro-manufacturing movement so anyone can be both inventor and manufacturer. Wired editor Chris Anderson author of the new book Makers: The New Industrial Revolution recently spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about how technology is changing the limits of what inventors can do what the Maker Movement is why he started DIY Drones and how the new technologies will drive the global economy. (Audio with transcript)

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For many implementing an innovation strategy which requires changes within an organization means adding layers of new processes. Lisa Bodell author of Kill the Company: End the Status Quo Start an Innovation Revolution argues that there are straightforward ways to make change without bogging down the organization. Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Bodell recently about her approach to getting companies to face their vulnerabilities why taking risks is essential and why small changes make all the difference. (Video with transcript)

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Can work be fun? Can the insights of successful game designers be used to engage customers in a variety of industries? Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor Kevin Werbach and New York Law School professor Dan Hunter authors of For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business say yes. Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Werbach and Hunter about what gamification really is how companies are using it and what pitfalls to avoid when gamifying. (Video with transcript)

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Television networks and advertisers alike are using social media to build buzz about programs and products -- but are their efforts really resulting in increased sales or higher ratings? Wharton professor Shawndra Hill is taking to Twitter and the airwaves in an effort to figure out how marketers should best employ user-generated content in trying to get consumers to pay attention to their products or to make solid recommendations to existing fans. (Video with transcript)

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Bill Clark’s job only gets harder. As executive director of Philabundance a Philadelphia area hunger relief organization he has this to say about today’s food crisis: ”The hunger that used to exist in inner cities or rural areas like Appalachia has leapt beyond those pockets into the middle and working classes. I don’t think there is a zip code in the country today that is totally devoid of hunger.” Clark talks about the challenges Philabundance faces at a time when natural disasters cutbacks in social programs and unusually high unemployment have created a ”tremendous” unmet need. (Podcast with transcript)

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In 2005 immigrant entrepreneurs launched 52% of all startups in Silicon Valley. But today the number has dropped to 44% and America is not only losing the opportunity to create new jobs but also losing its competitive edge argues Vivek Wadhwa in his book The Immigrant Exodus: Why America Is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent. In the 1980s skilled immigrants could get green cards in as little as 18 months but today it can take as long as 17 years. Failure to fix this problem says Wadhwa in an interview is killing American innovation. (Video with transcript)

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Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are shaking up traditional models of education. Among the most active providers of them today is Coursera a start-up that presents some 200 courses to 1.5 million students in collaboration with 33 educational institutions including the University of Pennsylvania. But how does Coursera deal with challenges such as scaling up the venture increasing student retention rates and monetizing free content? Knowledge at Wharton talked with Daphne Koller co-founder of Coursera during her recent visit to campus.

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