Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld – författare

The daily work experiences of people in almost any part of the world are shaped by workplace innovations. Despite the vast diffusion of work practices, little is known about what it means for a company in the region to identify what it sees as the best practice and then introduce these practices in another culture which are less visible than the global exchange of products and services, but more significant. This book provides us with a closeup of eight Japanese affiliated manufacturing facilities operating in the United States and the beginnings of a reverse diffusion of innovation back to Japan. The key finding in this book is that massive global diffusion of work practices rests on something very fragile. This is the process by which individuals and groups of people come to new understandings that enable them to adopt new work practices. It is a process termed "virtual knowledge", which can be found at that critical time when understandings are still in formation. Also , the book reveals how some organizations have anticipated and channeled virtual knowledge that is constantly emerging from different groups in the organization. This turns out to be the core building block for continuous improvement in operations and is central to the process of diffusion. The process is part of a much larger process of global diffusion from Japan, the United States and other nations to all parts of the world.

The 20th century witnessed two digital revolutions. Computing power has revolutionized every industry, from finance to agriculture to pharmaceuticals. We've got computers at work and at home, in our pockets and our bags, on our wrists, and even embedded in the architecture of our houses. At the same time a revolution in digital communication unfolded, which has forever altered our lives-work, social, and private-by enabling a world in which we're never impossible to reach and have nearly limitless power to express ourselves. But no one saw the downsides of these: powerful computers threaten to displace human labor from a range of jobs, both blue and white collar, and, after an election in which the Internet played such a pivotal role in spreading disinformation-not to mention the simple problem of never being able to escape our jobs if our email goes with us everywhere-the possible pitfalls of free communication become clearer.And now, as Neil Gershenfeld, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, and Alan Gershenfeld make clear, we are in the early years of the third digital revolution: from computation and communication comes fabrication. Fabrication includes everything from 3D printing to laser cutters to machines that can assemble anything, including themselves, by precisely controlling the placement of individual atoms. We will soon be able to program matter the same way we can now program a computer. This may sound outlandish, but just as the smartphone is the logical conclusion of trends in computing that began in the 1960s, so is this fabrication technology of the future the extension of today's trends in manufacturing. Neil Gershenfeld, an MIT professor, is at the forefront of making it a reality, through his scientific work as well as his championing of Fab Labs, a sort of low-cost personal factory. In Designing Reality, he and his brothers Alan and Joel explore not just the promise but the perils of this revolution in fabrication. On one extreme, it promises self-sufficient cities, the end of work, and the ability for each of us to design and create anything we can imagine. On the other, it could lead to the concentration of wealth in very few hands. Neither guaranteeing utopia nor insisting that our worst nightmares are about to come true, the Gershenfelds are trying to anticipate the future and teach us how best to prepare for it, personally and as a society, across education, employment and more. The first two digital revolutions caught us flat-footed, and there has been a heavy price to pay. Let us prepare for the future, not simply react to it.

A pathbreaking collection of case studies that spotlights the corporate sector’s societal obligations.  At a time of deep and pervasive global challenges, future CEOs and administrators need to apply management principles to social impact cases. Today, top business schools across the country are meeting the moment, teaching courses about socially responsible investing and debating ways companies can stem the effects of climate change.  The case studies collected here are an invaluable resource for today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders. Chapters address an array of business sectors, including consumer goods, finance, health care, higher education, manufacturing, nongovernmental organizations, social services, and transportation. A teacher’s guide is available online to educators.