The Collaboration Chromosome
Why the future of work is more gender inclusive, how Warby Parker’s staffers set the company’s direction, and a shiny new app for soliciting feedback
BLUEPRINT // the future of work // ISSUE #7 SEPTEMBER 30th, 2016
Co-workers,
Happy Friday! It’s been a bustling week in the Blueprint newsroom!
On the occasion of the Clinton-Trump debate, our UK correspondent Lisa Gill asked if it’s better to be loved or feared — and what the answer means for your management style at work. “In politics,” she writes, “the fact that we first judge people on warmth and competence strongly influences who we ultimately decide to vote for. In business, our inclination to judge on these two traits influences who we hire and who we promote. And, it influences our emotional and behavioral reactions to leaders and colleagues.” Read on to learn how to project more warmth in the workplace.
Meanwhile, columnist rosie yakob talks about how Warby Parker is allowing staffers to set the company’s direction via a process called Warbles. And Faris proffers advice on how to place bets on the future.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking forward,
Dept. of Future Possibilities
What we’re reading
Women should use their initials online to hide their gender, read an ill-considered column in the Wall Street Journal this week. That’s a “profoundly flawed” suggestion, retorted Anil Dash, arguing that you shouldn’t offer advice to an underrepresented group if the advice is so obvious the target group would’ve already considered it. The future of work is an inclusive one.
- Pair with: Women in the Workplace 2016, a joint report between McKinsey and Lean In that reveals why there are fewer women at higher levels in almost every company. [McKinsey]
- And: What It’s Like To Be a Woman in Venture Capital [The Atlantic]
- Oh, and also: When Basic Humanity Is Misdiagnosed as Female Hysteria, a scorching tweetstorm from Propane Jane on the occasion of David Axelrod’s criticism of Hillary Clinton’s “privacy problem”. [Storify]
Google, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon formed a historic partnership on artificial intelligence, according to reports. Is this an important first step in preventing “the immediate end of all life on Earth”, as Tim Urban puts it? Or the info age equivalent of a bunch of white dudes framing the Constitution? As IBM would say, you make the call!
- Pair with: Amazon’s next step is competing directly with FedEx and UPS [WSJ]
- And: More Than 50% of Shoppers Search on Amazon First [Bloomberg]
An Israeli startup says its new security software could’ve prevented the Tesla hack, according to ComputerWorld. The software updates in real-time if it notices non-compliant code.
- Pair with: Tesloop, the company that offers long-distance shuttle service in a Tesla, says one of its service vehicles has already logged 200,000 miles.
- And: Do Driverless Cars Mean We’ll Work During Our Commutes, by Ian Frisch [Blueprint]
- Oh, and also: iMcLaren, a Luxury Wearable for CEOs [Blueprint]
- And finally: A Dutch company transformed a Tesla into a hearse for the ultimate last ride [BI]
Dept. of New Tools
New software we’re excited about
Wantoo — a feedback management app to help you listen to, analyze, and act on feedback from your team.
Dept. of Who to Follow on Twitter
Future of work thought leaders, irascible know-it-alls, and friends
- Ted Coine — teacher, speaker, author, former CEO of The Extraordinary Network
- Ed Latimore — writer, physicist, and professional heavyweight boxer (wait, what?) who happens to have a wonderful newsletter
- Venkatesh Rao — author of Ribbonfarm and chronicler of the best books to help you understand how the world works
Dept. of Future Graphs
What we’re sharing
Dept. of Goodbyes
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