Robert D. Austin is a professor of Information Systems at Ivey Business School, and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Medical School.
Before his appointment at Ivey, he was a professor of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Copenhagen Business School, and, before that, a professor of Technology and Operations Management at the Harvard Business School. At Harvard, he chaired the executive program for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) for more than ten years.
Professor Austin has published widely, in both academic and professional venues, such as Harvard Business Review, Information Systems Research, MIT Sloan Management Review, Organization Science, Organization Studies, and the Wall Street Journal. He also is the author of ten books, more than 100 published cases and notes, three Harvard online products, and two popular Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) running on the Coursera platform. His “Cyberattack!" Simulation won the 2019 International Serious Play Gold Medal. His research on neurodiversity employment programs is funded by SSHRC.
Over the years, Dr. Austin has consulted with and delivered education experiences to many multinational corporations, working mostly with C-level executives, and he has served on numerous boards, especially for technology companies. He is a member of the international jury for the CIO 100 Awards, a judge for MIT Sloan’s International CIO Leadership Award, and he has advised the European Commission on “e- Competencies for Innovation” and “e-Leadership.”
Teaching
Managing Innovation (Accelerated MBA)
Leveraging Information Technology (HBA, 2 sections)
Education
PhD, Management and Decision Science, Carnegie Mellon University
MS, Industrial Engineering, Northwestern University
BA, English Literature, Swarthmore College
BS, Engineering, Swarthmore College
Recent Refereed Articles
Austin, R. D.; Hayes, R. H.; Nolan, R. A., 2023, "Cashing Out Excellence", MIT Sloan Management Review, June 64(4): 58 - 63.
Abstract: Why do so many leaders trade in long-standing capabilities for short-term results?
Abstract: For all of the attention that leader character gets when we witness its negative extremes most organizations give surprisingly little thought to what is actually one of the most significant available levers to effect positive organizational development. Organizations that fail to hire for and develop positive character among its leaders are missing an opportunity. In fact, one study found that organizations with leaders of high character--those whose employees rated them highly on integrity, responsibility, forgiveness, and compassion--had nearly five times the return on assets of those with low character. Here, Crossan et al provide a deeper understanding of character and its applications and offer guidance for how business leaders can begin to apply considerations of character to build stronger organizations.
Abstract: In recent years, design has emerged as an approach to shaping public policies and services. But how design works in the public sector has not been rigorously studied. This paper analyses 15 cases of design in the public sector to arrive at a theoretical characterization of design in the public sector that aligns with descriptions in non-public settings, with some differences. We consider also whether public design practices might signal the emergence of human centred models of public governance that offer new openings for creative influences and serve as a constructive counterbalance to more bureaucratic and analytical traditions. Our empirical analysis of this question includes an interview-based follow up inquiry into the advantage, disadvantages, and durability of design practices ten years after the original study.
Abstract: More and more companies are embracing data science as a function and a capability. But many of them have not been able to consistently derive business value from their investments in big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. 1 Moreover, evidence suggests that the gap is widening between organizations successfully gaining value from data science and those struggling to do so.2 To better understand the mistakes that companies make when implementing profitable data science projects, and discover how to avoid them, we conducted in-depth studies of the data science activities in three of India’s top 10 private-sector banks with well-established analytics departments. We identified five common mistakes, as exemplified by the following cases we encountered, and suggest corresponding solutions to address them.
Abstract: Neurodiversity takes neurological developments traditionally regarded as atypical or even as diagnosable disorders, such as autism or dyslexia, and conceptualizes them as normal human variation (Jaarsma & Welin, 2012). Proponents of this perspective suggest that many neurodiverse people possess useful talents and are capable of functioning productively in organizations, but are barred from work opportunities because they are, as exemplars of human variation, ‘at the edges of the bell curve’ (Robison, 2013). The problem, according to this view, is not with neurodiverse people, but with hiring processes that define talent too narrowly, and especially with reliance on job interviews, which are biased against people with atypical manners of interaction. This view accords with early criticisms of employment perspectives viewing diversity as ‘the problem’ rather than the problem as inappropriate management of diversity (see Härtel & Fujimoto, 2000). Despite slow uptake of this alternative inclusive view of diversity, its validity is being established with prominent companies, such as SAP, Microsoft, DXC Technology, EY, JP Morgan Chase, and Ford, implementing since 2013 employment initiatives that de-emphasize interviews in favor of new inclusive recruiting approaches that have led to celebrated successes in hiring neurodiverse people. In this special issue, we examine some of the primary benefits that firms have realized as well as the challenges they encountered along the way, underscoring the urgent need for researchers and practitioners alike to identify how employment practices can be transformed to be inclusive for all individuals (cf. Härtel & Ashkanasy, 2011). In this special issue and our introduction to it, we look at the benefits of these new initiatives to the individual, as well as their societal and potential firm or business benefits.
Abstract: The authors studied almost two dozen major design-thinking projects within large private- and public-sector organizations in five countries and found that effective leadership is critical to their success. They focused not on how individual design teams did their work but on how the senior executives who commissioned the work interacted with and enabled it. To employees accustomed to being told to be rational and objective, design-thinking methods can seem uncomfortably emotive. Being asked not to quickly converge on an answer can be difficult for people accustomed to valuing a clear direction, cost savings, and finishing sooner rather than later. Iterative prototyping and testing call on employees to repeatedly experience something they’ve historically tried to avoid: failure. Consequently, those who are unfamiliar with design thinking need guidance and support from leaders to navigate the landscape and productively channel their reactions to the approach. The authors have identified practices that executives can use to stay on top of such innovation projects and lead them to success.
Abstract: Research on creative organizations often highlights a concern that economic influences on creative work might crowd out aesthetic influences. How this concern can be managed, however, is not well understood. Using a case study of an economicaesthetic conflict within a design firm, we develop theory to describe how the economic and aesthetic can be constructively combined. We propose the concept of conversation as a way of theorizing about a constructed sociality via which creative firms manage this conflict we propose the concept of ensemble as a way of theorizing about a conversationally nurtured but fragile form of intensified sociality that most successfully combines conflicting influences when it can be achieved. Together, these theoretical conceptualizations contribute new insights and help organize a fragmented landscape of ideas about creative work.
Abstract: The idea of using slack resources -- in the form of time, technology, and support -- to bolster employee innovation falls in and out of favor. We found that different types of employees respond in different ways to slack innovation programs; that different kinds of slack resources are better suited to certain types of employees than they are to others; and that different kinds of slack innovation programs produce different kinds of innovation. Our findings suggest six issues for companies to consider in designing and implementing slack innovation programs: 1. Slack innovation programs are not one-size-fits-all undertakings. 2. Encouraging employee innovation requires managerial support at all levels. 3. Combine slack resources with appropriate motivational framing. 4. Provide a "safe place to play" for employees who have low expertise and/or low self-assessed innovation. 5. Employ the right kinds of slack for the right employees. 6. Design slack innovation programs for the type of innovation you want.
Abstract: It seems like every week brings news of yet another major cybersecurity breach. Evidence suggests that the bad guys are getting smarter and more professional. Nowhere is the problem tougher than in national defense, where sophisticated actors, including nation states, engage in cyberwarfare. A big part of the problem: There simply aren’t enough great cyberdefense analysts to go around.
Abstract: Many people with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia have extraordinary skills, including those in pattern recognition, memory, and mathematics. Yet they often struggle to fit the profiles sought by employers. A growing number of companies, including SAP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft, have reformed their HR processes in order to access neurodiverse talentand are seeing productivity gains, quality improvement, boosts in innovative capabilities, and increased employee engagement as a result. The programs vary but have seven major elements in common. Companies should 1) team with governments or nonprofits experienced in working with people with disabilities, 2) use noninterview assessment processes, 3) train other workers and managers in what to expect, 4) set up a support system, 5) tailor methods for managing careers, 6) scale the program, 7) mainstream the program. The work for managers will be harder, but the payoff to companies will be considerable: access to more of their employees’ talents, along with diverse perspectives that will help them compete.
Abstract: An essay is presented on the use of digital technology to nurture creativity in business management. It argues that technology can be used to augment people and organizations' creative abilities which is crucial for innovations. Topics include colorist and executive Stefan Sonnenfeld's digital color artistry and use of computers for human intellect augmentation.
Abstract: An essay about super-transparency among organizations is presented. It states that the trend is influenced by the social media and increased flood of data. Also mentioned are best practices for managers to meet expectations which include examining assumptions to keep information contained, reviewing strategy for dealing with data vulnerability, and reviewing information flows.
Abstract: Like weeds in a green lawn, people who are “different” — whether behaviorally or neurologically — don’t always fit into standard job categories. But if you can arrange working conditions to align with the abilities of such individuals, they can add significant value.
Abstract: Historical accounts of human achievement suggest that accidents can play an important role in innovation. In this paper, we seek to contribute to an understanding of how digital systems might support valuable unpredictability in innovation processes by examining how innovators who obtain value from accidents integrate unpredictability into their work. We describe an inductive, grounded theory project, based on 20 case studies, that looks into the conditions under which people who make things keep their work open to accident, the degree to which they rely on accidents in their work, and how they incorporate accidents into their deliberate processes and arranged surroundings. By comparing makers working in varied conditions, we identify specific factors (e.g., technologies, characteristics of technologies) that appear to support accidental innovation. We show that makers in certain specified conditions not only remain open to accident but also intentionally design their processes and surroundings to invite and exploit valuable accidents. Based on these findings, we offer advice for the design of digital systems to support innovation processes that can access valuable unpredictability.
